Five big lessons I’ve learned
?I spent some quiet time with my mother at her nursing home late yesterday. It was shortly after dinner. Some of her fellow residents were watching television. Others were already being readied for bed.
How To Talk About Money
I was honoured to contribute an article in the recent edition of a wonderful magazine called: “Solutions” I write about the challenges and the importance of talking with an aging parent about financial and legal issues. If you would like a copy of this magazine, please let me know.
CHRISTINE’S STORY: Spa-ing on Mother’s Day
Mom lives in a long-term-care facility and relishes the chance to “escape” every so often. This year, my sister and I decided to do something special as a Mother’s Day treat.
Every other year!
My mother-in-law just died and my husband came home and told me that he has made an arrangement with his sister about their mother’s ashes. Here is what they have decided (all without opinions of other, of course).
Each will keep the urn for one year. On the anniversary of their mother’s death, they will transfer the urn to the other person. So, it will start that my sister-in-law gets the urn first – for the first year. Then we get it for the second year, and so on.
I think that they should have talked to us (their families) before the two of them decided this. What do you think?
RB
Memory and cognitive decline: Family challenges
From observations of both my clients and my father, who was diagnosed with Pick’s disease in the early ’90s, I know that dementia and cognitive decline can bring out both the best and the worst in families.
Call Your Mother!
It is Mother’s Day this weekend and once again I have to remind my husband to call his mother. Honestly, this happens every year. Without me reminding him, I swear he would never call her. Why do I have to do this? What should I do?
Judy
HANK’S STORY: The gift of sound
For the past year or so, my husband and I have noticed that my dad’s hearing has been going downhill. It first started when we were travelling with him and mom. He kept asking us to repeat what we were saying.
Caregiver Survey
To all caregivers: During the next two months we will celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. These can be joyous occasions for many. Sad for those who have lost loved ones. And for caregivers, it can be a time of mixed emotions. Help for caregivers exists. But often that help is hard to locate and…
Staying safe in our senior years
There are many times in our lives when we worry about being safe. One of those times is as we get older. Staying safe includes our physical safety, our financial safety and our security both at home and away. It can involve things that are functional in nature (such as not falling) or the need to stay safe in the presence of others.