Emotional first aid is the immediate, compassionate response to emotional distress or trauma. For caregivers, it means recognizing and addressing their emotional needs alongside their caring responsibilities.

I'm lucky - I have a younger sister and we have spent the past 44 years as best friends. We can talk about anything and rarely argue, except when it comes to what constitutes a good movie. We are caring for our aging parent together and this is what I have learned.

The death of anyone for whom we have cared will leave a mark – the nature of the relationship will determine the extent of the scar.

As a former family caregiver, I often get asked for advice on how people can be most helpful to the caregiver in their lives. I spent nearly a decade caring for my husband, Steve, and have a lot of experience in this arena.

When managing the complex needs of older adults living with physical limitations or memory loss, family caregivers and professional care providers are finding that technology offers considerable assistance. In this blog post, we explore several technological innovations revolutionizing caregiving in the home.

Boxing Day is a time for family and friends to gather, often for a meal, using up leftovers from Christmas Day feasts. It's a public holiday in many countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, giving people a chance to relax and enjoy the festive season. This special day brings extra importance to my family, as this was the day my parents met, over 53 years ago and this is also the first Boxing Day without my Dad.

Integrating awe into your daily life is a positive, transformative practice that can help you to recalibrate how you approach caregiving.

When caring for someone who has difficulty eating, it's important to focus on nutrient-rich foods that are easy to chew and swallow.

As the holiday lights twinkle and festive songs fill the air, there's an unspoken emptiness in our home this year. It's our first holiday season without my dad, who passed away last year, just before the new year.

Had I understood this sooner, I would have realized the better way to care would be to say, “these are my needs and for me to continue to show up for you, I need you to take these needs seriously.”  But that is the benefit of hindsight.

In this week’s post, we offer a helpful summary of 7 skills that family caregivers can practice to tolerate the distress that frequently parallels caregiving. The goal is not only to prevent burnout, but to enrich the caregiver’s spirit.

The family caregiver chooses a path of profound commitment. It can be entwined with love, sacrifice, and relentless dedication or shaped by duty and obligation. Whatever the reason, caregiving often brings an abundance of emotional turbulence, where heartwarming moments alternate with exhaustion, worry, and constant care demands.

I remember the first time someone mentioned the term “Caregiving Fatigue” to me. It was after a social media post I made where I was sharing a vulnerable moment…

This is our origin story.