But some, maybe more than we’d like to admit, have a less than admirable motive for their comments. Some don’t want Mom to have outside care, because outside care is expensive. And outside care will quickly eat up their parents’ hard-earned money – the money the family was to inherit....

The short version: mom's morphed into a reclusive, depressive, heavily-medicated, quasi-narcoleptic shell of a woman. She's given up on life and herself. More disturbingly, she's burned holes in hundreds of household items (carpets, floors, computer keyboards) after falling asleep while smoking. It'...

It was my first Christmas without parents. A friend reminded me that this will be my first New Year as an "orphan." It is very difficult, more so than I ever anticipated. Sadness, gratitude, joy and hope all mixed up in an emotional bundle I didn't see coming. This Christmas forced a time of refocus...

My mom, Mildred Oleta Sawyers James, died Sunday morning at about 10:30, just two days shy of the one year anniversary of my dad's death. They had shared 68 years together in an incredibly strong and wonderful marriage. It's my opinion that she just couldn't go forward very much farther without him....

We’re on vacation at the beach with my dad and my mother-in law. I felt like I hadn’t seen my husband this whole trip and I couldn’t figure out why. Then it dawned on me that one of us has to be with the kids (swimming and at the beach) and the other one has to be with the parents ...

Nordette is caregiver to her elderly parents. Her elderly father, along with her mother who has dementia live with her, her adult daughter and teen age son. Over at BlogHer, she tells us of the time a black snake nearly ruined her day: My dad said, “And while we were out trying to see about th...

With a week until Father’s Day, many people are wondering what to get the dad in their life. It can be especially hard to pick out something for an older person who doesn’t need much “stuff”. Paula Spencer of Caring.com tells us about selecting a gift for her aging dad: He do...

Writing about aging parents and all that goes with it can sometimes become a bit morose or gloomy at best. I try to balance that kind of stuff here with other things, but sometimes it’s hard. So, I really enjoyed reading Caring.com’s round-up of good things in the news about aging parent...

I was very sorry to read about Heather’s stepfather’s illness. As I’ve said many times before, I know that it’s hard to get news like that, and that it’s incredibly stressful, but I’ll say it again for her and anyone else, you’re not alone. It’s like b...

There is an important documentary on PBS tonight about caring for our parents. It shows the struggles that this new role in society brings upon us. For all of you who are raising kids - kids are child's play! I am going to say something a bit out there - but first a qualification - I have looked aft...