Caregiver Support

  • Topic

  • Illness

  • Audience

  • Format

Article

The Selfless Act of Self-Care

When caregiving for a loved one who is seriously ill or nearing death, taking care of yourself often falls to the bottom of your priority list. “I’ll be fine,” “Don’t...
Article

Caregiving for the Aging Senses Part 3: Hearing

Hearing is a degenerative sense, meaning that it naturally deteriorates with age. The tiny hairs in our ears (called stereocilia) that process sound become damaged with age and exposure to...
Article

Caregiving for the Aging Senses Part 2: Touch

A tight embrace from a loved one. The soft warmth of a newborn baby on your chest. The soothing comfort of petting a dog. Touch is our physical connection to...
Article

Caregiving for the Aging Senses Part 1: Vision

It is no secret that eyesight tends to deteriorate with age. The age-old trope of a grandma with thick-lensed glasses is so ingrained in society that we practically expect our...
Article

Seasonal Depression: It’s More than the “Winter Blues”

Undiagnosed, untreated, unrecognized Seasonal Affective Disorder could be making the tough times tougher As if it weren’t sufficiently challenging to face the holiday season after the loss of a loved...
Article

Talking to Children about Serious Illness

Five Myths, Debunked When there is a serious illness in the family, children need to trust the adults in their family more than ever. Changes can be confusing, from the...

Helping Your Seriously Ill Loved One Through Difficult Emotions

As your loved one progresses through a serious illness, it’s only natural that he or she will face difficult emotions: fear, anger, sadness and much more. Yet not all people...
Article

When Your Loved One With Dementia Acts Aggressively

Hitting, pinching, scratching, hair-pulling, biting, threatening, shouting and swearing are just a few of the aggressive behaviors a person with dementia might display. Have you struggled with any of these...
Article

When They Won’t Eat

Hospice patients often have changing patterns of eating and drinking. We think of food as much more than fuel. We think of it as comfort, enjoyment and protection. We also...
Article

In a Crisis, Spiritual Resilience Can Pull Us Through

This year’s theme for Pastoral Care Week is “spiritual resilience.” What does it mean to be spiritually resilient? How can resilience help us through a crisis, like a serious illness...