Blog

How Caregiving Changes Attitudes

As I meet caregivers across the country, they tell me, time and again, how their lives have changed. Many changes involve the tasks of care that have crept into their lives, but the most remarkable changes I hear about are found in how caregivers perceive their world. While every caregiver’s journey is unique and personal, […]

How Can Professionals Use the Model of Caregiver Resilience?

When I first introduced the model of caregiver resilience, I explained that this is a learning model. In today’s installment of the series of blog posts on the model of caregiver resilience, I want to explain how care professionals can use this model to engage in learning through self-reflection or to facilitate the learning of […]

Keys to Caregiver Readiness: How to Learn to Help Your Loved One

If you’re like most family caregivers, you didn’t aspire to be in this situation. You didn’t plan to be a family caregiver. You probably didn’t receive training or certification or education that qualifies you to be a great family caregiver. If you received some kind of formal health-related education, it helps, but it does not […]

How to Recognize the Rewards of Caregiving

Caregiving offers rewards that you don’t necessarily expect amid the struggle of providing daily service to your loved one. The rewards may pop up in a single moment, or they may become perceptible only after the long, arduous slog of care is over and your loved one is no longer with you. Often the hardest […]

Five Hard Realities of Caregiving

Family caregivers often report that caring for a loved one is among the hardest things they’ve ever done. Until you’ve assumed the responsibilities of caregiving, you’re probably unaware of the multi-faceted commitment that must be made to meet the ongoing needs of a loved one who depends on you. Nevertheless, when caregiving calls, you eventually […]

How to Honor Relationships While Caregiving

Caregiving changes relationships. While this can be disorienting and unwelcome, it’s among the most important things for caregivers to realize as they seek to meet the ongoing needs of a loved one who is aging, sick, or disabled. By recognizing that relationships are changing, caregivers are also uniquely positioned to honor their relationships with care […]

How to Understand Caregiving Roles

Roles are positions we occupy in the social world. Roles are central to our human relationships as well as our place in society. Consider these famous words from William Shakespeare: All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his […]

How Do Caregivers Develop Resilience?

Resilience is the ability to adapt to difficult situations. Resilient caregivers find the strength to continue to help others, even in the face of adversity. How do caregivers develop resilience? Based on research and practice, I have created a model of caregiver resilience. In this model, caregiver resilience is developed across five domains represented […]

What’s It Like to Hold a Virtual Workshop for Caregivers?

Are you seeking fresh ideas for your caregiver support program during the pandemic? You may want to consider holding a virtual workshop for your caregivers. I recently created a new workshop outlining the framework for caregiver resilience—which is something all caregivers need, especially now more than ever. I was invited to present the workshop for […]

5 Tips for Caregivers During the COVID-19 Holiday Season

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” sings Andy Williams in his well-known Christmas song, one of my personal favorites. The holiday season usually marks a time of happiness, togetherness, faith, hope, and thankfulness. But this year things might be a little different with the threat of COVID-19 and the measures you must take […]