The Blog
The Burden of “Self-Care”
Every time I turn on my computer, I see some story or advice about the importance of self-care, especially for women. We read about how Arianna Huffington is on us to get more sleep, which has the effect of keeping me up all night worrying about the bad things that...
Creating a Resilient Response to Loss: The Special Challenge of Dementia
I’ve said many times that few things are more disorienting than the shift from being cared for by your parents to caring for your parents. The only thing that makes it harder is when your parent (or spouse) has dementia. This is quite possibly the most challenging of...
A Go-To Guide For Understanding Your Aging Parents’ Rehabilitation
I was 30 weeks pregnant with my daughter when a routine doctor’s visit uncovered the fact that a disconnected placenta had cut her off from getting food and water. Essentially, she was starving in utero. Later that same day, my girl was born by emergency C-section...
What to Do When Your Best Efforts Aren’t Good Enough
My neighbor George is not a daughter but he’s certainly part of the daughterhood. You see, until a year ago, he spent most of his time taking care of his parents in the home they shared. Now, from my perspective, he was the best kind of son any parents could hope to...
A Daughter’s Guide to Hiring the Right Aging Care Professional
Recently when I was talking to a friend about daughterhood, she asked me, “Why isn’t there someone I can pay to help me figure out how to get the best care for my mom? You know, someone who can help me navigate the system.” That’s a really good question. There are, in...
Are You Ready to Make Healthcare Decisions for Your Parents? Six Steps to Prepare You Now
A reality of our healthcare system is that it’s really good at keeping people alive way past the point that they’re aware of being alive. As a result, our parents stand a good chance of ending up in either a healthcare crisis or end-of-life situation where they can’t...
The 4 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Medicaid Home Care
I love hearing from readers. Sometimes they write to tell me that a particular blog has helped them and that makes me very happy. But a lot of the time, they tell me about problems that aren’t easily solved and ask questions that aren’t easily answered. Here’s one I...
The 3 Unexpected Stages of Daughterhood
I have spent the last few weeks talking to new Daughterhood Circle leaders. And, even though they live all over the country – from New Jersey to North Carolina to Texas and Minnesota --- it’s AMAZING how many of the things they experience are exactly the same. I mean...