Daughterhood Updates
Where Can Caregivers Go for Help?
Caregivers have questions! At Daughterhood, we’ve heard a lot of them over the years. Each person comes to us with a unique and complex set of problems. These problems almost always generate some version of the question, “Where do I go for help? Where do I even...
What My Dad’s Death Taught Me About Dying
Three years ago, my father and I rode horses together for miles and miles of trails at a Florida state park. Two weeks after that, the world shut down and two years later, he died. His dying was my first very close-up experience with serious illness and death. If...
3 Mantras Every Caregiver Needs
No matter how much you plan, so much of caregiving happens by just living it. When overwhelm hits, mantras can help you stay grounded and keep going. Here are three: get in the boat, try a different path, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Ending Loneliness in Caregiving
Other than death of a loved one, few things are more disorienting than making the shift from being cared for by your parents to caring for them. This transition is made even more challenging because it usually comes as such a surprise. And it’s not just the...
What Caregivers Really Want Their Friends to Know
Remember when your first friends entered parenthood and you thought they seemed so boring and self-absorbed. And, then... you had a baby and you got it? Well, that’s happening again. Only this time, it’s because some of us have started taking care of our aging...
Caring for Aging Parents – A Sibling’s Survival Guide
There are many heartbreaking moments to navigate when our parents start to depend on us for care. But few are as painful as fighting with our siblings. This doesn’t always happen. Sibling relationships can be a source of strength and comfort as parents grow older....
When Your Parents Won’t Listen
We asked Daughterhood readers recently about the most stressful part of caregiving. Many responded that their biggest struggle is conflict with their parents. When their mother or father disagrees with or ignores safety or health-related directions. Things like not...
5 Lessons in Setting Boundaries that Every Caregiver Must Learn
It seems like I’ve been exhausted for 20 years. In just the last few months I’ve been waking up to the realization that this fatigue is the direct result of much-too-loose personal and professional boundaries. I’ve spent so much time and energy in my life doing things...
4 Tips To Make You Smarter About Your Parents’ Medicare
“My dad doesn’t have Medicare!” A friend said to me on the phone a few months ago. “What?” I responded. Thinking: This seems unlikely. Pretty much everyone over age 65 has some form of Medicare and my friend’s dad is at least 90 years old. Then he explained, “Dad has...
5 Common Misconceptions About Medicaid
I have a confession. I’ve been avoiding writing about Medicaid. It’s just so complicated it scares even me the expert. But Medicaid can be really important to daughterhood. Someday you might have to decide if it’s right for your parent. So, you have to get smart...