Caregivers Write About Their Experiences
Here is a selection of online journals in which caregivers describe the ups and downs of helping aging or disabled relatives:
A Caregivers Journal is written by two women who are caring for their sister, Gladys.
Cheryl writes about her aging parents and how they sometimes lie about how things are going.
Elizabeth at Gen Between writes about handling your aging parents’ finances, among many other topics.
The New York Times has taken notice of caregiver issues by creating a new column on the topic. Jane Gross writes The New Old Age.
July 18th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
It all seems so familiar to me by now. This added obligation is being put on caregivers just as they are being fired, downsized, etc.
I honestly do not believe we are going to solve these problems but will be forced to work out what solutions we can.
Sorry to sound so fatalistic.
July 18th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
My MIL has Alzheimer’s. I’ve never known her any other way but it breaks my heart to see how my husband is watching her deteriorate. He can’t get used to how she is now but he is a good son (unlike those other good-for-nothing-children of hers). Sadly, the responsibility of caring for aging parents often rests on the shoulders on one sibling.
July 18th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Hi – thanks for the link to my aging parents thread. It gave me a chance to stop by and get to know you. Loved all the dog posts! Sad about Ozzie. What, no picture of you on this site? Anyway, nice visiting. Keep up the interesting work. Cheryl
July 18th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Thanks for posting this, I’m going to go check those links out. It may be helpful for us in our situation with my mother-in-law.
July 19th, 2008 at 7:45 am
[...] Ah, no, celebrities and hairstyles don’t meet my needs. How about covering the health issues we face daily like dealing with menopause and andropause? How about the emotional issues unique to the midlife age group? How about issues surrounding health insurance and saving for retirement? Most of us are also dealing with frailty and/or loss of our parents, but I could not sell that story to anyone. (The Boomer Chronicle has a good blog about care giving at: http://www.thegeminiweb.com/babyboomer/?p=1825) [...]
August 6th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Hello: Thanks for posting this list of midlife caregiver sites; good ones are hard to find. Most seem to be about ‘tips’ & are run by medical orgs. or self-help groups. They don’t cover the personal – emotional, spiritual stuff.
I’m spending much of my time now writing for the midlife caregiver – blog posts & an e-book in progress.
Warm regards
Ellen Besso
http://www.ellenbesso.com/midlifemaze
August 6th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Ellen, thanks for writing in. I was hoping to address the personal side of caregivers’ experiences.