eldercare

When you’re a caregiver, a small act of kindness — from a helping hand to a sympathetic ear — can mean so much.

One of the most common questions I get from overwhelmed caregivers is, “How can I get my family members to help me more with caregiving?”

En español | I’ve been a family caregiver for more than 30 years, and I’ve found that there are some gadgets that not only make my life much easier but also make the lives of those I’m caring for much safer and happier.

Watching the new PBS documentary Caring for Mom and Dad was like looking in a mirror. The gut-wrenching heartaches, stress, fatigue, fears — but most of all, the love — these families experience reflect my own caregiving journey.

No matter how old and wise we get, sometimes we keep making the same mistakes ... over and over again.

There's a woman who sits in the square outside my office. Her name is Anna, and she's 92. Her caregiver Magda wheels her there, just a couple blocks from her apartment, so she can feed the birds. Or, as Anna, a lifelong New Yorker, says, "the boyds."