Have you been struggling to engage your sibling in your aging parent’s care? Perhaps you reach out and they don’t respond. Perhaps they refuse to help. In this article I answer a question from a caregiver on the issue of siblings refusing to help with aging parent’s care. You’ll learn The importance of family relationships […]

As helpers and caregivers it can be difficult to take a break and give ourselves grace to engage in our own self-care practice. Research shows that caregivers have higher rates of stress and depression than non-caregivers. The sooner you get into the practice of caring for yourself in your caregiving journey, the easier it will […]

Over 75% of adults with developmental disabilities live at home with family. There is a growing population of aging caregivers of adults with developmental disabilities, in part due to increased lifespan and extensive waiting lists for residential services (The Arc Autism Now). In honor of World Autism Day, we’re providing tips to aging caregivers who […]

If you have an aging parent who is a primary caregiver it can be hard to know what to say and do. Caregivers, especially spouses, may be hesitant to ask for help or a break. They may think that this is part of the vow that they made, thru sickness and health. These 5 tips […]

Understanding the role transitions along the caregiver’s journey will help you to gain clarity with the common struggles and what you can do about them. Knowing that you’re not alone and having tools to manage challenges that may arise helps will help you along the caregiver’s journey and reduce stress and feelings of guilt and […]

Helping aging parents move into a senior living or assisted living environment can be overwhelming, and emotions can easily escalate. Here are 12 tips for managing those emotions during difficult conversations with elderly parents. 1. Expect that this will be emotional. Expect that this is going to be emotional. Know that it is reasonable that […]

Dear Dr. Koepp, My 85 year old dad is calling me multiple times a day. It’s interrupting my time at work. Sometimes he needs something. Sometimes, he just wants to check in. He has someone assisting him, but he’s always calling me. Can you address how to handle an elderly parent who is calling me […]

Have you helped your loved one move to a senior living or assisted living community only to find that in the midst of experiencing relief that your loved one is being cared for and is safe, you also have intense feelings of guilt and shame? You’re not alone. Many caregivers struggle with guilt and shame […]

There may come a time when you’re faced with the conversation of talking with your aging parents about moving into a senior living or assisted living community. Many people dread this conversation. Even simply starting the conversation can bring up all sorts of worry and feelings of guilt and shame. To help, I’ve created 6 […]

When he was in his late 80s, William Cohn, Candy Cohn’s father, unintentionally stopped taking medication for a long-standing bipolar disorder and experienced a significant mental health crisis requiring hospitalization and intensive treatment. It was following this episode that Candy knew that she needed to help her older parents find a senior living community that […]

Family caregivers during COVID are more stressed and overwhelmed than ever before and here are some reasons why: Approximately 61% of caregivers are employed while caregiving. Of these caregivers, 60% work 40 or more hours a week and another 15% work 30-39 hours per week. Caregiving resources during COVID have been limited. Many resources that […]

There’s a common misconception that when somebody is diagnosed with dementia, they lose their independence and can no longer live alone. While down the road in the illness course of dementia, this may be true, there is A LOT that a person with dementia CAN DO to remain living independently and safely in their home. […]