In my last blog post, I described the problems that make working conditions for personal support workers very, very difficult. I described the challenges for clients who need personal support…
Over the years, our family has relied on the help, friendship and dedication of personal support workers, both for our son Nicholas and more recently for my mother who needs…
Yesterday I presented at a Carleton University conference titled ‘More Than Getting By: Putting Daily Life at the Heart of Our Struggles’. I was one of the few non-academics –…
Recently, I wrote about friends who aren’t sure how to support a caregiver in distress. I talked about how difficult it is for caregivers themselves to know how anyone could…
March 8th is International Women’s Day, so I can’t think of a better time to celebrate the contributions of women who give care to their families and friends. More women…
Recently, I’ve seen a trend that worries me. Social media disability support groups are commonly hosting conversation in which independence is trumpeted as an aspiration and fundamental element of human…
There may be parents of children with disabilities who travel as a family during spring break, but I’ll leave that subject for another post. Today, I would like to talk…
If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never doneFact: Caregivers need help. Fact: Many caregivers have trouble asking for help.…
Yesterday, I read an excellent blog post titled “Asking for Help” on the Caregiver Space. The article is chock full of good ideas and practical advice. It was the comments…
“So Brother Matthew locked the gate behind me, and I was enclosed in the four walls of my new freedom.” Thomas Merton Caregivers like me know how the four walls…
By Guest Blogger, Fay D. Wein Introduction: According to a recent study headed by Susannah Fox, associate director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life project, Americans are…
Here’s a question I’ve been pondering this week: can excellent caregiving be taught? Imagine the perfect caregiver… someone who listens with their whole being, someone who enables the disabled with…
Let me tell you about a perfect caregiver I know. Her name is Glenna and she looks after my Mom for a couple of hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mom’s…
Growing older always involves some kind of loss. For my Mom, it meant giving up her beloved car. To Mom, a car has always represented freedom and independence. She fancies…
This December 23rd, I am wistful about time passing. Tomorrow is my Mom’s 93rd birthday. It seems like yesterday we celebrated her 90th – time is passing so quickly now…
The lead-up to this Christmas has been out of the ordinary for our family. Some traditions have been kept: our Christmas tree is up and my freezer is full of…
By Jennifer Tucker, Vice-President, Homewatch CareGivers International, a home care brand whose locations provide care and support to elders so they can age safely in their own homes. Going home…
By Jacob Edward As Americans, we tend to forget that care giving has existed for almost as long as humans have been around. Recently, with the recession in 2008, more…
This week, I had the pleasure of chatting with other caregivers about how we prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had this online chat on the wonderful site Caregiving.com which…
Telling the difference between good friends and toxic friends is especially important for caregivers. Caregivers simply don’t have the dual luxuries of boundless time and energy to invest in friendships…
