Caring for a Spouse

Here’s my latest article for the Sunrise Medical Live Quickie blog about choosing an accessible vehicle. I’m still deep in the throes of this process but I’ve narrowed down the choices and expect to start talking to dealers shortly. My plan is to acquire one by June. Tips for Choosing an Accessible Vehicle I mentioned back in September in my first article for the Sunrise Medical blog. that I…

Wheel It Forward, a Connecticut-based organization provides an invaluable service — they are a durable medical equipment (DME) library! You can borrow durable medical equipment (Hospital Beds • Wheelchairs • Commodes • Walkers • Knee Scooters • Canes • Crutches • Shower Tub Seats • Toilet Risers • Rollators • Hoyer Lifts • Portable Wheelchair Ramps) from them for free and they accept donations of…

In the midst of the holiday season, I want to remind family caregivers and those family and friends who surround them that considering ending the your own life, or the life of your loved one, or having your loved express a desire to die is nothing to be ashamed of nor should it be taken lightly — it is not a joke! Homicidal or suicidal ideation is something that nearly all caregivers and loved…

Teva has published my latest article, How Should We Raise the Next Generation of Caregivers? on their new website, tevapharm.com. This article discusses what traits we should instill in our children to help them become capable family caregivers, which they ultimately will in some capacity as we all age. I look at the things I wish I had learned when I was younger that would have benefitted me now…

I’m excited to announce that I have a new occasional writing gig creating content for the Sunrise Medical Live Quickie Blog — my first article is titled, “How Many Wheelchairs Are Enough?” First, a disclaimer… While I am now a paid contributor to the Live Quickie blog, don’t take this as a blanket endorsement of the Sunrise Medical company or its products. We do own a Quickie 2 wheelchair that…

It has been six months since my last post — daily life continues to frustrate my efforts to write. Plus, February 11 marked 6 years since J’s stroke — another reminder of all that we have endured as a family. With that in mind, I’m determined to write this article that I’ve been contemplating for nearly a year — it’s not an easy one to write as it has the potential to make me sound self-centered…

I’m back! Well, I didn’t actually go anywhere but time has flown by, and I unintentionally took a sabbatical from writing as my last post was in June 2022. Now, I’m diving in again and planning to regularly add content, as best I can. To whet your appetite, here’s my latest article recently published on lifeeffects.teva – Caregiver Time Management – Always a Work in Process. An apropos topic…

The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) has established a caregiving phone line to collect input from family caregivers. NAC is a nonprofit founded in 1996 when a group of national organizations joined together to specifically to meet the needs of family caregivers. Their mission is to build partnerships across research, advocacy and innovation to make life better for family caregivers. I’ve…

Caring is Keeping Me Out of Work

An April 2022 Washington Post article discussed how caring for a parent or a spouse is keeping many out of work, especially after the pandemic. I know this article is a bit old but it is increasingly relevant to family caregivers as they contend with the pull of finding work amidst record-low unemployment. Discussions in caring communities about the need to provide financial compensation to…

Fear, Fatigue, and Failure

Here is my latest article for lifeeffects.teva. I tried to explore the principle worries that cause caregivers to be in a constant state of anxiety. As always, while I am a paid contributor to lifeeffects.teva, my participation is not an endorsement of the company or their products. I simply believe that they are providing useful content for caregivers and patients. Please let me know what you…

A Plan to Help Family Caregivers

There are many initiatives underway across the nation to help family caregivers. They range from expanding insurance coverage to paying a stipend to the caregiver to offering a variety of services, but I’ve yet to find one that addresses a critical family caregiver concern; having someone available to provide occasional help and respite. Finding full-time or live-in help is profoundly difficult…

Here I Are: The Anatomy of a Marriage

My friend Alex Belth and his wife, Emily Shapiro have published an Audible Original audiobook, “Here I Are: The Anatomy of a Marriage“. I first became aware of Alex in 2018 after the publication of his article, “How our marriage survived when my partner got sick” in Men’s Health Magazine, and could immediately tell we had a common sensibility. It was clear that the similarity went further when I…

5 Tips to Get The Most From Your Doctor

My most recent article published by lifeeffects.teva gives you 5 tips to get the most from your doctor as a caregiver. Effectively communicating with your loved one’s doctor(s) is critical skill for caregivers. These simple tips will help you become more confident in accurately representing your loved one’s needs and understanding the doctor’s advice and direction. I’d love to hear your stories…

There Are These Moments…

Most of the time, since arriving back home in mid-2107, J has been sleepy, quiet, and expressionless, but then there are these moments! Moments reminiscent of Awakenings, a 1990 American drama film that tells the story of a fictional neurologist who discovers the beneficial effects of the drug on catatonic patients. Similar to the film, suddenly, J appears alert, conversational, motivated, and…

An ADA 31st Anniversary Anecdote

Today, July 26th, 2021 is the 31st anniversary of the American Disabilities Act, signed into law in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush. The President’s directive on that day — “Let the shameful walls of exclusion finally come tumbling down.” — extolled the simple yet long overdue message of the ADA: that millions of Americans with disabilities are full-fledged citizens and entitled to legal…

J’s disabilities turned out to be worse and more long-lasting than initially thought and regaining independence in any activity has been challenging for her. I’m always on the lookout for something that can assist her to do things on her own, be they self-care, recreation, education, or exercise. Being independent, even in a small way, makes a huge difference in a disabled person’s life providing…

Building a Better Caregiver

I have a recipe for building a better caregiver. It turns out that my 13-year-old daughter is having a profound impact on my worldview affecting everything from politics, gender, and parenting to lifestyle. She recently introduced me to two things that led me to believe that I can define what it takes to be a better caregiver. First, we watched “The Mitchells vs The Machines“, a 2021 animated…