Caregiving Blog: Caring for Aging Parents
Welcome to the Caregiving Blog: Caring for Aging Parents. Here you will find helpful caregiving blog articles as well as podcasts and transcripts from The Caring Generation® radio program for caregivers and aging adults. Use the social media buttons at the left to share on Facebook, Twitter, or Linked In, to email a copy to family or friends or to print a copy. All posts are written by caregiving expert, Pamela D. Wilson.
Creating an Emergency Medical Plan for Elderly Parents
The Caring Generation® – Episode 147 August 10, 2022. Learn why creating an emergency plan for elderly parents is important to respond to sudden changes in health and hospitalizations. Caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson shares practical tips about navigating the healthcare system for aging adults and their caregivers.
Making Sure Elderly Parents Are Healthy
The Caring Generation® – Episode 146 July 27, 2022. Making sure elderly parents stay healthy can feel overwhelming when you’re not sure what is important. Caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson offers tips to support good health throughout life to help you and your loved ones stay healthy and live independently.
How to Deal With Dementia in a Parent
The Caring Generation® – Episode 145 July 20, 2022. Learning how to deal with dementia in a parent can be an ongoing challenge for family caregivers. Caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson shares tips to help family caregivers prepare for this unpredictable journey.
Getting The Most Out of Life in Your 60s
The Caring Generation® – Episode 144 June 29, 2022. Caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson shares tips for getting the most out of life in your 60s to help you create fulfillment, happiness, and good health habits whether you are caring for loved ones or yourself.
How Caregivers Can Respond to Negative Life Events
The Caring Generation® – Episode 143 June 22, 2022. How Caregivers Respond to Negative Life Events. Pamela D Wilson, Caregiving Expert offers tips for responding to unexpected or ongoing experiences that can be mentally and physically draining.
Why Do Old People Not Go to the Doctor?
The Caring Generation® – Episode 142 June 16, 2022. Why Do Old People Not Go to The Doctor? Pamela D Wilson, Caregiving Expert shares thoughts about why elderly parents and loved ones avoid or delay seeking medical care. If you are a family caregiver, learn how you can help aging parents, spouses, and others get the care they need.
Impact of Dementia on Spouses
The Caring Generation® – Episode 141 June 8, 2022. The impact of dementia on spouses is significant. Learn how to manage losing your best friend, become a spousal caregiver, and care for you. On this program, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson talks about making a dementia plan that includes care for the caregiver.
Being Realistic About a Parent’s Health
The Caring Generation® – Episode 140 June 1, 2022. Being realistic about a parent’s health can be emotionally challenging. Caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson, shares insights into why elderly parents might be in denial about health. Learn why family members may distance themselves from care situations and the effects of avoiding health conversations on family caregivers.
How to Recognize Self-Destructive Caregiving Behaviors
The Caring Generation® – Episode 139 May 25, 2022. How to Recognize Self-Destructive Caregiving Behaviors. Caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson shares habits that negatively affect family caregivers and how to change behavior patterns to replace self-defeating behaviors. Learn how to improve family caregiving relationships through the process of establishing trust and validating emotions.
When Should An Elderly Parent Stop Living Alone?
The Caring Generation® – Episode 137 May 18, 2022. When should an elderly parent stop living alone? Caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson shares how to identify factors that mean parents are increasingly more likely to need daily care and medical attention. Guest Dr. Gary Kaplan of the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine shares tips to keep your immune system healthy.
Caring for Elderly Parents What Matters Most
The Caring Generation® – Episode 137 May 11, 2022. Learn the 4Ms of caring for elderly parents what matters most. Caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson relates the framework of an age-friendly health system to actions that family caregivers and aging adults can take today to manage health care decisions and make good choices about daily life.
When Elderly Parents Won’t Listen
The Caring Generation® – Episode 136 May 4, 2022. On this program, family caregivers can learn what to do when elderly parents won’t listen. Caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson shares both sides of this issue, adult children who become frustrated and aging parents and spouses who feel nagged by well-intended family.
Failing as a Family Caregiver
The Caring Generation® – Episode 135 April 27, 2022. On this episode, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson, shares eight reasons family caregivers struggle. Learn how guilt or feeling responsible for things caregivers don’t control can result in feelings of failure and how to look at care situations more objectively.
Signs Parents Need Memory Care
The Caring Generation® – Episode 134 April 20, 2022. Signs parents need memory care include many considerations, including knowing if a parent needs memory care or assisted living or making end-of-life decisions. Caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson interviews Dr. Stephen G Post about decisions that family caregivers must make when elderly parents need more care.
How to Consider A Different Approach to Caregiving
The Caring Generation® – Episode 133 April 13, 2022. Taking a different approach to caregiving includes learning practical steps to manage caregiver relationships with elderly parents and spouses. Caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson shares tips to empower caregivers to balance life and caregiving responsibilities.
Breaking Caregiver Promises
The Caring Generation® – Episode 132 April 6, 2022. Breaking caregiver promises isn’t easy. Caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson shares how to adjust personal goals with commitments to care for elderly parents, spouses, and loved ones. Caregiving promises aren’t only the promises you make to care for others—they include the promises you make to fulfill your needs as the caregiver.
Women As Caregivers: The Impact on Life and Retirement
The Caring Generation® – Episode 131 March 30, 2022. Pamela D Wilson discusses the challenges faced by women as caregivers that affect health, well-being, and financial security. Dr. Katherine Ornstein from Mt. Sinai discusses a recent research article, Kinlessness at End of Life and why more women than men have no one to care for them.
What Difficulties Do Caregivers Face?
The Caring Generation® – Episode 130 March 23, 2022. What difficulties do caregivers face? In this episode, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson talks about setting boundaries, providing life support, and having practical discussions about the expectations of elderly parents.
Managing Caregiver Overwhelm in Decision Making
As a caregiver responsible for making decisions for elderly parents, some decisions are irreversible. Experiencing caregiver overwhelm is the feeling of being unsure if your choices are correct when you are also feeling emotionally distressed. Caregivers respond to...
Why Elderly Parents Won’t Make Decisions
The Caring Generation® – Episode 129 March 16, 2022. On this episode, Why Elderly Parents Won’t, Can’t, or Delay Making Decisions caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson offers insights into why elderly parents struggle with aging and decision making. What can adult children caring for aging parents do to move situations forward?
Digital Caregiver Support Programs
Digital caregiver support programs offer life support to working caregivers who are treading water to keep up with caregiving responsibilities. Choosing between work and caring for elderly parents is a challenge that adult children who are working caregivers will...
Being a Caregiver When You Are Young
The Caring Generation® – Episode 128 March 9, 2022. Being a caregiver when you are young for siblings, parents or grandparents is stressful. Learn how to manage difficult parent relationships, fears and not knowing what to do. On this episode, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson shares her life experience as a young caregiver and offers tips and wisdom for caregivers of all ages.
Why Being a Caregiver Sucks
The Caring Generation® – Episode 127 March 2, 2022. On this episode, Why Caregiving Sucks, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson examines how care responsibilities can lead to emotional distress and potential elder abuse. Learn what family caregivers can do to take steps to regain their personal power.
Why Family Caregivers Need Support
The Caring Generation® – Episode 126 February 23, 2022. The reasons why family caregivers need support are many. On this episode, with Pamela D Wilson, family members will learn and prepare for unexpected events related to caring for aging parents and yourself.
Why Caregivers Need a Break
The Caring Generation® – Episode 125 February 16, 2022. On this episode, Why Caregivers Need a Break, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson talks about how being a caregiver for children, adults, or caring for yourself can result in stress and negative impacts on health and well-being. Learn 10 tips to reduce the stress of being a caregiver so you can create more balance and live the life of your dreams.
Family Caregiver Battles
The Caring Generation® – Episode 124 February 9, 2022. On this episode, Navigating Family Caregiver Battles, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson talks about winning the inner battle of being a caregiver—whether you are caring for yourself or someone else. Plus why all caregivers must remain mentally sharp to survive the long haul of caregiving and manage competing priorities.
I Don’t Want to Care for My Elderly Parents
The Caring Generation® – Episode 123, February 2, 2022. On this episode caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson shares insights into reasons caregivers offer when saying “I don’t want to care for my elderly parents.” What duty do adult children have to aging parents who didn’t plan for needing care? Guest Dr. Omri Gillath from the Department of Psychology at the University of Kansas discusses his research about how childhood relationships with parents affect the way children approach relationships throughout life.
How To Plan For Aging Parents
How to Plan for Aging Parents. The Caring Generation® Episode 122, January 26, 2022. This multi-media online Livestream video, podcast, and article shares information family caregivers must know. Learn why aging parents may not plan for care, the effects on caregivers and families, and steps to live a healthy and happy life today and in the future.
How Do I Accept My Life Choices As a Caregiver
The Caring Generation® – Episode 121, January 11, 2022. On this episode caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson shares the experiences of caregivers who give up parts of their lives to care for loved ones. Learn how feeling stuck in care situations affects the lives of family caregivers. Guest Dr. Donna Benton shares information about programs offered by the California Caregiver Resource Centers.
How Can I Be an Effective Caregiver?
The Caring Generation® – Episode 120, January 12, 2022, On this episode caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson answers the question, how can I be an effective caregiver? Effectiveness is a result of translating everyday experiences to wisdom. Gain tips to care for aging parents and loved ones in this podcast version of Pamela’s Livestream caregiver event How to Find Wisdom in Daily Life Experiences.
How to Figure Out What Aging Parents Need
The Caring Generation® – Episode 119 January 5, 2022, On this episode caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson answers the question, how to figure out what aging parents need. Eight areas common to the needs of the elderly are identified, plus recommendations for managing through uncertainty and helping aging parents help themselves.
How to Stop Becoming Like Your Parents – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 118 December 29, 2021. On this episode caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson answers the question How to Stop Becoming Like Your Parents? Parents do their best to raise children. But not all lessons about living a happy, healthy, old age are discussed when children are young because parents may not have learned themselves. What adult children can learn from the experience of aging parents.
Care Refusals: Elderly Parents and Caregivers – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 117 December 22, 2021 – On this episode, Care Refusals, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson explains the effects of saying no on health, well-being, and family relationships. Dr. Thomas R. Radomski from the University of Pittsburgh shares research about medications and shared decision-making by caregivers and older adults.
Why Caregivers Don’t Get The Help They Need – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 116 December 15, 2021, On this episode caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson shares tips for caregivers who struggle to get the help they need for loved ones. Aging parents and spouses needing care can lack insight into health concerns. Additionally, caregivers can underestimate the effect of stress on their ability to provide care and make good decisions.
How to Stop Being a Caretaker – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 115 December 8, 2021 – On this episode, How to Stop Being a Caretaker, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson talks about ethical dilemmas related to good care, living a good life, and managing health declines. Guest Dr. Robert Lefevre discusses the link between caretaking and addictive behaviors.
Toxic Caregiving Habits
The Caring Generation® – Episode 114 December 1, 2021, In this episode caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson discusses how toxic caregiving habits can ruin family relationships between caregivers and care receivers. Learn how to identify toxic caregiving habits and choose to repair fractured relationships.
Why Won’t My Family Help Me – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 113 November 24, 2021. On this episode, Why Won’t My Family Help Me, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson offers insights and perspectives to help family caregivers get unstuck about expectations for receiving help. Guest Dr. Brent Roberts, Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, discusses how personality traits link to health and why change at any age can be difficult.
How to Survive Caregiving – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 112 November 17, 2021. In this episode, How to Survive Caregiving, Pamela D Wilson practical steps for family caregivers to identify four behavior patterns that make caregiving relationships challenging and how to rise above difficulty.
Why Caregiving Never Ends – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 111 November 10, 2021, On this episode, Why Caregiving Never Ends, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson talks about caregiving responsibilities that begin with having children and progress to caring for aging parents, spouses, and ourselves. Guest Louise Hawkley, from NORC at the University of Chicago shares research about the health effects of loneliness on isolated caregivers.
Difficult Conversations With Aging Parents – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 110 November 3, 2021. In this episode, Having Difficult Conversations With Aging Parents, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson talks about the importance of initiating uncomfortable or difficult conversations with aging parents and within families.
Strong Caregivers Make Better Caregivers – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 109 October 27, 2021. On this episode, Why Strong Caregivers Make Better Caregivers, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson shares solutions to the challenges caregivers experience that negatively impacts decision-making, relationships, and emotional health. Guest Dr. Mark Leary,
Does Assisted Living Take All of Your Money? – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 108 October 20, 2021. On this episode, caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson answers the question Does Assisted Living Take All Your Money? Shared are individual and family beliefs about assisted living communities, reasons assisted care becomes necessary, and why care planning and prevention offer more choices.
What’s Good About Being A Caregiver? – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 107 October 13, 2021. On this episode, What’s Good About Being a Caregiver? Pamela D Wilson shares the blessings, disappointments, challenges, and lessons to be learned from the experience of caring for aging parents and loved ones. Guest. Dr. Andrea B Maier shares research about longevity.
Elderly Parents Want Constant Attention – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 106 October 6, 2021. On this episode, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson offers reasons elderly parents may want constant attention and how the actions of adult children caregivers may have unintentionally contributed to the situation.
Why Older Adults Can’t Get Care – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® - Episode 105 September 29, 2021. On this episode, Why Older Adults Can't Get Care, caregiving expert and host Pamela D Wilson shares insights into difficulties experienced by older adults attempting to navigate the healthcare system and the...
Hard Truths About Caring for Aging Parents – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® - Episode 104 September 22, 2021. On this episode, caregiving expert Pamela D Wilson talks openly about the challenges and trade-offs adult caregivers experience when making decisions to care for aging parents, spouses, and other family members....
Wishing a Sick Parent Would Die – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 103 September 8, 2021. On this caregiving program, expert Pamela D Wilson offers insights into feelings experienced by caregivers that they hesitate to share including wishing a sick parent would die Guest Dr. Mellissa Withers Associate Professor at the Keck School Medicine shares research about EOAD – early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Aging at Home and Remaining Independent – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® - Episode 102 September 8, 2021. On this program, expert Pamela Wilson shares insights about aging at home. What aging adults, caregivers, and elderly parents must know to remain independent and self-sufficient today and in the later years of...
What Assisted Living Communities Don’t Tell Families
Caregiving Blog: What Assisted Living & Care Communities Don't Tell Families Pamela D. Wilson, MS, BS/BA, CSA, NCG What assisted living and care communities don't tell families is a subject rarely discussed. Assisted living communities and nursing homes provide...
Why Do Old People Get Mean? – The Caring Generation®
The Caring Generation® – Episode 101 September 1, 2021. On this caregiving program, expert Pamela D Wilson helps caregivers gain insights for changes and frustrations experienced by aging parents to answer the question Why Do Old People Get Mean? Guest. Dr. Jennifer Frontera shares research about the short and long-term effects of COVID.
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