Three weeks ago, I wrote about my journey of advocating for aging parents; two weeks ago, I said a final “goodbye, Dad” as a bluebird sang outside his window. I wasn’t ready to stop advocating — or to say goodbye — and in a way, Dad wasn’t either. Dad was a fighter. He wanted to…
One of the things you may discover in midlife is a need to start advocating for your parents. This new role snuck up on me. I lived more than 2,500 miles away and saw my parents when I could, maybe once a year. From a distance, everything seemed fine. Until it wasn’t. For my parents,…
Are you feeling stuck in the “sandwich generation?” You’re definitely not alone. Nearly half of Americans in their 40s and 50s (47%) are sandwiched between their children and aging parents (Pew Research Foundation). And women still bear much of the responsibility of caring for children, and increasingly, for elderly parents. In midlife, many of us…
Helping your parents or other loved ones with managing medical conditions as a long-distance caregiver is especially challenging during COVID-19. I’ve been navigating these challenges since early March, when my 83-year-old father fell and broke his hip (among other injuries). Hip injuries are scary. Dad and I had both heard them described as a death…
One of the most important aspects of long-distance caregiving is providing social / emotional support for your elderly parents. Your support matters especially for those with dementia. And, your support matters even more during the coronavirus pandemic. Connecting with parents regularly boosts their morale at any stage of the aging process. Because those over the…