I peeled a potato while Mother watched. “Is this how you do it?” she asked. What was wrong here? Mother, a farmer’s wife, had peeled…
Some people are like a patch of blue sky every day. Their voices soothe secret hurts. Their smiles absorb harsh words. Their touch heals mortal…
Old sayings often speak the truth about life in a sharp and honest manner: “Fish and company stink after three days.” “Houseguests, who stay past…
Shortly after Lee and I were married, he began to lose his balance while walking. Initially, the doctors thought he might have Multiple Sclerosis. They…
In caring for her father and his illness, a woman experiences the daily burden of an adult parent — and God’s provisions to help her survive.
My hand shook as I held the phone. I tried to stand, but collapsed on the chair as my whole body began to shake. I’d…
Mother stopped laughing and placed her bingo card on the table. “Who are you?” she asked as her eyes studied my face. I answered and…
According to the National Alzheimer’s Association, approximately four million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, and that number will increase to 14 million by the middle of…
“I am so angry. I’m fifty-one years old and my husband, Bill, has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Where do I focus my anger?”…
We were your ordinary family. My husband, Rudy, worked long, hard hours so we could take vacations. My daughter, Allison, enjoyed school and had a…
It happens in more and more families these days: a spouse’s forgetfulness, then increasing signs of memory loss. One woman cared for her husband as long as she could but had to stop after his dementia worsened. God made sure she was not alone.
After Mom passed away, I became co-facilitator of my church’s caregiver support group and discovered that what I had endured with my mother was not…
“C’mon, Tonya, just a few more bites,” I coaxed, trying to catch up to her mouth with the fork as she dodged from side to…
Caregiving is one of the toughest jobs there is, especially when the patient is a loved one. How do you handle the physical, relational, and emotional changes? Read one woman’s honest journey through her mother’s toughest days and the secret to her survival.