We usually don’t get to choose when to become caregivers. A crisis hits and we are dropped into a maze populated by scary monsters, like family conflict or financial ruin, and no guides. This happened to a friend of mine recently and, when her loved one’s situation stabilized, I sent her 3 things: 1. A […]
caregivers
The Next Big Thing in Health
This week I was a guest on the Next Big Thing in Health podcast (listen here or wherever you get your podcasts). I thought I’d share links to some of the people and resources I mention: ARCHANGELS WORK helps people translate the skills and experiences they acquired as caregivers into talking points for a job […]
Engage with Grace
Can you and your loved ones answer these questions? 1. On a scale of 1 to 5, where do you fall on this continuum: 1 = Let me die without medical intervention; 5 = Don’t give up on me no matter what, try any proven and unproven intervention possible. 2. If there were a choice, […]
Caregiving is not a “career break”
LinkedIn recently announced a new feature: the “career break.” Users can choose from 13 different types of time away from paid work, such as bereavement, career transition, caregiving, full-time parenting, a gap year, or travel. It is a big step forward. But I want more. I want caregivers to be recognized as essential members of a health […]
Lessons learned about hospice care
A loved one recently went over the cancer waterfall and I dove in after him, keeping his head above water long enough to say goodbye to everyone. It was an intense four weeks of caregiving – two in the hospital and two at home, in hospice. I am sharing one segment of our story to […]
Elegy for A. and M.
I grew up rich in cousins. I spent holidays with my first cousins and lived, starting at age 11, in the same town with second cousins (the children of my mother’s first cousin) AND a first cousin twice removed (my grandmother’s first cousin – each generation that separates us is the “removed” part). Don’t worry, […]
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