Carol Bradley Bursack, CDSGF
Author, speaker, columnist and eldercare consultant
Over the span of two decades, author, columnist, consultant and speaker Carol Bradley Bursack cared for a neighbor and six elderly family members. Her experiences inspired her to pen "Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories," a portable support group book for caregivers.
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Wondering what to give your dad for Father’s Day? Take the time to visit, listen to his stories and show him how much he means to you.
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What do you want to be remembered for? The truth is, people want to be remembered for helping others, for making a difference. While it may not feel like it now, caregiving is the ultimate altruistic legacy. Create your legacy to remember.
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Caregiving doesn’t end once a senior has moved to a long-term care facility. Now it’s up to you to be their advocate, visit regularly and follow up to determine if the senior living facility you chose lives up to your expectations.
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After moving to senior living, family caregivers are often surprised to find their once-social parents refusing to participate in activities and isolating themselves from other residents. Here are some ways to help ease the transition into senior housing.
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It is a common belief that seniors would prefer to move in with their children as their needs grow. However, the challenges of multigenerational living make the decision to live with an adult child's family difficult for all involved.
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Striking a careful balance is crucial when it comes to visits and family involvement at a long-term care facility.
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Most seniors can’t cover the monthly costs of assisted living on their own. How do families decide whether adult children should financially contribute to their parents' care, and, if they do, who pays how much?
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For many, being a family caregiver involves our own aging parents and our significant other’s mom and dad, too. When dealing with elderly in laws, how much care can you be expected to provide, and how much say do you have in their care decisions?
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One of the most exhausting parts of being a caregiver, from my point of view, is that there's always the threat of an emergency that we are responsible to handle. We are literally on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Family caregivers can't do everything on their own. Putting together a care team that includes doctors, family, neighbors, friends, and even outsiders can help a caregiver provide better care, build a network of support and avoid burnout.
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Most people have very little understanding of what it truly means to be a caregiver, let alone how to support a caregiver. Sadly, even long-standing friendships can fall by the wayside as caregiving takes up more and more of one’s time and energy.
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Read about other caregivers’ experiences with inappropriate dementia behaviors, including racism and unwanted sexual advances, and how they responded.
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For caregivers, the difficult days and responsibilities seem endless. Embracing positive caregiving moments makes bad times tolerable.
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Most seniors don’t want to give up their homes, where they are comfortable and surrounded by their belongings. But, there are ways to furnish and decorate an assisted living apartment to make it feel homey.
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Packing and purging personal belongings can be an emotionally challenging process, especially for older adults. Keep these tips in mind when cleaning out your parents’ house to make downsizing a smooth and positive experience for the whole family.
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For family caregivers, spring is the perfect time to not only clean and organize their homes but also refresh their care plans. Use this pro/con method to evaluate and improve your caregiving routine.
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Aging and illness can cause even relatively cheerful elders to feel down from time to time. Family and friends who are struggling to make their aging loved ones happier can benefit from these tried-and-true tips.
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Family caregivers often find themselves in high-stress, high-stakes situations where anxiety and depression can quickly take root. Left unchecked, these natural emotions can endanger a caregiver’s health and even be transferred to their care recipient.
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Many seniors doze off throughout the day to compensate for poor sleep at night. However, if your aging loved one spends most of their time sleeping instead of engaging in life, it could indicate a more serious underlying problem.
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Caregivers are faced with overwhelming stress and difficult care decisions daily. Finding opportunities to laugh and ways to incorporate a little humor into your routine will lift your spirits and bring proven health benefits.