Caregiving Advice

  We hosted our first-ever Coffee Chat on Instagram live this week…and it already went international! Caregivers from the UK, Los Angeles, and everywhere in between participated in our real-time conversation. We can’t wait to see our community grow as we invite caregivers of all ages—and from all over the world!—into this virtual space. Because we’re caregivers too, we understand that schedules are all over the place. But that’s the great thing about these live conversations…we’re able to save the video! So if you couldn’t hop on in real-time, you can always check it out on Instagram. Here are three of the major themes Michelle & Eliza discussed in the first chat—things that identify us as caregivers no matter where we live, no matter our age, and no matter the age of who we’re caring for: Shifting roles Whether you’re a daughter, mom, brother, or grandfather—becoming a caregiver causes your role to shift. Eliza shared during the chat how her role shifted from simply grand...

Want to help a caregiver whose life is busy, busy, busy? Here’s how! During this week’s Coffee Chat—our brand new virtual support group that takes place Mondays at 11ET on Instagram Live—we talked about what kind of help is actually helpful for caregivers, and why it’s so hard to get it. We first posted this article in February 2020, right before the world shut down. How times have changed since then! But the advice we shared here? It hasn’t changed at all. Caregivers still need help. Caregivers still want help. But caregivers get a little triggered by kind offers from well-meaning people—and here’s the main reason why. Because it feels like more work. When caregivers hear these age-old phrases— “How can I help?”  or  “Let me know if I can do anything!” —our initial internal reaction is STRESS. Because the thought of coming up with helpful tasks feels like extra work, and extra work is something no caregiver wants. We want someone to lighten our l...

  Music makes a difference! That’s what motivated Alexis Baker to create Bridgetown Music Therapy.  Bridgetown Music Therapy is a monthly subscription service of online music programs for seniors. This service provides older adults with weekly meaningful and enriching music activities, such as singing along with a provided video & lyrics, guided movement, and relaxation.  Having worked as a music therapist for eight years, Alexis says she began Bridgetown Music Therapy because she’d always been drawn to older adults—specifically because of their wisdom, humor, and life stories. She wanted to serve this population by using her passion for music to alleviate some of the most common maladies in the senior community: loneliness, depression, anxiety, agitation, and declining health. She works to bring the healing power of joy to those experiencing the limitations of aging.  Watch Alexis in action here! While other music therapy services reach a wide variety ...

  At a recent Coffee Chat, we were pleased to welcome one of our wonderful sponsors, Joe Hausch from  PHOTAVIA , to our live conversation about all things caregiving! Joe and his team are in the business of storytelling. Of making movies with a purpose that nurtures intergenerational interactions. And they accomplish these goals by developing short films about The LIFE Picture Collection that engage and educate. To that end, Joe shared some of his “goosebump” moments—i.e. stories from people who have used PHOTAVIA’s unique reminiscing tools with exciting and meaningful results. This prompted a conversation in which participants shared times they had amazing breakthroughs and connections with their carees in a variety of ways—a moment of lucidity after playing a favorite hymn or song. A moment of verbal communication after months of not speaking after providing a whiteboard and marker. We also talked about different “high-tech” and “low-tech” caregiving tools that nurture engag...

Incontinence products aren’t just for older adults, and there’s a variety of reasons a person may need incontinence products at some point in their life. Sometimes, it’s a short-term need, like after surgery or childbirth, or due to an infection or medication. But for some individuals, the need for incontinence products is long-term. Whether’s it’s caused by dementia or diabetes, stroke or special needs, MS or mental health disorders, incontinence represents a challenge for caregivers  and  the person with the diagnosis, as it impacts daily life in many ways: independence confidence hygiene intimacy physical activity socialization For the caregiver, incontinence adds another layer of coordination and planning. It’s another supply to order and keep in stock, and another thing to consider when taking a caree to a doctor’s appointment—besides the higher level of hands-on care required. And of course: more laundry! If incontinence is part of your daily caregiving life, know t...