Your parent with dementia gets worse every evening. Here is what to track and what to try.
Late-day pacing, anger, or confusion has a name: sundowning. Here is what can set it off, how to track it for a week, what to change, and when to call the doctor.
Your parent will not take their medication. Here is what to check before you argue about it.
Half of people on long-term medication do not take it as prescribed. Here is how to confirm what is happening, why parents stop, what never to do, and when to call the doctor.
Your parent is eating less. Here is when it is normal and when to call the doctor.
The number doctors act on is a 5 percent weight drop over 6 to 12 months. Here is how to track it, what to try at the table, and what to bring to the appointment.
The signs of caregiver burnout that have nothing to do with being tired
The early signs look like personality changes, not exhaustion, so they get blamed on you. Here are eight to watch for, why sleeping in does not fix it, and where to find respite someone else pays for.
You cannot force your parent to accept help
A competent adult has the legal right to refuse help, even unsafe help. Here is what can actually force the issue, what can't, and the specific things that work better than arguing.
The documents your parent needs signed before a health crisis
The window to get these signed closes the day your parent can't understand what they're signing. Here are the five documents that matter, the word that quietly cancels one of them out, and the HIPAA myth that costs families hours in a hallway.
The VA will pay up to $2,424 a month for a veteran's care
Almost nobody applies, because the rules sound narrower than they actually are. Here is who qualifies, the calculation most families skip, and how to apply for free.
Medicare will not pay for your parent's nursing home
It stops at 100 days, and most families find out the hard way. Here is what Medicare actually covers, what Medicaid covers instead, and the asset rules that decide whether your parent qualifies.
What a paramedic actually needs from you in the first five minutes
A signed DNR does not stop CPR if paramedics cannot find it in five minutes. Here is exactly what needs to be ready, what belongs on the fridge, and the one thing most emergency templates get wrong.
Medicare will pay up to $2,500 a year for dementia respite
Almost nobody signs up, because it only works one specific way. Here is who qualifies, what a GUIDE provider actually does, and how to find one near your parent.
How to talk to a parent about giving up the car keys
The keys are not the danger. The months before someone finally takes them are the danger. Here is the actual conversation, the evidence to gather first, and what to do when your parent refuses.
How to split caregiving tasks between siblings before it turns into a fight
Nobody agrees on who does what by accident. Somebody has to write it down first. Here is how to divide the work by capacity instead of guilt, and the conversation that gets you there.