balance
Carers support groups, can they help?
Adrienne Gruberg, Founder of US site The Caregiver Space, talks about how she cared for her late husband and mother-in-law and shares how support groups helped her cope. When you read things in the news about how people have become full-time carers for their parents and partners you never think it’s going to happen to […]
Read more
Tips to change festive pressure into pleasure
Juggling the needs of family, friends and work can come to a head during the festive season, especially if you‘re the sort of person that wants everyone to have a wonderful time. Trying to meet the needs of older family as well as the young can be daunting. Dr Mariette Jansen offers a few tips […]
Read more
Cruise review: recuperative, fun or a health challenge?
Written by Kathy Lawrence Update. Cruises are massively popular today, and some countries and cities have started to put a limit on how many visitors they are willing to accept. If you’re thinking of booking a cruise for yourself or a relative, the latest Which? report on cruises has been published in February 2020. It […]
Read more
Reaching the other side of dementia care
This week’s storyteller has chosen to be anonymous. Our storyteller this week coped with the massive demands of caring for a mother with dementia, and is now reclaiming her life. Looking back she realises there was an imbalance in caring responsibilities between herself and her siblings and their families. As a full-time working mum, I […]
Read more
Cool, calm and collected or collapsing, crying and crumpling?
However much we love our parents, taking on responsibility for their challenges can be incredibly stressful, especially as we have no idea of knowing when the next crisis will occur. Our expert Dr De-Stress explains how stress can undermine our well-being and offers tips on what to do about it. Life can be demanding, especially […]
Read more
Dementia is stealing away my hero dad and I feel useless
Dear Lesley, My lovely dad is 73 years old and for the past four years has been suffering from dementia. He has always been my hero and my absolute closest friend but now the dementia is robbing him of mind and body. He’s confused, and often angry and upset, and I just want to scoop […]
Read more
How do I deal with a mean mother?
Dear Lesley, It sounds awful but I have such a struggle with my mother, her constant demands and toxic ‘snidey’ comments. Everything is a crisis, when sometimes the ‘crisis’ is the cable coming out of the back of the TV and the TV not working. What I do is never enough and she is constantly […]
Read more
How to support an elderly carer
Dear Lesley,My father died 15 years ago and my mother has been with a new partner for the last 10 years, although they don’t live together. In some ways their relationship is quite traditional in that he seems to make most of the decisions, pays for meals and holidays, and she drives him around, cooks […]
Read more
How to cope when you’re a whistleblower
Dear Lesley, How do people cope if they’ve been the family whistle-blower, trying to report abuse of elderly parents by close relatives? 9 years ago I warned both the NHS and the local social services department that my parents were at risk of abuse. My letters and phone calls were ignored and my visits have […]
Read more
Talking about your eldercare challenges
When you’re supporting an elderly person you can suddenly find yourself confronted with emotional and practical problems you’re not equipped to face without support. While we know people benefit hugely from our web service we’re now offering the expertise of a life coach and eldercare specialist to answer your individual questions. If you’d like professional […]
Read more