relationships
How do I set clear boundaries with a narcissistic mum?
When a mother is a narcissist, daughters can find the relationship becoming even more toxic as the mother gets older and less able to look after themselves. Dr Lesley Trenner offers advice on drawing boundaries and protecting yourself from hostility and ingratitude. Dear Lesley My mum has always been nasty to me and it’s only […]
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6 Key Tips for Dealing with ‘Difficult’ Family Members
Caring for older relatives can be a profoundly valuable experience, helping you forge deeper connections to a distant generation. However, sometimes these relationships can be soured by challenging behaviour which, once it becomes habitual, can lead to a significant impact on your own well-being as well as the care they receive. Here are six things […]
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Lessons from a story of financial elder abuse
When an older relative is struggling to manage their money and their daily household, it’s often time for a responsible and caring relative to step in. Many apply officially for Lasting Power of Attorney and some unofficially start to help managing the money. Problems do sometimes occur when the guardians of the money are tempted […]
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Mum’s behaviour has always hurt. Now dementia is making it worse
Dear Lesley, I’m looking after my 90-year old mum who has some dementia. My problem is her nasty attitude. I’m single and have to work full-time, but I visit mum twice a week and call her a couple of times nearly every day. I try taking her out to new places and for dinner, but she […]
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How can I care for mum with dementia when I can’t cope myself?
Dear Lesley I’ve recently learned my Mum has mixed dementia. She was diagnosed almost two years ago but I’ve only just found out. Since then she has also got septicaemia and pneumonia, although she’s on the mend from the pneumonia now. I have three brothers and I’m the only girl. I’m also the youngest. My […]
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Helping parents to avoid depression
Written by Kathy Lawrence With depression known to be a real risk in an ageing population, there are many ways that we can help our parents to keep active and independent to stave off the gloom. Our parents can become depressed for many reasons. Losing friends and loved ones is an obvious cause, but loneliness […]
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How speech therapy can improve communication
As our parents age they can face challenges that make speech more difficult. Speech and language therapist Laura Dawson explains how to identify the issues and how our parents can be helped. Why is communication important? Communication is vital. We communicate our decisions, needs and opinions verbally. It’s the basis of forming relationships. When anyone […]
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Who matters in the care home?
Written by Kathy Lawrence How one group of experts is aiming to encourage good practice in care homes. A buzz term you may increasingly come across when you’re researching care homes is “patient-centric care” or its stable-mate “patient-centred care”. It’s all about involving patients and their families in decisions about how residents receive their care. […]
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Walking the hospital corridors in dad’s shoes
This week’s storyteller has chosen to be anonymous.Our storyteller talks about their experience of life as a hospital in-patient and shares how they came to appreciate their dad’s perspective after seeing behind the curtain of NHS patient care. I’m not normally a hospital patient. I do spend a great deal of time as a visitor […]
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Parents are many things. Is a burden one of them?
Written by Kathy Lawrence There’s been discussion on our Twitter feed this week about our article on not making parents feel like they’re a burden. Is this too negative an approach? Should we be focusing on the positive? Here’s a view from our office. I would hate my parents to ever feel like they’re a […]
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