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Family Caregiving 101
Family caregivers typically spend four to five years caring for an aging relative. While gratifying, it can also be overwhelming. Pacing...
Ann Hollander
Nov 13, 20232 min read
Flying with oxygen
If your relative needs medical oxygen, it's crucial that you plan ahead for plane travel. From oxygen requirements to battery power, you...
Ann Hollander
Nov 6, 20233 min read
Curbing your perfectionism
If you are a perfectionist, you may have noticed that your high standards often backfire. Despite your best intentions, you actually...
Ann Hollander
Oct 30, 20232 min read
Affordable funerals
We are all vulnerable to an upsell when we want to honor a deceased family member. Fortunately, the Federal Trade Commission offers some...
Ann Hollander
Oct 24, 20232 min read
Physical therapy and pain relief
Pain is no fun, whether in a knee, a neck, or elsewhere in the body. There are drugs that dull pain. But they don't cure the problem....
Ann Hollander
Oct 16, 20232 min read
What is hoarding?
Perhaps you wonder if your family member is a "hoarder." (You may even harbor secret fears about yourself!) We all have cherished...
Ann Hollander
Oct 9, 20232 min read
Senior move managers
Does your loved one need to downsize? Move? Does the prospect seem overwhelming? Perhaps not just physically, but emotionally too? Enter...
Ann Hollander
Oct 2, 20232 min read
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD)
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is an umbrella term for a cluster of conditions that makes up about 10 percent of dementia cases. It's the...
Ann Hollander
Sep 25, 20232 min read
Caring as a stepfamily
The majority of us feel obliged to help an ailing parent (77 percent, according to Pew Research Center). But if your parent is okay and...
Ann Hollander
Sep 18, 20232 min read
Managing pain with music
Here's a prescription for pain relief: the sound of music. Pain is very real. It is also a perception. How strongly we feel pain at any...
Ann Hollander
Sep 11, 20232 min read
When you feel more resentment than love
If you are caring for a parent or parents who abused or neglected you in childhood, your situation is especially challenging. You may...
Ann Hollander
Sep 4, 20232 min read
Low-vision bathroom
The bathroom is often the most challenging (and least safe) room in the house for someone who is visually impaired: Poor lighting, or...
Ann Hollander
Aug 28, 20232 min read
How is your relative's "social health"?
The U.S. Surgeon General reports we have a loneliness epidemic. Like smoking and obesity, social isolation creates a greater risk for...
Ann Hollander
Aug 21, 20232 min read
Adjusting to memory care
Once your loved one is in their new home, the two of you will have a lot of adjusting to do. Like any big change, it takes time to find a...
Ann Hollander
Aug 14, 20232 min read
When ice cream is better than salad
Whether it's a bowl of soup or a bag of groceries, providing food is how we show our love. And when a relative has a serious illness,...
Ann Hollander
Aug 7, 20232 min read
What is "healthy selfishness"?
As a rule, family caregivers are generous. They tend to be empathetic and to want to help. But it is possible to be too generous, with a...
Ann Hollander
Jul 31, 20232 min read
Dementia: Packing for a trip
A trip. Sounds like fun! And, it's more challenging when you travel with a companion who has dementia. But with forethought and planning,...
Ann Hollander
Jul 24, 20232 min read
Bringing the hospital home
Suppose you bring your frail loved one or a relative with dementia to the ER because of trouble breathing. The doctors determine it is...
Ann Hollander
Jul 17, 20232 min read
Senior bullying and exclusion
About 20% of seniors living in communal settings experience bullying in one form or another. Cliques and power hierarchies seem to be a...
Ann Hollander
Jul 10, 20232 min read
Meaningful end of life conversations
Hollywood would have us believe that profound deathbed conversations occur just before the last breath is drawn. Not so! The last few...
Ann Hollander
Jul 3, 20232 min read
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