June is National Elder Abuse Awareness Month. The dark side of caregiving is that our senior population is vulnerable to abuse – financial, physical, emotional. The abuse can come from strangers such as identify theft or fraudulent schemes, from the neglect of...
April 10 is National Sibling Day. When it comes to caring for Mom and Dad, siblings can either form a strong care team or can be the cause of conflict. Understanding each sibling’s role and having the family caregiving conversation earlier rather than later can help...
As we commemorate National Parkinson’s Disease Awareness and National Autism Awareness this month, Sherri Snelling excerpts from her book, A Cast of Caregivers – Celebrity Stories to Help You Prepare to Care, her interview with Holly Robinson Peete. As a TV star,...
As we celebrate National Multiple Sclerosis Month, I was privileged to interview both Alan and David Osmond – father and son duo of the famous Osmond clan – about their inspirational story where both men are triumphing over this debilitating chronic illness. Following...
Sleep is at times elusive - especially if you are caregiving for a loved one. You either are burning the candle at both ends or you awaken several times throughout the night worried about a thousand tiny details. Either way, a lack of good, restorative sleep is not...
March is National Nutrition Month and while it is sometimes hard for the average person to follow good nutritional guidelines, it is even harder if you are juggling your own healthy eating needs while caring for your loved one. A study by the National Alliance for...
The passing of former First Lady Nancy Reagan on Sunday had our CEO Sherri Snelling reflecting on her advocacy for family caregivers and especially for Alzheimer's research. Read Sherri's article that was published on PBS Next Avenue: Nancy Reagan’s Caregiving Legacy...
I was thinking about the Grammy Awards just a couple of years ago when Glen Campbell took the stage after telling the world he had Alzheimer's disease. It was a powerful, moving moment. I have had the privilege of interviewing Kim Campbell and her daughter, Ashley,...
Where words fail, music speaks. – Hans Christian Andersen As the world watches the Grammy Awards tonight I was reminded of a story about one of my favorite authors whose first love was song. As a little girl I loved the fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen, The...
As millions tune in to the Super Bowl this Sunday, I am cheering for one football wife who tackled her husband’s dementia with a game plan to keep their lives as normal as possible and in the process found her calling as a caregiving advocate. Her passionate plea to...
Every October we are immersed in a sea of pink – the color for breast cancer awareness – yet the No. 1 killer of women in America remains heart disease. In fact, twice as many women die from stroke or cardiovascular disease than all cancers combined, including...
The start of a New Year is the time we reflect on all the things we wanted to do or should have done yet didn’t get accomplished in the past year. Thus, we resolve to address these self-makeover wishes in the coming 12 months. “Coulda, shoulda, woulda” is the...