Blog
Marg Helgenberger Juggled College, Career and Caregiving
May marks National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month and few celebrities are as passionate about raising awareness for this disease than the Emmy Award-winning actress Marg Helgenberger. Marg cared for a father who was diagnosed with MS when she was still in college...
Snoopy to the Rescue – Pet Therapy Can Help Caregivers
My favorite cartoonist the late Charles Schulz of Peanuts fame wrote that, “Happiness is a warm puppy.” As we celebrate National Pet Week May 4-10, I wonder if Schulz knew that happiness is just the start when it comes to enhancing the lives of older loved ones in...
Holly Robinson Peete – Superstar Sandwich Generation Caregiver
As we commemorate National Parkinson’s Disease Awareness and National Autism Awareness this month, our CEO Sherri Snelling interviewed Holly Robinson Peete, TV star, singer, author and co-founder with her husband, NFL star Rodney Peete, of the HollyRod Foundation...
Caregiver Stress is No Joke
While some people will start the month by playing a funny joke on a friend or co-worker, the beginning of April, which marks National Stress Awareness Month, makes me think about the stress that plagues those who are caring for an older loved one. And, believe me,...
Caregiver Health & Wellness Recipe: Eat the Rainbow
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...
Cat in the Hat Creator a Caregiver, Too! Who Knew?
Who Reads? We Read! On March 2 every year, we celebrate Read Across America Day, the reading initiative started by the National Education Association in commemoration of the birthday of our beloved children’s book author, Dr. Seuss (whose real name was Theodor...
Caregiving Goes to the Oscars
What do the Oscars and caregiving have in common? Quite a bit…read below for the articles about recent movies that have engaged our caregiving emotions and the Oscar winners who have been real-life caregivers. Movies that teach us about caregiving Still Alice –...
A Football Wife Helps the NFL Tackle Dementia
As the New England Patriots celebrate their glory as victors in the Super Bowl this Sunday, another NFL victory took place off the gridiron several years ago and was led by a warrior woman. Her name is Sylvia Mackey, wife of NFL Hall of Fame and 1971 Super Bowl hero...
Heart Health – Know Your Numbers
Every October we are immersed in a sea of pink – the color for breast cancer awareness – yet the No. 1 killer of women (and men) in America remains heart disease. In fact, twice as many women die from stroke or cardiovascular disease than all cancers...
Still Alice May Be the Movie That Sparks the Alzheimer’s Movement
This article was originally published on PBS Next Avenue While Julianne Moore can start clearing space on her mantel for that best actress golden Oscar statuette, it is the troupe of passionate players at the heart of this story – an author, writers, producers,...
The Dream Team – How Caregivers Can Help Loved Ones Achieve Their End-of-Life Wishes
Fifty-two years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. As we honor Dr. King’s birthday this month with the “MLK Day of Service” family caregivers can perform two acts of service for...
The Wish to Have Death with Dignity
The physician-assisted end-of-life debate received a jolt the last few weeks as an unlikely heroine for the Death With Dignity movement emerged in the 29-year-old terminally ill brain cancer patient Brittany Maynard. Given the choice of a painful death where her...
Caregiver Solution for Stress: Me Time Monday
Caregiver Monday is an initiative from the non-profit Healthy Mondays organization that promotes a weekly dose of caregiver self-care to stay strong -- physically and emotionally -- as a caregiver. Check out Caregiving Club's Me Time Monday videos (in the right hand...
Can Caregiver Weight Contribute to Breast Cancer?
It has long been suspected weight gain is a slippery slope to breast cancer risk. Now recent studies are not only supporting this claim but also showing weight loss – even just 10 percent of total body weight – may also help prevent breast cancer. If you are one of...
Joan Lunden – Breast Cancer Warrior on Caregiving Legacies
This article originally appeared on Next Avenue When she stepped out onto the stage at a recent AARP convention, Joan Lunden looked as sunny and radiant as she always has as a 17-year co-host on “Good Morning America” in the ‘80s and ‘90s and more recently as the...
Mars vs. Venus – Do Men and Women Differ When It Comes to Caregiver Stress?
In the movie, When Harry Met Sally, we contemplated, “Can men and women really be friends?” When it comes to caregiving our question is, “Are men and women different in dealing with caregiver stress?” According to researchers at Bowling Green State University the...
Caring for a Best Friend – On Wings of An Angel
In honor of National Friendship Day - August 3 - we celebrate the special caregiving friendship of Alana Stewart and Farrah Fawcett. Here is their story... Some friendships last a lifetime. And then there is Alana and Farrah. For Alana Stewart and the late Farrah...
On President’s Day, we honor two great men who have led this country through its creation and one of its most trying times – namely George Washington and Abraham Lincoln respectively. But today I honor the First Ladies who have helped care for this nation and in turn...
Heart Health by the Numbers – 11 Years of Go Red
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...
A Woman Tackles the NFL and Dementia
As the Seattle Seahawks celebrate their glory as victors in Super Bowl XLVIII this Sunday, another NFL victory took place off the gridiron several years ago and was led by a warrior woman. Her name is Sylvia Mackey, wife of NFL Hall of Fame and 1971 Super Bowl hero...