head-down
Many families take advantage of the holidays to enjoy time together. While these visits can range from fun to extremely stressful for all sorts of reasons, one common outcome is that adult children who haven’t seen their aging parents in a while to come away with feelings of surprise, fear, shock and even anger. Aging...
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During our first meeting, a recent client of mine shared her story: My husband of 59 years died recently and I’m feeling overwhelmed by day-to-day decisions. I expected to feel the emotions associated with grief, but I never expected to feel helpless. My husband took care of our financial life and I’m really at a...
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Advancing age is often frustrating as you face the new limitations age imposes on your body and mind, and turning over control of even little things to others might make you feel insecure.  A loss of control is always frightening, but acknowledging that your situation is changing is not a loss of control … it is actually taking...
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Many of you are probably familiar with Dr. Gary Chapman’s timeless bestseller, “The 5 Love Languages”.  Originally published in 1992 and updated many times since, Dr. Chapman’s premise is that couples who understand each other’s “love language” have a distinct advantage because they are able to effectively communicate with the people with whom they are...
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Overwhelmed.  It is the most common word that I hear within the first sentence of nearly every telephone call that I receive from a prospective client.  It is a loaded word – one filled with feeling, with emotion.  When used in the context of talking with me, the word takes on a negative meaning, as...
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A new client was recently referred to me by her friend and neighbor due to concern that her friend’s affairs were not in order.  The client and her husband are in their late 80s.  The husband recently suffered a fall, leading to a series of medical problems from which he was not expected to recover. ...
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I was sitting with a new client recently who had been referred by her good friend. She was seeking help making some decisions about where she would live. She realized that her expenses were too high for her means and that it was her cost of housing that had the biggest impact. She wanted to...
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The role of family caregiver is filled with emotions, both joyful and trying. Yet as anyone who has served in this role for a spouse, parent, or other family member or close friend knows, it is the negative emotions associated with caregiving that seem to have the biggest impact in the moment. When working with...
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Caregiving is all about control. As the caregiver, you want to control everything so that “nothing bad” happens. The person being cared for wants to remain in control so that they continue to feel like a complete person. If you can remember that control is at the core of every action and every reaction, it...
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