One of the largest issues my sister and I faced after my mother was widowed was distance. We lived 2000 miles away in California from her in Richmond, Virginia. A trip from San Francisco to Richmond was a four-hundred-dollar plan flight and a four-to-six hour cross country flight one way. Mom called daily with questions about the location of files, bills, passwords, paperwork, or tech support needs. Because we lived so far away, we couldn’t drive over after work to find what mom needed. (more…)

This PBS special documentary on caring for aging parents was forwarded to me by a friend very active in the caregiving and dementia advocacy community-

“…As the population ages, many adult children are grappling with an unprecedented social, cultural, economic, and personal revolution as they transition into the primary caregiver role for their aging parents. Produced, written, and directed by award-winning filmmaker Michael Kirk, Caring for Your Parents is a moving two-hour special that draws much-needed attention to this universal reality. (more…)

I never expected at age 30 to lose my father to cancer. My friends didn’t expect it either and they didn’t know how to help me deal with this major loss that they hadn’t experienced yet and could not imagine.

Now, in hindsight, after spending the last 4 years writing a new book on the topic of loss of a parent and finding resources to assist the 12 millions people who lose a parent every year that will be published May 9th (Mom Minus Dad: The Essential Resource Guide for Busy Adults with a Newly Widowed Parent), I have a few suggestions. (more…)