Caregiver Stories

Five Things I’ve Learned from Birdwatching

I’ve been fascinated by birds for as long as I can remember. As a child in New Jersey, birdsong woke me almost every day in spring and summer. In Califiornia, hummingbirds regularly visited my back yard. In Texas, I had regular visits from bluejays and cardinals and a family of doves who liked to nest in the birdfeeder. Now that I live on Florida’s Nature Coast, my birdwatching has expanded. A flock of ibis regularly struts through my neighborhood like a gang of street thugs, a family of cardinals is nesting in my crepe myrtle, eagles (including bald eagles!) are everywhere, and the shore birds are a marvel to watch – egrets, herons, sand pipers, seagulls, and sandhill cranes are at every beach, and most of our neighborhood ponds.

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Kinship Caregiving:
When Grandparents are Primary Caregivers

Blog Art - Black and white photo. Trust family hands of child son and father on nature outdoor

When people hear the term “family caregiver,” they typically associate it with an adult son or daughter caring for their ailing or elderly parent or grandparent, but caregiving also encompasses caring for children (special needs or not), and adults of any age who are not capable of caring for themselves. One special kind of family

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Nailing It –
Pedicures, Aging, and Loving Touch

Blog Art - Pedicure

Yesterday was one of our pedicure and mimosa dates, and while Chan (my favorite nail-tech) was giving me the best foot-and-leg massage I’ve ever had, I remembered all the times my grandmother would ask us to rub her feet or help her put polish on her nails. Even after she had transitioned to a care home, she still asked us to bring nail polish, so every few weeks, we did.

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Caregiving and Gratitude

Heart on leaves

As the holidays near, I can’t help but think of the relatives who won’t be with us as we celebrate Thanksgiving next week, and the other holidays that follow soon after: Hanukkah (we’re a multicultural family), Christmas, the New Year. But while my surface thoughts are about the individual people, I find that a deeper dive leads to what I learned from them, and what they taught me about gratitude.

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