Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Become-an-Organized-Caregiver-Master-the-Art-of-Herding-Cats.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Become-an-Organized-Caregiver-Master-the-Art-of-Herding-Cats.html Recently I received a call from a woman who attended my Balancing Work & Eldercare Needs seminar about a year ago asking if I would email or fax to her the information on "Mastering the Master Schedule". Apparently, with 2 kids entering middle school, she was feeling overwhelmed - much the same way she did when taking care of her father - like she was herding cats! She said she remembered how much the master schedule had helped her and her sister organize their father's care and thought it would be perfect to get her children's schedule under control, too!! http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Recognizing-the-Clues-to-Your-Aging-Parents-Situation.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Recognizing-the-Clues-to-Your-Aging-Parents-Situation.html Singing Christmas carols, lighting Hanukkah candles, roasting chestnuts by a roaring fire - things most of us will be doing in the next few weeks. This is also the time of year when we see parents and other aging loved ones that we may not have the opportunity to see the rest of the year. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Elder-Caregiving-Oy-The-Guilt-Already.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Elder-Caregiving-Oy-The-Guilt-Already.html Are you giving everything you've got and then some to be a caregiver for an aging loved one and still feeling guilty that you're not doing more? If so, welcome to the club!! Not a club you want to be a member of? Then here are some suggestions that will help you out. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Another-Eldercare-Issue-Hoarding.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Another-Eldercare-Issue-Hoarding.html What is hoarding? What are the differences between clutter and hoarding? What are some reasons people hoard? These questions and more will be addressed in this article. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Basic-Eldercare-Realities.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Basic-Eldercare-Realities.html I always say that for the best results, talk early and often with your aging loved so you can resolve your eldercare issues by choice, not crisis. The earlier you start talking, the easier it is to get plans in place. The better the planning, the easier it will be for them and you in the long term. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Great-Gifts-for-Your-Aging-Loved-Ones.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Great-Gifts-for-Your-Aging-Loved-Ones.html Finding the perfect gift is challenging under any circumstances but buying for an aging loved one can be particularly difficult. Obviously you want to get them something they want but it really no longer makes sense for you to get them yet another doll for their doll collection or yet another tie because, hopefully at this point, they're getting rid of stuff. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/When-Your-Parents-Move-in-with-You.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/When-Your-Parents-Move-in-with-You.html Your Mom and/or Dad has moved in with you. At some point s/he told you s/he wants to pay you something to help defray the cost and you said no. Or maybe when the subject came up and you were uncomfortable and said “let's discuss it later”. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Whats-The-Best-That-Could-Happen.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Whats-The-Best-That-Could-Happen.html How often have you done something that you really dreaded and heard yourself saying "that wasn't so bad"? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Should-You-Sign-A-Nursing-Home-Admission-Agreement.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/Should-You-Sign-A-Nursing-Home-Admission-Agreement.html Admitting a loved one to a nursing home can be very stressful. In addition to dealing with a sick family member and managing all the details involved with the move, you must decide whether to sign all the papers the nursing home is giving you. Nursing home admission agreements can be complicated and confusing, so what do you do? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/How-To-Avoid-Return-To-Sender.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/4336/How-To-Avoid-Return-To-Sender.html I've always been a big postcard sender and this vacation was no exception! Watching me write the cards, one of the friends with whom I was traveling, a woman in her 80's, mentioned how sad it is that she's lost contact with many of her friends over the past several years. She said she doesn't know if her friends are sick, have passed away, or moved, and she doesn't know how to find out.