Nestled in the heart of the Presidio, IOA’s Enrichment Center harnesses the power of nature to enhance dementia care, providing Companioa members with rejuvenating outdoor experiences that improve mood, focus, and overall well-being.
Starting a conversation about home care with an aging loved one can be challenging, but approaching it early and with compassion can ease concerns and highlight the benefits. IOA’s Corio Home Care program offers personalized support to help older adults maintain independence and enhance their quality of life at home, providing families with peace of mind and a proactive approach to care.
When Pattie Wallner and her brothers struggled to coordinate care for their parents with dementia across three states, IOA’s Caregiver Coaching brought structure, resources, and emotional support. Through the Companioa program, they became a unified team, empowered to navigate challenges with confidence and compassion.
2030 seems like the distant future, but it is only 12 years from the writing of this article—just as close in time as 2006.
Has family caregiving caused some conflicts among you and your siblings? It can feel unfair when you are pulling more weight than others.
Camilla and Susan were best friends for more than 40 years, ever since their kids were in school together. Both widowed in the last decade, they grew even closer to each other. Camilla even moved into Susan’s apartment building in the Mission Terrace area of San Francisco so they could spend every day together.
When you moved out of the family home and set off on your own, your mother likely went through a mix of worry and excitement for you. Your challenges were new, and you were bound to make some mistakes on your way to figuring out adulthood. Now that she’s living alone and facing the challenges of later life, you’re likely going through your own worries, especially if you’re unable to act as a regular caregiver to support her independence.
Sometimes simple statements, filled with numbers and statistics and the flat, census-based declarations, contain within them an enormous reservoir of pain and suffering and loneliness. That’s probably why we keep them so dry and clinical: to avoid looking at the hurt. Here are a few:
When you’re a caregiver it is easy to overwork yourself. Caregiver stress, fatigue, and overall burnout can be easy to dismiss as less important than undivided attention for your aging or disabled loved one. In other words, caregiving has the potential to be all-consuming. But it shouldn’t be so at the expense of your own well-being and vibrancy. There are other ways to be—progressive ways to manage your responsibilities to yourself as well as to the person in your care.
Glen describes his stress as “a feeling that someone is gripping the back of my neck tightly. And I’m so tense that I can’t even turn around to see who it is—if I wanted to.” He feels the stress of healthcare expenses, family drama, and even death as he’s dealing with more unfamiliar health challenges than ever before. Maureen, on the other hand, says that when she’s stressed, “I just power through it, focusing only on what needs to get done. But then I crash, and sometimes it takes me days to recover in bed.” She feels the weight of continuing to host a book club in her home each week even after she took a bad fall and has had to use a walker, as well as her husband’s worsening dementia.
Institute on Aging (IOA) CONNECT is your direct line to us and the starting point for help with your concerns about the needs of older adults and adults with disabilities. IOA CONNECT links you with our services, as well as community services available. Reach out to connect with us.
Phone: (415) 750 – 4111 | Fax: (415) 750 – 5338
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