Everything listed under: Caregiving

By Ann Oldenburg for Next AvenueKatie Couric has regrets. Even to this day.When the former TV news anchor spoke at Georgetown University at an event titled “The Healing Power of Communication” in August, 2019, she said she wished she had talked more to her late husband, Jay Monahan, about his impending death before he succumbed to colon cancer at 42 in 1998.“It was just terrible,” Couric said. “After nine months of trying desperately to figure out some way to m...  Read More...

By Patrick O'Brien for Next AvenueYour will may be the most important document you’ll ever write. Problem is, after many of us draft one, we put it somewhere for safekeeping and don’t look at it again. That can be a big mistake.Lives change.   Read More...

By Liz Seegert for Next AvenueYou know them when you see it. Older adults who appear so fragile that a strong gust of wind might knock them over. They are often exceedingly thin, and their skin is parchment-like.   Read More...

By Marc Silver for Next AvenueThis is a story about an unlikely mix of topics: running, music, mothers, aging and a stranded blowfish.I was on an early morning run along the beach in Cape May, N.J. during a three-day getaway. It was a great run.   Read More...

By Patricia Corrigan for Next AvenueCaregivers, both professional and personal, often suffer from compassion fatigue — a syndrome also known as “secondary trauma stress.” But navigating any close, personal relationship also can lead to emotional stress and burnout.As a self-described former “black-belt people pleaser,” the Venerable Tenzin Chogkyi, a Buddhist nun, says: “Burnout may be a reflection of a society that so often looks to women to comfort thos...  Read More...