joy loverde
Joy Loverde

Path Carver.
Keynote Speaker.
Best-selling Author.

Solo Aging ♦ Caregiving ♦ Aging Parents

Blog

Birthday coming up? What do you give aging parents who have everything?

I have a gift idea for your parents that will change their lives – and yours. By now Mom and Dad (and Gramma) probably have everything they ever wanted and needed. And giving them more stuff only adds to the pile of unwanted items. They tell you that they have everything they need in life. […]

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Attention Adult Children: Got an Aging Parent Who Does Nothing All Day?

You get along fine with Mom and Dad. You have your life, and they have theirs. You do what you want and so do they. Sometimes that means your parents spend their entire day doing nothing more than sitting around the house watching TV, reading the newspaper, making something to eat, taking naps, and watching

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Family Caregivers: Are you addicted to busyness?

Author, Damon Brown writes, “’Projects, people and passions can keep us on the move, but there is a distinct difference between busyness and productivity. Productivity feels like you do not want to stop. Busyness feels like you cannot stop.” Busyness fulfils the ego. Busyness becomes a measurement of worth. Busyness fulfills guilt. Not taking a

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Caring for Aging Parents? How Can I Be In Two Place At Once?

Managing the care of parents and others requires updating our mindsets to fit the situation. On any given day we grapple with questions like: Who makes the decisions? Who pays for what? We also ride the daily emotional rollercoaster, simultaneously feeling sad, angry, guilty, loving and helpless and often wonder if we are “losing it.”

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Holidays Are NOT the Ideal Time to Talk About Eldercare – Part 1

With the holiday season fast approaching, you may think this is an ideal time to openly discuss eldercare needs with the people in your immediate family. And I think otherwise. You’ve probably heard the expression, “timing is everything.” That statement is especially true when it comes to holiday family gatherings. Think about a past situation

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How to Get Your Aging Parents to Exercise

When I walked into Mom’s apartment, she was sitting on the sofa with a bag of ice on her arm. Seeing her sitting there looking sad and out of sorts stopped me dead in my tracks. As I was trying to process the situation, she said, “Aren’t you going to feel sorry for me?” I

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Caught off Guard? Suddenly You’re a Family Caregiver: 5 Things To Do Right Now.

Out of nowhere comes an emergency phone call. “Come quick. Your mother fell.” Now you are the one who is thrown off balance. Unquestionably the emotional climate surrounding a medical emergency is highly charged. Suddenly the appointed caregiver is you. Your game plan in an eldercare emergency is to reduce confusion and runaway emotions. Keep

Caught off Guard? Suddenly You’re a Family Caregiver: 5 Things To Do Right Now. Read More »

Attention Adult Children of Aging Parents. Ask this simple question.

I recently faced the massive task of closing an office and relocating my business to a more convenient, but smaller location. There were stacks of books and files, office supplies, furniture, and intricate electronics to move and re-connect, and I kept my fingers crossed that computers and other electronics would network perfectly on the other

Attention Adult Children of Aging Parents. Ask this simple question. Read More »

Got Aging Parents? Should you take away the car keys?

If you like to listen to TED Talks as much as I do then you might have come across the lecture by Bran Ferren and his inspiring presentation titled, “To create for the ages, let’s combine art and engineering.” When Bran Ferren was nine years old his parents took him to see the Pantheon in Rome —

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