Juliette’s story originally appeared as part of The NFCA Story Project. Juliette lives in Nashville, Tennessee. I’m Juliette and on February 28th I began the process of being a caregiver to my 75 year old grandmother, Lou. I’m 27, work full time and volunteer on the weekends through May. At the end of Feb., Nana [...]

Teresa’s story originally appeared as part of The NFCA Story Project. Teresa lives in Gastonia, North Carolina. My name is Teresa. I have lived alone with my 12 year old son, Tucker, since he was born. Tucker lived despite the odds when he was born 8 weeks early, suffering fron IUGR, weighing 2 pounds 11 [...]

(This was originally written during the presidential campaign of 2008, specifically to submit a feminist platform to the Democratic party.) Imagine the world without mothers.  Do we have a world?  No.  The center circle in the middle of our world of concentric circles is a mother, a woman who wants to be a mother and [...]

Published with permission from Take Care! Summer 2008, National Family Caregivers Association It seems that just about every list of tips for family caregivers ends with the earnest and oft-repeated advice, “Take time to care for yourself.” NFCA gives this advice as well, while recognizing that the problem, of course, is time — or, rather, [...]

I’ve been through burnout so many times you’d think by now I would know how NOT to get thoroughly depleted, but there are many sources that keep me chugging along, some of which I know very well, some I’m just confronting. As someone who has a background in psychotherapy, I know, theoretically and clinically, how [...]

We need to move forward with advocacy and legislative solutions. For the caregivers devoted to either our older citizens or those who make up the future generatoin, there has to be a better way.

I’m tired. My job and two kids take it out of me both physically and mentally, every day. The husband, a most loving partner and doting father, is happy to help, eager for instruction like a dog waiting for its master’s next command. When he’s not focusing on his 70-plus-hours-a-week job, that is. Some days, [...]