Supporting a parent means sharing the everyday load
The Surgeon General’s 2024 advisory asked families and communities to support parents. Our takeaway: a useful offer names a task, a time and someone who will follow through.
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News, observations, and practical ideas for people who support care. Explore what is changing and what it means for your community.
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- Communication, shared care plans, and changes between home, hospital, and community support. We explore what helps people stay informed and involved as care needs change.
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- Changes in care policy, funding, research, and service delivery. We consider what these developments could mean for people, families, and the organizations supporting them.
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Matching articles
67 articles · Page 5 of 6
A welcome needs to reach people who are often left out
A welcome is worth reviewing from the perspective of people it may overlook. CDC findings prompt questions about assumptions in invitations, respectful participation and ways to raise a concern.
Finding support when you are the only available family caregiver
Family Caregiver Alliance’s 2024 collection of personal stories makes room for experiences that are often hidden. Our perspective: being the only available relative should be a starting point for finding support, not an assumption that everything must stay with you.
Planning a break that works for the caregiver and family
AARP’s January 2024 respite report looks at both the value of breaks and barriers to using them. Our perspective: making time away possible means considering the caregiver’s needs and the experience of the person receiving support.
Recognizing the caregiver between generations
A 2023 study compared burnout across different caregiving roles. Our takeaway is not a label for every family: it is a reason to notice when children, work and an older relative’s needs are drawing on the same person’s limited time.
The friend you have been meaning to contact
Sometimes the person we would like to see is someone we already know. Research on reconnecting prompts a reflection on an ordinary first message, a comfortable invitation and room for the other person to choose.
Talking about changing care needs before a crisis
NIA’s guidance starts with asking the older person directly. Our perspective: an early conversation works better when it names one observation, listens to what matters and leaves room for a next step chosen together.
Volunteering can begin with something you already enjoy
Volunteering can start with an interest and a manageable offer of time. Civic-life research prompts our reflection on clearer roles, flexible commitments and contributions shaped by the person.
Helping from a distance: a clear role can travel
NIA’s long-distance caregiving guidance shows that support is not limited to the people who live nearby. Our takeaway: agree on one useful responsibility, including the follow-through, before adding more messages to the local caregiver’s day.
Somewhere to spend time without having to spend money
Libraries, parks and community rooms can offer room for everyday connection. We look beyond free admission to the practical details that make spending time there possible.
Keeping companionship and shared interests in everyday care
WHO’s November 2023 commission put social connection on the global health agenda. Our perspective brings the question home: how can a care circle protect time for the interests and relationships that make someone’s day their own?
Loneliness has no single age
A January 2024 poll challenges the idea that loneliness belongs to one stage of life. We consider invitations that welcome different ages while respecting shared interests and individual preferences.