The Caregiver

Family caregiving solutions as parents age.

Dan Tobin, M.D., is an adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry and health psychology at Dartmouth Medical School, as well as the founder and CEO of Care Support of America. See full bio

October 28, 2009

Eight Steps for Family Caregiving - Part 4

OK, so you now understand your parent's doctors' treatment plans (Step 1) and you have acquired a certain proficiency in gathering medical information (Step 2) and non-medical information (Step 3) specific to your personal situation. The next step is pulling everything together - multiple doctor's appointments, tests, procedures, medical information, home care services, medication management, devices, and as many other services as your aging parent requires to be safe at home, wherever home is. Read More

October 14, 2009

Eight Steps for Family Caregiving, Part 3

When we started our steps for family caregiving, we advised you to create and continually update a problem list of all the issues your family is facing. First, it's a tool for working with your parent's doctors. Your problem list is also a guide for gathering and evaluating the non-medical information you will need to help your parents stay independent, or deal with such issues as homecare, insurance, and healthcare finances. Read More

September 10, 2009

Medicare's Missing Link: Care Coordination and Family Caregiving

As healthcare reform is being debated in Congress and on Main Street, vital and practical issues in eldercare and family caregiving are being overlooked. Some 30 million U.S. baby boomers are family caregivers for their aging parents, trying to keep their parents safe at home and helping them navigate the complexities of Medicare and manage an advancing illness. Read More

August 26, 2009

Eight Steps for Family Caregiving, Part 2

Caring for an aging parent, particularly when a chronic illness is involved, can be enormously stressful. Although attending to your mother's or father's medical needs is in the hands of their physician, you still need to know what questions to ask. You will want to understand treatment options and how your parent's condition might progress -- so you need to become "health literate." Read More

August 26, 2009

Fully Understanding the Medical Needs of Your Parent

1. Don't let embarrassment or fear hold you back from getting the information you need to be fully informed about your parent's health. Be respectful of the physician's time, but ask questions and expect answers. Read More

July 30, 2009

Eight Steps for Family Caregiving, Part 1

It's the most natural thing in the world to struggle as a caregiver with a sense of chaos in dealing with an elderly parent's medical emergency or serious chronic illness. Here is where a positive and proactive approach can really help adult children caring for aging parents. Read More

July 30, 2009

5 Tips for Working with Your Parent's Doctors

1. Make Lists. Write down your questions: What are your parent's diagnoses? What are the predictable problems that come along with these diagnoses? What are the goals of treatment, and what treatment choices are there? List all your parent's medications, vitamins, and supplements. Note any new symptoms or changes in their health. Read More

July 6, 2009

Coordinating Your Aging Parents' Needs

As our parents age, we naturally become concerned about their health and safety, especially when called to action within complex, unfamiliar medical as well as non-medical situations. Our parents get sick, or fall, or become increasingly frail and have difficulty getting around or living at home. Read More

Aging Basics

By 2030, the number of Americans age 65 and over is projected to be about 71.5 million, of which nearly 10 million will be 85 or older. The good news is that many seniors report better health, greater wealth, and higher levels of education than older people in the past.

Go to the Aging Basics page for more on Aging including:

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