"Why caring for my aging father has me wishing he would die," reads the subhead for Sandra Tsing Loh's story in The Atlantic, Daddy Issues (March 2012). Often, unresolved issues with siblings become the greatest sources of stress, in caring for aging parents, writes Loh (or is it Tsing Loh?), quoting Jane Gross, author of A Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents--and Ourselves. According to Gross, "the daughter track is, by a wide margin, harder than the mommy track, emotionally and practically, because it has no happy ending and such an erratic and unpredictable course.”
Loh's story of what happens with her aging father is as funny as it is a scary reminder of what we all may face: times so full of expensive-to-resolve problems that "because things are not actually terrible (no cops, no paramedics, no $13,000 bank withdrawals), today qualifies as a fabulous day." Judging from the comments, some readers had strong objections to her piece. (Do read the comments!)
The range of Atlantic stories on eldercare and the lives of elders is admirable, from this --
After Decades of Study, We Still Can't Figure Out Alzheimer's (Peter V. Rabins, The Atllantic, 2-16-2012). "He's studied the disease for more than 35 years, but Peter Rabins is still taken aback by caregiver resilience and lack of general knowledge." -- to this:
Old People Are Getting Better at Dating. Here's a partial list of links to Atlantic stories on aging and eldercare.
Loh's story of what happens with her aging father is as funny as it is a scary reminder of what we all may face: times so full of expensive-to-resolve problems that "because things are not actually terrible (no cops, no paramedics, no $13,000 bank withdrawals), today qualifies as a fabulous day." Judging from the comments, some readers had strong objections to her piece. (Do read the comments!)
The range of Atlantic stories on eldercare and the lives of elders is admirable, from this --
After Decades of Study, We Still Can't Figure Out Alzheimer's (Peter V. Rabins, The Atllantic, 2-16-2012). "He's studied the disease for more than 35 years, but Peter Rabins is still taken aback by caregiver resilience and lack of general knowledge." -- to this:
Old People Are Getting Better at Dating. Here's a partial list of links to Atlantic stories on aging and eldercare.