Carefull Heart Coaching

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. My thoughts wandered to the last three years of my mother’s life. I found myself basking in the tender feelings that welled up in me as I remembered my regular visits to her nursing home. Those three years were a gift to me and our relationship. Medication had softened her volatile [...]

Karen Fuller, How to Detach with Love, Carefull Heart Coaching - Helping adult children care for elderly parents.

Carefull Heart Coaching

In a recent issue, I referred to my upcoming attendance of the 27th Annual Geriatric Medicine Refresher Day. This well-attended, informative conference was held in London, Ontario on May 1, 2013. It was such a privilege to attend the workshops presented by some of the foremost experts in the field of eldercare. One 3-hour session [...]

Karen Fuller, Change: A Process to be Feared or Understood, Carefull Heart Coaching - Helping adult children care for elderly parents.

Carefull Heart Coaching

A common dilemma that often confronts my clients is their elderly parents’ reluctance to accept any help from family or other agencies. There are so many hidden emotions involved in this protest, that it is best not to expect your parents to accept any of your logical arguments. Recently, I worked with a family that [...]

Karen Fuller, How to Turn a Negative Response into Acceptance, Carefull Heart Coaching - Helping adult children care for elderly parents.

Carefull Heart Coaching

Most times, I make a point of reading or watching everything I can on care giving, in order to serve those adult children that seek my support in caring for their elderly parents. Unfortunately up until this past weekend, I missed watching a wonderful movie with Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie called “Away From Her.” [...]

Karen Fuller, Male Caregivers: The Challenges of Silence, Carefull Heart Coaching - Helping adult children care for elderly parents.

Carefull Heart Coaching

Emotions are a given when involved in eldercare. Anger is often at the forefront of these emotions. However, anger is energy in motion. It brings you information about yourself if you are willing to acknowledge the emotion. When you resist and refuse to experience your honest feeling, the entrapment drains your energy and brings continuing [...]

Karen Fuller, Conflict: Creative vs. Imposed Solutions, Carefull Heart Coaching - Helping adult children care for elderly parents.

Carefull Heart Coaching

Providing care for an elderly parent can be a stressful and an emotionally volatile time. Conflict within the family is almost a fact of life. There can be minor disagreements between the family members and at times those minor differences can escalate into a breakdown in the fabric of the family. If conflict is handled [...]

Karen Fuller, How to Deal with Conflict without Destroying the Family, Carefull Heart Coaching - Helping adult children care for elderly parents.

Carefull Heart Coaching

A recent article in AgingCare.com written by Anne-Marie Botek highlighted the death of Patty Andrews, 94, one of the famous Andrew Sisters. You may be saying, who are the Andrew Sisters? If you are lover of Big Band music or a follower of Dancing With the Stars, you have probably heard their music. One song [...]

Karen Fuller, A Lesson on the Importance of Forgiveness, Carefull Heart Coaching - Helping adult children care for elderly parents.

Carefull Heart Coaching

Families come ready made with their style of communication and ways of resolving conflict. Unfortunately, many families unknowingly have developed patterns that inhibit a healthy flow of communication. Their accepted patterns of communicating with each other often serve as barriers to communication, resulting in the harboring of unresolved emotions. As the primary caregiver, you are [...]

Karen Fuller, 7 Ways to Avoid a Family Flare-up, Carefull Heart Coaching - Helping adult children care for elderly parents.

Carefull Heart Coaching

Those of you who are movie buffs were probably glued to the television during the 2013 Golden Globe Awards. One of the most memorable acceptance speeches was that of actor Jodi Foster as she received the Cecile B. Demille Award for lifetime achievement. Her speech was directed toward her mother who suffered from dementia. In [...]

Karen Fuller, How to Avoid Confusing Dementia with Manipulation, Carefull Heart Coaching - Helping adult children care for elderly parents.

Carefull Heart Coaching

A friend of mine recently went through the unexpected death of his mother. His father, desperately trying to cope with the loss of his wife, was resistive to every suggestion he made. My friend despondently admitted that he found it difficult to question or go against his father’s wishes. Most of their conversations were quickly [...]

Karen Fuller, 7 Ways to Approach a Difficult Conversation, Carefull Heart Coaching - Helping adult children care for elderly parents.