Fathers often show love by what they know. Sometimes it is “instructional love.” This post was inspired by a story heard on an NPR segment called American Life. This one…
Introducing Katy – Member of the Sandwich Generation
Hi, I’m Katy. Glad you found me. Have you ever heard the term “sandwich generation”? Well, I’m a charter member! I balance my own family and look out after my…
The Emotions of Caregiving – Father and Daughter
Dad was angry. Fist bangin, Marine-cussin, jerk-away angry. All the time. At everyone and everything. He was angry because he couldn’t seem to do anything the way he wanted to;…
Memory Loss
KATY did… Buttons ‘n Bows… and Memories A couple of years ago I was driving through a small town where we used to live. Stopping at the corner drugstore, I…
Mom vs. Dishwasher: The Need for a Senior Advocate
My mother was tidying up in the kitchen late one evening when somehow she tripped over the lowered dishwasher door. She ended up on the floor with both legs twisted…
The Moving Van: Ageism
Nicknames are something most people pick up in childhood. Mine was “Puff” (probably not the best impression to give in the late 1970s!). Dad came up with a good nickname…
Dad "Locks Up"
“Getting old is the place where want, needs and abilities don’t always mesh. In a way it’s kind of like growing up as a kid… you know that you want…
Katy Did… The Snazzy Walker
Dad’s balance was bad, and due to whatever was going on between his brain and his muscles, it was rapidly getting worse. He had fallen a couple of times in…
Katy Did… Summer Shoes
Dad became a salty old beach bum in his retirement. During his working years our family always took a summer vacation at the beaches of North Carolina. And for more…
Katy Did… Dad and the Man on the Moon
One evening I was driving Dad back to his assisted living residence after dinner at my house. There was a big full moon in the sky and we both commented…