www.takingcareofyourparents.com
This blog documents a family’s struggle with a diagnosis of inoperable stomach cancer for their father and their process of dealing with the health care system.
The father has since passed away and the blog is now documentating their story with their aging mother that they moved out to California from Philadelphia.
This is the first blog entry and it can be found at www.takingcareofyourparents.com/page/6.
The worst day of my life
Today I’m flying back to Philadelphia to see my father who was diagnosed with inoperable stomach cancer. The cancer has spread rapidly and it’s too late to do anything…we think. The problem is that we’re not getting any information from the doctor. Very vague, quick passing comments but no frank discussion about my father’s condition. It’s frustrating to see my father suffering and we don’t have the facts to know if we can help him.
Today is going to be the worst day of my life when I see my father at the hospital. My father wants to go home so badly that they’ve had to strap him into a chair. He’s frustrated and weak. We know he’s very sick but the doctor isn’t giving us enough information. Should we line up hospice now? Does he have a week, a month or a year left? We need to know what’s going on.
I know millions of people are going through these same frustrations every day because of our broken health care system. Very vague communication and no details. I’m going to use this blog to document the rest of my father’s life and share our process so maybe we can get our politicians to fix our broken health care system.
The Sandwich Generation, those caught between their aging parents and young children, includes some 20 million Americans.
In this emotionally charged account of family caregiving, filmmaker Julie Winokur and her husband, photojournalist Ed Kashi, expose their personal lives with unflinching candor. Winokur and Kashi uprooted their two children and their business in order to move 3,000 miles cross-country to care for Winokur’s father, Herbie.
At 83, Herbie suffers from dementia and can no longer live alone. Winokur and Kashi are faced with difficult choices and overwhelming responsibility as they charge head on through their Sandwich years. It is a story of love, family dynamics and the immeasurable sacrifice of those who are caught in the middle
Trading Places: Caring for aging parents
Feb. 12 2007: It’s something so many Americans experience — caring for aging parents. Here, Brian Williams shares his personal story as part of NBC Nightly News 2007 special series.
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Trading Places: Moving on
Feb. 14 2007 : Dr. Nancy Snyderman shares her story of helping move her parents from their longtime home
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Trading Places: Ann Curry’s father, Bob
Feb. 15 2007: Ann Curry introduces us to her father, who she says refuses to act his age.
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Trading Places is often a struggle
Feb. 16 2007: NBC’s Tom Brokaw reports on how he is helping care for his mother, and talks to a family who struggles to find the time and finances needed to care for an older parent.
Trading Places: Having is easier than having not
Tom Brokaw parallels one Alabama family’s experience with his own
By Tom Brokaw
Correspondent
updated 12:21 p.m. ET, Sat., Feb. 17, 2007
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For the Russerts, caring for Dad is a team effort
Still independent, ‘Big Russ’ gets help from family, friends and neighbors
By Tim Russert
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Trading Places: Caring for Mom and Dad
May 20 2008: NBC’s Dr. Nancy Snyderman checks in to see how her parents are faring, one year after they moved their lives to become a bigger part of hers.
May 22 2007
Even in his final days, Bob Curry, NBC’s Ann Curry’s father, brought his family together with humor, love, and fierce determination. Ann shares an interview with her dad and reports on coping with loss in Part 3 of our series, Trading Places. (Nightly News)
Buying Time For Dad
May 21 2007: When her father fell ill, NBC’s Maria Menounos decided to take over as the sole source of support for her parents — a decision which bought him time he didn’t think he had.
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