It can be difficult to know what to say and how to approach your parent, grandparent or other elderly relative about the sensitive topic of long-term care. Your loved one may feel as if they are a burden or that you no longer care about them. It may also be hard for them to admit they need assistance.

While some family caregivers gradually grow into their roles or are born into it, others can pinpoint the event that started their journey: Their father was hospitalized after a fall and needed more help at home, or their wife was diagnosed with an unexpected chronic illness.

After six years of caring for his wife, Joyce, Carlos Lucido is rediscovering joy and peace thanks to ComForCare Home Care.

When I was caring for my father and grandmother, I didn’t think of myself as a family caregiver. I viewed it as auxiliary duties of a daughter and granddaughter. Guiding my dad’s feet into his orthopedic boots and cleaning out my grandma’s refrigerator was a part of our unspoken family agreement to always support and love each other. When I was providing care, I thought “caregiver” was the term for a professionally-trained health care worker. “Caregiver” didn’t apply to me: I didn’t attend school for caregiving, I wasn’t receiving a paycheck, and I wasn’t caring for strangers but my own family.

Caregiving for a parent or grandparent can be complex. Family caregivers must learn how to balance lives full of responsibilities with their parent’s or grandparent’s’ lives.

Life hacks, tips and tricks, can help family caregivers find smarter, easier ways to accomplish everyday activities or solve common problems — all without breaking a sweat. Here are 13 ways to work smarter, not harder.

A nurse’s role includes many responsibilities: getting patients’ health histories, administering medications and treatments, performing diagnostic tests, and collaborating with doctors and the health care team. Nurses teach patients and families how to manage health conditions. Nurses work in all kinds of settings including hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, schools and government agencies. Skilled home health and hospice nurses take their skills on the road and provide care at their patients’ homes.

At the heart of it, nurses are caregivers. They juggle a lot of duties and mounds of paperwork as they give patients the very best care. Nurses are dedicated professionals. However, while caring for others is rewarding, it also can be tiring.

Nine out of 10 people 65 and older want to stay in their home as long as possible. However, many will need assistance to do so. That’s where in-home care comes in.

Home care helps seniors continue to live in their own home and continue to do all the things they love.

You’ve heard of the three R’s of education: reading, writing and ‘rithmetic. You probably know about the three R’s of recycling: reduce, reuse and recycle. Having a list of three R’s can help us recall and prioritize what is most important.

From job opportunities that take adult children out of town to Mom and Dad retiring in a warmer climate, more and more families are living farther and farther apart. In fact, most adults 60+ live more than 280 miles from their nearest child.

Right now, there are approximately 5-7 million long-distance caregivers in the U.S., which is about 15 percent of all family caregivers. This number is expected to double by 2020. If you are one of the many million long-distance caregivers, here are some things you can do to help your parents live safely in their own homes.

Lately, it seems like your elderly parents are having some trouble keeping up with everyday tasks – there’s spoiled food in the fridge, Mom missed her doctor appointment and Dad has had some minor, but concerning, falls. While these incidents may not seem like a huge deal, they could be signs your aging loved ones need some assistance. Here are some things to watch for when visiting seniors.