Category: Family Caregiving

anxiety and depression
Mar 2 2021

Signs that your child may dealing with anxiety or depression and how to help

Family Caregiving  •  By Miles Varn, MD

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of people in the U.S. and around the world who are living with anxiety and depression. One report in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report noted that during a single week in late June 2020, 40% of adults in the U.S.... Read More

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pandemic
Jan 26 2021

Are your children missing important routine care during the pandemic?

Family Caregiving  •  By Miles Varn, MD

For almost a year, attention around the world has been rightly focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. In the early days of the pandemic, some primary care physicians limited in-person visits or temporarily closed their offices to lower the risk of patients contracting the virus, which meant that the delivery of many routine types of care... Read More

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social distancing
Sep 22 2020

Five strategies to encourage teens to practice social distancing

Family Caregiving  •  By Miles Varn, MD

Recent increases in the number of COVID-19 cases in U.S. have included a rise in the number of people under the age of 18 who are contracting the virus. Part of the reason for the growth in the number of teens and young adults who test positive for COVID-19 is their failure, or in some... Read More

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mental health issues
Jul 28 2020

Four mental health tips to combat the stress of living with extended family

Family Caregiving  •  By Miles Varn, MD

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the structure of many people’s households has changed dramatically. Campuses closed and young adults returned home and many will still be at home this fall as colleges and universities continue to limit on-campus classes. Some people moved in with family after a job loss. And some families temporarily moved older... Read More

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healthcare documents
Jun 23 2020

What healthcare documents do you need at each life stage?

Family Caregiving  •  By Miles Varn, MD

If your 19-year-old college student ended up in the hospital, would you be able to get the information you need about her condition from the doctors treating her? What if your parents were having trouble managing multiple doctor’s appointments? If your spouse or partner had a heart attack, would you be able to make medical... Read More

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summer safety
Jun 9 2020

Four tips for a safer summer

Family Caregiving  •  By Miles Varn, MD

The combination of nice weather and cabin fever from stay -at-home rules to curb the spread of COVID-19 probably have you wanting to spend as much time outdoors and active as you can on sunny summer days. These tips can help you and your family have a safer, healthier summer. Protect yourself from the summer... Read More

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young children
May 12 2020

Tips for explaining the COVID-19 pandemic to young children

Family Caregiving  •  By Miles Varn, MD

By now, even young children are well aware that there’s something unusual and alarming going on in the world around them. In addition to hearing parents and caregivers talk about the COVID-19 pandemic, they may also have seen disturbing images on the news or noticed that their caregivers are more anxious or sad than usual... Read More

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isolation
Apr 21 2020

Helping your older parents and relatives deal with self-isolation

Family Caregiving  •  By Miles Varn, MD

Because older people are more at risk for complications from COVID-19, independent and assisted living communities around the U.S. have banned visitors and are encouraging residents to remain within the community and, in some cases, in their apartments as much as possible. Even older people who don’t live in a senior living community may be... Read More

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isolation
Apr 7 2020

How to prevent being a caregiver from having a negative effect on your health

Family Caregiving  •  By Miles Varn, MD

Being a caregiver for an aging or ill parent, partner, or spouse can be an all-consuming job. And it’s a job more Americans are taking on as the population gets older and more people are diagnosed with chronic health problems and cognitive health issues such as Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. While focused... Read More

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parents
Mar 3 2020

How to encourage aging parents to accept help they need

Family Caregiving  •  By Miles Varn, MD

The first signs are often subtle—missed appointments, unpaid bills, or a once immaculate home that now has an unmowed lawn and dirty dishes on the counter. It’s easy for adult children of aging parents to miss these first signs that their parents need help with tasks they once handled easily on their own. In fact,... Read More

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