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When Your Partner Becomes Your Patient – Male Caregiver Confessions

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Blog Posts

Caregiver Time Management – Always a Work in Process

By Marc LawrencePosted on February 28, 2023February 28, 2023

Reading Time: < 1 minute I’m back! Well, I didn’t actually go anywhere but time has flown by, and I unintentionally took a sabbatical from writing as my last post […]

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Fear, Fatigue, and Failure

By Marc LawrencePosted on July 9, 2022July 9, 2022

Reading Time: < 1 minute Here is my latest article for lifeeffects.teva. I tried to explore the principle worries that cause caregivers to be in a constant state of anxiety. […]

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A Plan to Help Family Caregivers

By Marc LawrencePosted on June 30, 2022June 30, 2022

Reading Time: 5 minutes There are many initiatives underway across the nation to help family caregivers. They range from expanding insurance coverage to paying a stipend to the caregiver […]

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Good Riddance to 2021

By Marc LawrencePosted on December 31, 2021February 15, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes My end of year post has several purposes not least of which is to say, good riddance to 2021. I’m happy to see it go! […]

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5 Tips to Get The Most From Your Doctor

By Marc LawrencePosted on November 23, 2021February 17, 2022

Reading Time: < 1 minute My most recent article published by lifeeffects.teva gives you 5 tips to get the most from your doctor as a caregiver. Effectively communicating with your […]

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There Are These Moments…

By Marc LawrencePosted on September 29, 2021September 29, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes Most of the time, since arriving back home in mid-2107, J has been sleepy, quiet, and expressionless, but then there are these moments! Moments reminiscent […]

There Are These Moments… Read More

Regaining Independence

By Marc LawrencePosted on June 18, 2021June 18, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes J’s disabilities turned out to be worse and more long-lasting than initially thought and regaining independence in any activity has been challenging for her. I’m […]

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Building a Better Caregiver

By Marc LawrencePosted on May 10, 2021May 10, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes I have a recipe for building a better caregiver. It turns out that my 13-year-old daughter is having a profound impact on my worldview affecting […]

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The Timeline Part 2 – The Aftermath

By Marc LawrencePosted on April 21, 2021April 21, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes I published “The Timeline Part 1 – The Stroke” on Aug 12, 2017, six months after the event. Now, four years after J’s Feb 11, […]

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Male Caregivers Deserve Better!

By Marc LawrencePosted on March 19, 2021March 19, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes Okay, I get it. I’m a 60+-year-old white guy which puts me in a demographic that is clearly out of favor, on multiple fronts. Much […]

Male Caregivers Deserve Better! Read More

4 Tips to Avoid Control Issues

By Marc LawrencePosted on February 25, 2021February 25, 2021

Reading Time: < 1 minute LifeEffects.teva has published my latest article: 4 Tips to Avoid Control Issues as a Caregiver. This article deals with how your inner control-freak and obsessive-compulsive […]

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Family Caregivers Need the Vaccine!

By Marc LawrencePosted on December 26, 2020February 25, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes Family caregivers need the vaccine sooner rather than later! Understandably, the initial rollout of two COVID-19 vaccines prioritize health care workers and residents of long-term […]

Family Caregivers Need the Vaccine! Read More

“Are You Okay?”

By Marc LawrencePosted on December 17, 2020December 17, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute My latest post “Are You Okay? 3 Communication Tips for Caregivers” is published on the Life Effects caregiver site. This is an important article on […]

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Becoming Better Caregivers

By Marc LawrencePosted on November 17, 2020December 12, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute My latest article published on lifeeffects.teva provides tips on how men can become better caregivers. Remember that my original premise for this blog was to […]

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Letting Go of “Perfection”

By Marc LawrencePosted on October 17, 2020October 17, 2020

Reading Time: 4 minutes I have a hard time letting go of perfection. The last 3+ years have been a difficult journey learning to care for J, knowing what […]

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Chapter 1- Do We Need to Move?

By Marc LawrencePosted on September 21, 2020September 21, 2020

Reading Time: 4 minutes As promised, I’m starting a journal recording our adventure looking for a new accessible home hence this is Chapter 1. Our current living situation is […]

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In Search of the Perfect Ponytail

By Marc LawrencePosted on September 11, 2020September 11, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes This blog is written primarily for men, and while I hope most of the articles are of interest to both men and women caregivers, this […]

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obi – The Dining Robot

By Marc LawrencePosted on September 5, 2020September 5, 2020

Reading Time: 5 minutes J is unable to feed herself, at least not without becoming frustrated and tired, and creating a mess – which our dog loves. Her problem […]

obi – The Dining Robot Read More

My Wife is Hard to Dress!

By Marc LawrencePosted on August 1, 2020August 1, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes If left to me, my wife would wear sweatpants and a t-shirt every day because she is hard to dress. Thanks to the pandemic, and […]

My Wife is Hard to Dress! Read More

Common Knowledge is Dead!

By Marc LawrencePosted on July 12, 2020July 12, 2020

Reading Time: 4 minutes I yearn for simpler times when there were things most people believed to be true, common knowledge, even when they were not. George Washington chopped […]

Common Knowledge is Dead! Read More

Pandemic Preparedness Lessons

By Marc LawrencePosted on June 8, 2020June 8, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute My latest article, “4 things the pandemic has taught me about preparedness” is now live on lifeeffects.teva. This article discusses being prepared to all types […]

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Too Many Hats!?

By Marc LawrencePosted on May 17, 2020May 17, 2020

Reading Time: 4 minutes One thing that the COVID-19 crisis has brought to the forefront is adding additional roles to the ones I was already handling before the stay-at-home […]

Too Many Hats!? Read More

Are Male Caregivers Different?

By Marc LawrencePosted on April 26, 2020April 26, 2020

Reading Time: 4 minutes I planned to write two blog posts since before I created this site. As the intent of this blog was to address the dearth of […]

Are Male Caregivers Different? Read More

Staying Sane – Part 2

By Marc LawrencePosted on April 15, 2020April 20, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes Here is my most latest article for Lifeeffects.teva which builds on my recent post about staying sane. I know you have many choices from which […]

Staying Sane – Part 2 Read More

Staying Sane in an Insane Time

By Marc LawrencePosted on March 22, 2020March 22, 2020

Reading Time: 5 minutes or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pandemic I thought I’d break away from my usual topics, in light of all that […]

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How I Manage My Day

By Marc LawrencePosted on March 11, 2020March 15, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute Here’s my latest article published on lifeeffects.teva that discusses how I manage my day as a caregiver. One thing I didn’t say in the article […]

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Coronavirus Avoidance

By Marc LawrencePosted on March 8, 2020March 22, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes As any self-respecting blogger would do, I have to jump on the Coronavirus avoidance advice bandwagon. First, remember that I am not a medical professional, […]

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The Hidden Costs of Caregiving

By Marc LawrencePosted on February 25, 2020February 25, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute My latest article for lifeeffects.teva discusses the unexpected and hidden costs of caring for people with chronic conditions. I’d love to hear what kind of […]

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Surviving Chronic Illnesses

By Marc LawrencePosted on February 17, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute In November 2018, Alex Belth, the editor of Esquire Classic, published an article in Men’s Health magazine, How Our Relationship Survived When My Partner Got […]

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Training is Essential

By Marc LawrencePosted on January 17, 2020December 18, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes Howard Glickman, senior contributor at Forbes Magazine, regularly writes about caregivers. His most recent article, Compassion isn’t enough for family caregivers. They need training too, […]

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7 Tips for Traveling when Caring for Someone

By Marc LawrencePosted on December 4, 2019December 4, 2019

Reading Time: < 1 minute LifeEffects.teva has published my article on tips for traveling with a disability or chronic illness. This article explores my experiences working with J to be […]

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The Importance of Family

By Marc LawrencePosted on November 27, 2019November 27, 2019

Reading Time: 2 minutes As we enter the holiday season, it’s important to recognize the importance of family. I’m not brazen enough to think I can add something new […]

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The Proverbial Last Straw

By Marc LawrencePosted on October 1, 2019March 26, 2020

Reading Time: 4 minutes The poor little innocuous plastic drinking straw is under attack in the war against pollution. The problem started when a 9-year-old did the math and […]

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Navigating Long-Term Care

By Marc LawrencePosted on September 16, 2019September 16, 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about long-term care and worrying over who will take care of J if (or when) something happens […]

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Women Like To Have Their Faces Washed!

By Marc LawrencePosted on June 25, 2019September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 6 minutes This blog was created to discuss the difficulties of being a male caregiver, especially when the person needing care is your spouse and a female. […]

Women Like To Have Their Faces Washed! Read More

Loneliness Affects Both Survivor & Caregiver

By Marc LawrencePosted on May 26, 2019September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 4 minutes Loneliness isolates both the survivor and the caregiver resulting in depression.

Loneliness Affects Both Survivor & Caregiver Read More

May is Stroke Awareness Month

By Marc LawrencePosted on May 1, 2019September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 2 minutes May is national stroke awareness month kicking off a variety of activities meant to increase awareness about identifying a stroke, recognizing risk factors, and supporting […]

May is Stroke Awareness Month Read More

Every Little Bit Counts

By Marc LawrencePosted on April 12, 2019September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 4 minutes I  am often searching for a cause. I’m driven in part by my desire to give back, sometimes by thinking I can make a difference, […]

Every Little Bit Counts Read More

“Why Can’t I Die?”

By Marc LawrencePosted on March 19, 2019September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 4 minutes Amazingly, the short break I intended to take back in October to recharge for the new year turned into a five-month hiatus. Now I’m back, […]

“Why Can’t I Die?” Read More

A Grab Bar That Goes Where You Need It

By Marc LawrencePosted on October 7, 2018September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes I struggled for quite a while with selecting and installing grab bars around the house to help J steady herself.

A Grab Bar That Goes Where You Need It Read More

7 Tips For Male Caregivers (or Not)

By Marc LawrencePosted on September 21, 2018September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 2 minutes A blog post about wellbeing evoked a strong insightful reaction.

7 Tips For Male Caregivers (or Not) Read More

Navigating Customer Service & Support

By Marc LawrencePosted on September 19, 2018September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 5 minutes Navigating Customer Service is one of the most important aspects of caregiving. Without reliable products and services, our lives and our patients lives are at risk!

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Reducing the Stress of Hiring an Aide

By Marc LawrencePosted on September 3, 2018September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 5 minutes Hiring a home care can be stressful. You may be able to learn from my experiences.

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Amazon – Best Friend or Ultimate Evil?

By Marc LawrencePosted on August 30, 2018September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes Is Amazon taking over your life or are you resisting?

Amazon – Best Friend or Ultimate Evil? Read More

Minding Your Meds

By Marc LawrencePosted on August 26, 2018September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes Medication management is one of the top three functions for a caregiver.

Minding Your Meds Read More

Dysphagia – A Bitter Pill to Swallow

By Marc LawrencePosted on August 23, 2018September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 2 minutes Dysphagia or swallow disorders complicate caregiving affecting eating and drinking.

Dysphagia – A Bitter Pill to Swallow Read More

What is a Caregiver?

By Marc LawrencePosted on August 17, 2018September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 2 minutes Here’s my take on the role of a caregiver.

What is a Caregiver? Read More

A Medical Diary is a Must!

By Marc LawrencePosted on August 16, 2018September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes Trello is a useful tool for keeping a medical diary.

A Medical Diary is a Must! Read More

Be Prepared to Become a Caregiver

By Marc LawrencePosted on August 13, 2018September 23, 2019

Reading Time: 4 minutes You never know when you will become a caregiver.

Be Prepared to Become a Caregiver Read More

The Timeline Part I – The Stroke

By Marc LawrencePosted on August 12, 2018July 12, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes While this blog is not specific to caregivers of stroke survivors, I think it’s important for you to understand what happened to my wife, what […]

The Timeline Part I – The Stroke Read More

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