Caring for an Aging Parent

Anne Tumlinson spent a career in long-term-care policy before she started writing for the daughters who actually do the work. The site runs a blog, a podcast and local circles where caregivers meet in person. Its stance is that the caregiving system is broken and you are not, which is the same thing we believe. Start with the podcast if you are driving; start with the circles if you are alone in it.

Liz O'Donnell wrote the book of the same name after caring for both parents while holding a corporate job. The site and newsletter are for the woman who is still employed and needs to stay that way. It is blunt about the money, the career cost, and the guilt, in that order. If you are negotiating leave or a lighter schedule, read here first.

A weekly letter from a writer caring for aging parents and a son with special needs at the same time. It is not advice; it is a record, and that is its use. Reading someone else's week makes your own feel less like a failure of planning. Short enough to finish before the next thing goes wrong.

Exactly what the title says: a daughter whose father moved in, writing down what she learns. The tone is practical, with the small logistics that no guide covers, from the bathroom to the remote control. It is the closest thing on this list to a neighbor who has done it. Read it when you are deciding whether a parent can live with you.

Elizabeth Miller cared for both parents and turned the experience into a long-running podcast, a blog and a newsletter. The interviews are with ordinary family caregivers rather than experts, which is the point. The recurring theme is that you cannot pour from an empty cup, said without the poster. Good for the commute.

A small nonprofit built as a peer community rather than a service directory. The writing is unusually honest about resentment, burnout and the parts of caregiving no one thanks you for. It also runs two newsletters on Substack. Go here when you need to hear that someone else has thought the unthinkable thought.

The oldest caregiver organization in the country and still the most useful. Its fact sheets on specific conditions and on the caregiver's own health are plain and current, and many are translated. The state-by-state navigator will find the local agency that actually returns calls. Bookmark it before you need it.

AARP's caregiving section is large, free and does not require membership. The planning guides and the financial and legal pages are the strongest parts; the forums are a mixed bag. It is the place to check what a benefit or program is officially called before you phone anyone. Ignore the insurance ads.