About Carol O'Dell
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Carol D. O'Dell's gripping memoir MOTHERING MOTHER, (April 1, 2007 by Kunati Publishing) is for the "sandwich" generation and overflows with humor, grace and much needed honesty. Written with wit and sensitivity, Mothering Mother offers insight on how to not only survive but thrive the challenges of caring for others while keeping your life, heart, and dreams intact. Carol is an inspirational speaker and instructor focusing on caregiving, spirituality and adoption issues. She has been featured on numerous television, radio and magazine and podcast programs including WEDU/PBS, Artist First Radio, "Coping with Caregiving" national radio, Women?s Digest and Mature Matters Publications. Her fiction and nonfiction work has appeared in numerous publications including Atlanta Magazine, Southern Revival, MARGIN, and AIM, America's Intercultural Magazine Carol appeared on the radio show "Healing the Grieving Heart" with Dr. Gloria & Dr. Heidi Horsley to discuss "Mothering Mother: A Daughter's Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir." To hear Carol being interviewed on this show, click on the following link: www.voiceamericapd.com/health/010157/horsley031308.mp3
Carol O'Dell's Articles
Do the Holidays Feel Like Too Much? How Caregivers and Families Find Joy in the Season
Do you feel like there’s just too much to do during the holiday season?
If you’re caregiving, I’d be willing to bet that your stress levels are ramping on up there about now.
It’s not that it’s not all good …
The Unlikely Caregiver: Black Sheep of the Family
Life is funny. Sometimes the most rebellious of us, the teen gone bad, the unwed mother of three, the Harley brother in leather and bandanas and lots of tattoos becomes the best caregiver, the most thoughtful …
Are You the Black Sheep Sibling? The Unlikely Caregiver?
Life is funny. Sometimes the most rebellious of us, the teen gone bad, the unwed mother of three, the Harley brother in leather and bandanas and lots of tattoos who become the best caregiver, the …
When Caregiving Takes Its Own Sweet Time, Pace Yourself for the Long Haul
I have the privilege of meeting many, many caregivers–and some of them have been at this for a long, long time. Some caregivers are caring for both parents, some a spouse with a chronic disease, …
Why Does Alzheimer’s Effect People Differently?
Alzheimer’s does different things to different people.
I’ve heard some people say their spouse or parent got sweeter. “Not my mother,” I say in return, laughing (and almost crying at the same time) at some of …
‘Don’t Leave Me Here Without You’ – Why Caring For a Spouse is So Difficult
By Carol O’Dell –
For many of us,?caregiving for a spouse is in our future. We like to not think about it, or at least imagine that it’s a long, long time from now. For many, …
Celebrating Mother’s Day When Mom’s Gone, Turn Bitter Into Sweet
Mother’s Day ican be bitter-sweet if your mom’s no longer here.
It’s so hard to say the word, “dead,” and in many ways, our loved ones live on–in thoughts, in stories, in how they continue to impact …
“Honey, Grandma Died” Talking to Your Children About Tough Issues
It’s so, so hard to have to tell your son or daughter that their grandfather, grandmother, or parent has died. We dread it so much that we avoid it, but this is a time when …
Are You Dreading the Death Date of a Loved One?
No matter how much you try not to think about it, you dread the day your loved one died. It’s especially hard, those first couple of anniversaries. Perhaps you spent years caregiving and you’re dealing …
Does Caregiving Stress Your Marriage? Grow Closer in Your Caregiving Years
Is caregiving hard on a marriage? It can be. But it can also be a wake-up call. Sometimes our marriage can be defined by what we’ve survived. Yes, caregiving was stressul on marriage–at times. I …
When Death Comes as a Shock, Natasha Richardson’s Family Faces Hard Times
Actress Natasha Richardson died yesterday–from a head injury. She fell on the bunny slopes while skiing with her son in Canada. She was 45. Her death comes as a shock to her family. As hard as it is …
How to Talk To Your Doctor: Getting What You Want and Need, for Caregivers and Families
Most of us pine for the days when we had home town doc who delivered us, knows everything about us–and cared that we stay alive. Not that most ever had that–but it sure sounds good, doesn’t …
Creating Memorial Services with Heart
By Carol O’Dell
Creating a meaningful memorial service for your loved one is cathartic, and you don’t?have to wait until your loved one passes to begin to think about what they — and you — want …
I’m Not Sure I Want to Attend a Caregiver’s Support Group
I have to admit that I didn’t attend a caregiver support group while I was caring for my mom.
Not everyone is the “group” type.
I started full time caregiving back in 1998 and honestly, I didn’t even …
Creating Memorial Services with Heart, Part of the Caregiving Journey
Creating a meaningful memorial service for your loved one is cathartic, and you don’t have to wait until your loved one passes to begin to think about what they–and you–want and need.
It’s a part of caregiving …
Alzheimer’s and Violence, “I Don’t Want Anyone to Know How Bad It Is”
Have you stopped having people come into your home because you don’t want them to see your dad/husband or wife “that way?” Are you hiding awful it really is?
Alzheimer’s, Lewy Body, dementia and other neurological …
Remembering Alexandria: A Personal Story of Perinatal Loss
Woman Loses Organs to Cancer, Still Revels in Life
Caregivers Need Time to Let Go
Respecting Boundaries When Comforting a Grieving Heart
Shhhh…Listen Closely. It’s the Sound of Someone Healing
August 26, 2010: Guest Charles Corr: Helping Children Cope with Death and Grief
