Guilt, Regret, and Worry, Oh My! Caregiving, family, sandwich generation, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, honor, grief. These are the challenges that millions of other caregivers face every day.

Whether it's your parent, your spouse, or a dear friend, you question whether they should drive or live alone. Perhaps you've noticed changes. They're forgetful, but in odd ways. Whether they live independently, with you, or are in a care home, you wonder if they're safe. As a caregiver, you're exhausted, frustrated, impatient, feel like a zombie, pull 20 hour days and still, you can't make the guilt and the loss go away.

How do you find balance? Where's your joy? Do you even remember that you used to "have a life?"

Don't give up hope! I was a caregiver just like you. I cared for my adoptive mother who had Parkinson's and heart disease for years, and later, she developed Alzheimer's. Our journey took us from her living on her own, to living with me, and finally a home passing. I found humor in the chaos. Not that it was all easy. I don't sugar-coat my experience and neither should you, but you can find purpose and passion in the smallest of moments. Caregiving gives us the opportunity to grow, forgive, and change. It didn't come into your life to destroy you, but as a teacher and a guide.

This website and blog is meant to help caregivers find their way. I've compiled tips, links, and over 300 blog entries on everything from elder-driving to depression, from regret to grief. There's something here that will cause you to stop and think, chuckle at something your mom does that's just like my mom, and even release a tear or two.

So look around. I hope you'll consider my book, Mothering Mother, or purchase an e-book, or watch an interview. For health-care professionals--check out the information on my speaking topics and how to book me for an upcoming event.

Mothering Mother is not simply a how-to book on caregiving. Mothering Mother touches on what our relationships do to us, how they impact our souls, our beliefs—beliefs about ourselves, about life and the quality of life, about faith and hope and finally, about death. Mothering Mother is an authentic and "in-the-room" view of a daughter's struggle to care for an aging parent. It will touch you and never leave you. You will be astonished at Carol's brutal honesty. Her ability to narrate the feelings of the moment—love, grief, humor and even those moments of bitter resentment—will both reassure and arm you for the day when you may face a similar choice. Find out why, so many say, "I loved this book!"

"We all want you."
This theme recurs throughout Carol D. O'Dell's bitingly humorous and unflinchingly honest memoir. Carol's mother has Parkinson's Disease and a heart condition and Carol's decision not to put her mother "in one of those homes" has far-reaching consequences for her family. She must learn to Mother her own mother. This refreshing and entertaining memoir will help baby boomers struggling with their own decisions on elder care in the home.