Friday Five: Caregiving Responsibilities

The Friday Five is a roundup of links to smart articles and helpful resources across the Web.

1. This short USA Today piece about a Delaware hospice volunteer made us smile. She sounds like a spunky lady, offering kindness to people during the last stage of life. We are so grateful to all of the hospice volunteers around the country who sit with dying people, listening to patients' stories and providing a comforting presence.

2. If you are in the Tucson area, and interested in volunteering for a hospice, take a look at our website to learn more about our volunteer opportunities. Casa de la Luz volunteers provide companionship to patients, office support, event support, and bereavement support. It's not too late to submit a volunteer application and join our February volunteer training group.

3. Family caregiving is often an emotionally taxing and physically draining responsibility. It is also often a financially stressful situation, and that burden is not necessarily easier if more people are in the picture. This week, TIME offers a series of tips for adult siblings who are trying to balance finances and caregiving of elderly parents.

4. When caregiving responsibilities end due to a loved one's death, there can be a sort of double whammy of grief. Family caregivers grieve not only for the death of their loved one, but can also feel a sense of loss because they lose a sense of purpose. The Hospice Foundation of America has a helpful article, After Caregiving Ends, with some insights on what to expect and how to address these issues of loss and grief.

5. It can be helpful to people to take the time to write out their thoughts, and many family caregivers have taken to the Internet to blog about their experiences and frustrations. Here's another family caregiver blog, from Angie, whose husband was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2008.