As a caregiver, what coping skills are you incorporating into your daily life? I am caring for my elderly mom, who has terminal cancer.

Terrilynn, when I stayed with my sister during her last months of battling cancer, we spent a lot of quiet time together.   She tired easily, had no strength, so most of our activities together were just talking, or watching a favorite program of hers.

We both often had difficulty sleeping, so we put soft, soothing music on a CD player before bed.    Some instruments, such as harps, help induce relaxation.   We also played specific soothing mood music, such as the sound of waves lapping on a shore, or wind rustling the trees.   

We did this especially after chemo or radiation treatment, or just spent the rest of the day quietly as they both exhausted her.