Many people make the emotional decision to ask their aging parent to live with them, or to move in with their parent - even if they never got along as a family. There's some "taking care of our own" factor that figures into this. Did you make that decision? Read more →

The variety of technological devices available to monitor seniors and other potentially at risk people is quite amazing. Some of these devices monitor a person’s movements with strategically placed cameras. Other devices rely on sensors placed around the home. Read more →

During my first years of caring for multiple elders I rode countless ambulances to our local emergency room. That makes it sound like I was a pretty terrible caregiver, I suppose, but actually, I just cared for several very independently minded elders who stubbornly (can’t say I blame them) stuck to their routines even when I would carefully plan safer ways for them to accomplish their goals. Read more →

Note: I apologize for the bad link last week. The article was unavailable from the source. It's now fixed. Our body language affects those we care for. If we are stressed and our movements show it, our care receiver is likely to feel that stress. That, in turn, can make the care receiver more stressed and cranky. We then can create a negative cycle Read more →

Alzheimer’s disease is hardly the mystery it once was. We can’t turn on the television, log into our computers or listen to the radio very long without some reference to the impact this disease is having on our nation and on the world. Read more →

Children often suffer silently as they watch a grandparent with dementia decline. Their parents are busy and often frustrated and... Read more →

In the ongoing search for causes and/or a potential cure for Alzheimer’s disease, there are always surprises. Most Alzheimer’s research still leans toward examining the hallmark beta amyloid deposits that create the plaques in the brain that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. Read more →

Dear Carol: My mom is in the last stages of Alzheimer’s disease and is very uncommunicative. I’m not sure how much she understands or how to talk to her, or even if I should talk to her when she can’t answer. I feel she must know something, but she’s become very passive. How do I show her I care? Rachel Dear Rachel: I understand your concern. My dad was often uncommunicative, Read more →

Recently, I received a question from a reader whose mother, in her late 70s, is in love with a man who just turned 80. The reader wondered what I thought about this situation, because she frankly, as she put it, found it “creepy.” While I am aware that readers on this site have had some issues with inappropriate sexual behavior when an elder has dementia Read more →

Diabetes is sneaky, in that most of the time, early symptoms aren’t noticed. As with many diseases, prevention, when possible, is best. If we don’t prevent a disease, then early detection and treatment can offset many of the ailments that accumulate as undetected disease worsens. A family history Read more →