Nearly anyone over the age of 50 has experienced some frustrating moments of memory lapse society calls “senior moments.” Some people have enough to frighten them into worrying about Alzheimer’s disease particularly if they have a relative with AD. Slowed recall, missing words, Read more →

During one visit, no different in most respects than my other daily visits to my dad who lived in a nearby nursing home, he looked at me with total clarity, and said, "I think I make up all of these problems because I need something to do." Read more →

CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service) recently launched an updated and even more user-friendly version of Ask Medicare, with... Read more →

Many of us as adult children or spouses suffer from what is often called "the long good-bye." There may be some debate as to the appropriateness of that term, but there is little to debate in the fact that we who must witness our loved one slowly disappear, physically, mentally, or both, grieve. Read more →

I live in a cold climate - the type of climate many retirees want to escape. It seems a good portion of our high plains population spends a decade or more living in Florida or Arizona. That's all well and good while they are healthy. However, when the elders start to have health issues, many adult children want their parents to "move back home." Read more →

Many people find it hard to believe that an elder with health problems may actually have an alcohol abuse problem. It simply doesn't occur to them. This also doesn't occur to many doctors. However, there are many elders who slip into alcohol abuse as loneliness or illness becomes a way of life. Read more →

Dear Carol: Is it safe, or even helpful, to add powdered supplements to my grandfather's food to help him gain weight? My grandfather is 92 years old, and has been losing weight the past few months. He just picks at his food most of the time, but when the ice cream comes out he gobbles it up. His weight is down to 115 pounds, so at this point, if he eats ice cream all day we are fine with that. We’re just wondering how to sneak some nutrition into his food. Rhonda Dear Rhonda: To start, I’d check Read more →

No matter our age or state of health, most of us want to look and act as though we are well. Indeed, for many people, looking and acting “normal” is necessary in order to hold onto their jobs. Read more →

No matter how hard we try, caregivers generally end up feeling guilty because they "didn't do enough," or they had... Read more →

Caregiving can be a 24/7 job laid on top of everything else you do. You don't have to be giving hands-on help all of that time to fee the drain. Knowing others understand what you are going through helps. Online support groups are just one way to find support. Read more →