Not everyone is so fortunate. I receive e-mails from readers on a regular basis who have legitimate complaints about their elders' in-home, assisted living or nursing home care. While some problems aren't very significant, others require action. Here are some things to consider if you are unhappy with your loved one's care: Read more →
Yet, I hear from male spouses frequently about the challenges of caring for their wives who have Alzheimer’s disease and each of them has said that after sticking with a support group for awhile, gender no longer matters. They receive support and caring from the others in the group because they share the same problems. Read more →
Hindsight can make us pretty smart. Sometimes, when our parents are younger and healthier, we make promises: "I promise I'll never put you in a nursing home." We should not tell our parents we'll never put them in a nursing home, since we have no idea what the future will bring. Also, that promise just underscores their view of the old style nursing homes, which were truly depressing places. Read more →
Studies on people with Alzheimer's disease have shown reduced brain metabolism in some brain regions. This new study showed a similar pattern of lower metabolism in these same brain regions in diabetes-free participants with high blood sugar levels. Read more →
Dear Carol: My mom has mild Alzheimer’s disease and really shouldn’t live alone anymore. I’ve been helping her look at assisted living facilities and we’ve narrowed our choices to two. One is nicer than the other, but more expensive. We feel Mom can pay for approximately five years at the nicest AL, but if she lives longer than that she’d have to move because of money issues. If she took the less nice one now, she could stay longer. How do people make these decisions when so much is unknown? - Nichole Read more →
Getting lost driving home from a familiar place? Not good. But if you just flake out and make a wrong turn because you are preoccupied, it's probably okay. However, if you are driving home from a familiar store and can't remember how to get from point A to point B, it's probably time to see a doctor. Read more →
Picture this: a middle aged woman at home caring for her elderly mother who has stage three Alzheimer's. The daughter who is the primary caregiver knows she is fortunate to have a husband who earns a good living, enabling her to care for her mother at home, full time. However, day after day goes by and the daughter doesn't have any time for herself. Read more →
The MRI scans compared the scans to see how much gray matter was lost in brain regions most affected by Alzheimer’s disease. The participants taking the vitamin “cocktail,” showed what researchers concluded was a significantly smaller amount of brain shrinkage in those specific regions. Read more →
Whatever the reason that caregiving begins, I hear from a number of young adults who are trying to care for one or more grandparents. Most of them love their grandparent dearly, but they often come up against obstacles that are quite overwhelming for people so young. Read more →
Children can be frightened by the changes in the grandparent who was once gentle and loving, but could now have become cranky and occasionally downright mean and abusive. How we, as parents, handle the changes in our own parents can affect how well our children handle the changes. But each child is different and each set of circumstances is different. So where to you start when it's time to explain? Read more →