believe that fear is the foundation of much of a senior’s reluctance and even disrespect for non-family caregivers. The presence of an outsider may suggest to them that their family can't (or doesn't want to) take care of their needs. It also magnifies Read more →

Dear KT: While it isn’t exceptionally common, grooming older adults in order to scam them does happen under circumstances that you described. Of course, it also happens in families where some adult children don’t want to see that money “wasted” on providing care. Read more →

Life changing, yes! And perhaps a moment of divine intervention. An elderly man with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) was rushed to the cardiac cath lab after being diagnosed with an acute myocardial infarction (MI). He was struggling to breathe, yet Read more →

It makes sense that she wants to take charge of her own future so she can determine how much more she wants to continue to fight for what sounds like a decreasing quality of life. Your mom’s correct in that a do not resuscitate order is not always enough when it comes to end-of-life Read more →

Dear DE: I’m glad that your parents are doing well. Contrary to popular opinion, many people in their 80s are capable of handling their own lives with little assistance. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t experiencing ... Read more →

Dear LS: First, let me say that I’m deeply sorry that your childhood was so hard. You aren’t alone with this kind of pain, but that doesn’t make the fact that you never had the protection that a child deserves any easier. Read more →

Dear YT: I’m sorry about your mother’s poor health. She’s obviously a fighter to have survived so much. It makes sense that she wants to take charge of her own future so she can determine how much more she wants to continue to fight for what sounds... Read more →

We both wonder what else can be done to assure her that she won’t receive a feeding tube in particular or other extreme measures. She can’t relax until she knows that she’s done everything to make sure that this doesn’t happen. – YT Read more →

The people we love and care for often reach a point where we can no longer be sole care providers and we need to look at options. This is painful because up to this point we’ve likely been partners in their care Read more →

Dear Carol: My 93-year-old mother lives alone with significant help from my youngest sister and me but her worsening cognitive ability is dictating changes. We found an assisted living facility (ALF) with memory care near our brother’s home, which is one county over, Read more →