Dear HY: I’m sorry about your mom getting to the point where she requires hospice care, but you are doing the right thing. To me, it's unconscionable that these people who are supposed to be supporting you are treating you in this manner. They may mean well, but they are misinformed at best. Read more →
Entries categorized "Medication"
Dear LC: I’m happy to have another opportunity to sing the praises of community pharmacists. Doctors are required to stay on top of an enormous amount of ever-changing information so that they can offer the best advice to their patients. Most of them are also well-informed Read more →
Medications save lives and can improve the quality of life for countless people. However, what's known as polypharmacy can be an issue for older adults, and the responsibility to have the patient's need for certain medication adjustments... Read more →
Furthermore, drowsiness generally corresponds to brain function slowing down, and that can persist into the next day, even when an older person is no longer feeling drowsy. Read more →
"Even though the drowsiness may actually feel desirable to an older person who may be hoping to get help with sleep problems, nobody takes a drug hoping that their balance will be impaired..." Read more →
As people age, they are likely to find that balance issues, arthritis, neurological diseases, and other health problems become a threat to their quality of life. People facing these problems Read more →
Dear Carol: My dad has been Mom’s caregiver since her stroke ten years ago. Dad’s 79 and healthy except for Type 2 diabetes. Read more →
Dear Carol: My mother, 93, is mentally sharp and lives in her own retirement apartment. As would be expected, she has some physical problems including arthritis severe enough that she needed a hip replacement in her 70s. She uses a walker but her balance is iffy even with that. 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 Read more →
ear Carol: I read your column about older people and medicines so I wanted to write. My husband has had multiple health problems during his life so he's been on a lot of medicine. Six years ago, he developed symptoms from Alzheimer’s and has also been on drugs that were supposed to help Read more →