I’m a strong believer in families being realistic. Your parents should have a Power of Attorney for health care with a health directive or living will. This is the document where people assign someone else to make decisions for them should they become unable to do so. Read more →

Dear TH: It sounds as if your family has been trying to make your mother’s life better even though she treats them poorly. I’m sorry for you all. Read more →

There are at least three different types of Alzheimer's based on the brain regions affected by the pathology, meaning the plaques and tangles of the condition. Then, based on cognitive testing, there are as many as seven different types of Alzheimer’s present, perhaps even more. Depending on the type of Alzheimer's a person has, Read more →

“As he aged, he fell often and was confused. It was awful,” Johnson remembers. It turns out her father’s symptoms weren’t a sign of age-related decline, as she’d suspected. Instead, he was over-medicated, and it was taking a toll. “Finally, he was seen by a new doctor Read more →

Dear DG: It’s hard when we feel that we know what’s best for someone else and not be able to get them to do it, isn’t it? Yet, that’s the reality for many caregivers. Read more →

Dear CT: I’m so sorry for both of you. We all know that this is how life can work, yet that doesn’t make accepting reality any easier when these losses happen to us. Read more →

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 →

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 →