Older adults, even those who are healthy, have been enthusiastic about many of the services now offered that can make aging at home easier. For people with health issues or those who can no longer drive, these services may make the difference between aging at home and moving to a care facility. With some couples, one person may be the primary caregiver for the other, but often the caregiver has chronic health issues as well. With the help of these services, older adults can stay independent longer. Read more →

Middle-aged and worried about your memory slips? You probably don’t have dementia. The majority of the memory slips that concern this age group, and even those significantly older, are due to stress and other factors rather than impending dementia. However, researchers have now found that people who are suffering from memory loss but are unaware of their problem are most likely developing the disease. Read more →

This is the third in an ongoing series of informative Medicare posts courtesy of MedicareFAQ. Did you know that Plan F will go away for new enrollees in 2020 - and premiums skyrocket for those can stay on it? I didn't. I'd suggest reading this article closely before deciding which type of Medicare is right for your parents, your spouse, or you. You will then be able to make an educated decision. - Carol Read more →

Decades ago, when I began my caregiving life, I just did what I did. I’m not sure I was referred to as anything other than the daughter, the niece, or the mom, and I was too busy to care. However, as my elders became more dependent I began to hear myself, at least in medical settings, referred to as “the caretaker.” Somehow, that word made me grind my teeth. My loved ones were not a patch of land. They were not a house. They were not an object. Yet the term “caretaker” brought such images to mind. Read more →

Q.What is the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia?  A. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one type of dementia among many, though it is considered to be the most common type. Others include vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s dementia and normal pressure hydrocephalus. People can actually have more than one type of dementia. Read more →

Dear Carol: My dad died after years of living with a cancer diagnosis. My mom, my siblings, and I are all going through our separate grief processes. I spend a lot of time helping Mom, yet I, too, am grieving, which seems to be overlooked by Mom's friends. I can understand that even though it hurts. What’s most strange, though, is that while we are all irritated by different things that people trying to comfort us do, what we agree on is that people either can't or won't take time to listen to us voice our pain. Could you lay out some rules for helping people who are grieving? – MW Read more →

2019 starts a new enrollment period for Medicare Beneficiaries that are currently using Medicare Advantage plans, Open Enrollment Period. This new enrollment period is replacing the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment period that used to run from January 1st to February 14th annually. This new period will give additional freedom to Medicare Beneficiaries that are on Medicare Advantage plans. Read more →

Whether you’re caring for someone with dementia or visiting them from time to time you’ll want to do your best to make them feel good.   No one will ever hit the right note every time but knowledge helps. With that in mind, here are a few pitfalls that you can avoid in order to help make your time with a friend or loved one who has dementia less stressful. Read more →

Forgiveness, or the lack thereof, can loom large in the life of a caregiver. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting. That is rule number one for people to remember when they are working toward crafting better relationships with family members and others whom they care about. Forgiveness can have enormous benefits for the health of the person who does the forgiving. Considering that negative thinking can be disastrous to your own health, you may want to work toward the positive habit of forgiveness. Here are some people that you may need to forgive along with reasons why you should. Read more →

Studies show that many diseases affect ethnic groups differently, with a larger percentage of some groups than others expected to develop these diseases over time. Recently, the first-ever study to expand its research with dementia, particularly Alzheimer's, beyond the Black and Caucasian communities has published data that should make us all pay attention. Six ethnic and racial groups within the same geographic population were studied.  Read more →