Archive for November 2023
Caring For a Loved One With Dementia
Caring For a Loved One With Dementia Caring for someone with dementia can be extremely mentally and emotionally taxing. It involves trying to make sense of what seems nonsensical, and often responding in ways that seem counterintuitive to everything you understand. Yet with these skills and strategies you will feel well-informed and capable in your…
Read MoreHeart Health for Seniors
Heart health is an important consideration for all humans, but especially older adults who experience myriad changes to the heart as they age. These changes have significant implications for an individual’s health and include muscle stiffness as well as a buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries that result in elevated blood pressure and can…
Read MoreAvoiding Burnout as a Caregiver
Avoiding Burnout as a Caregiver Caring for a loved one who is experiencing difficulties performing their regular daily tasks can be a stressful situation for anyone. Whether it’s caring for an aging parent or an adult child with a disability, being a caregiver is never easy, but we do what we can to help those…
Read MoreCaregiving Exacts a Heavy Toll on Marriage and Career
Caregiving Exacts Heavy Toll on Marriage and Career A new survey finds about one-third of all caregivers who work outside the home and/or are married report their marriage and jobs are suffering because of their caregiving load. The national survey of family caregivers by SeniorBridge Family, a provider of home-based eldercare services, placed the average…
Read MoreCaregiver “Medicine” Comes in a Belly Laugh
Caregiver ‘Medicine’ Comes in a Belly Laugh The overwhelming demands of caregiving frequently exhaust the caregiver physically, mentally, and spiritually. Often, you get so caught up in ministering to another, you forget to eat, sleep, exercise — and laugh. Yes, laugh! “How can I laugh at a time like this,” many ask. “Is it okay?”…
Read MoreSafely Getting Rid of Old Meds
Safely Getting Rid of Old Meds: Here’s How to Do It What do you do with outdated medications, particularly those that are most potent and potentially dangerous? The Food and Drug Administration has come up with an answer by launching a section for consumers on its website with exactly that information. In the case of high-potency opioids…
Read MoreOversleeping and Afternoon Naps Hike Alzheimer’s Risk
Over-Sleeping and Afternoon Naps Hike Alzheimer’s Risk Rip Van Winkle and other classic sleepers like him might be perfect candidates to develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research indicating that people who sleep more than eight hours a night or take afternoon naps are at a higher risk of Alzheimer’s. In fact, over-sleeping nearly doubles…
Read MoreFamily Caregivers of Stroke Patients Get Little Information and Support
Family Caregivers of Stroke Patients Get Little Information, Support Stroke and brain injury patients living at home receive the bulk of their care from family members, but these caregivers get little preparation, information or support from health care professionals and home health agencies, according to a new study. Home services are often terminated with little…
Read MoreVery Different Kind of Policing Helps Keep Alzheimer’s Patients Safe
Law Enforcement’s Newest Beat — Our Elderly A Very Different Kind of Policing Helps Keep Alzheimer’s Patients Safe When a Washington, D.C., police officer pulled over an 82-year-old man who was driving erratically, the officer found a coherent, angry driver who challenged him to either arrest him or leave him alone. The police officer decided…
Read MoreBaby Talk Infuriates Alzheimer’s Patients
Baby Talk Infuriates Alzheimer’s Patients; They Still Absorb It The tendency of caregivers and others to use “baby talk” when speaking with Alzheimer’s patients is irritating to these individuals, who recognize the demeaning way they’re being spoken to and do not like being patronized or treated like children, researchers say. Such baby talk – or…
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