I recently interviewed my dear friend whose husband suffered from early-onset Alzheimer’s. While caring for her husband, she bravely navigated several difficult issues including gun safety, wandering, loneliness, and eventually finding the right facility to care for him. Helping family members through memory loss is incredibly difficult and can feel isolating. My hope is that Read more …
Can I Get Paid to Be a Family Caregiver?
Are you a caregiver for a family member? Is caregiving affecting your job attendance and/or performance? Sometimes our loved ones are very uncomfortable having strangers come into their home to care for them and will only accept help from someone they know. It usually starts at an hour or so a week, and the commitment Read more …
Did Mom Take Her Medicine? How to Encourage Medication Compliance in the Elderly.
Helen lived in an independent living apartment for seniors. She lived there alone after her husband passed away. Her children lived a few hours away but stayed in touch by phone and visited often. She had a medical condition that was managed very well with medication. Her children knew how important her medication regimen was Read more …
Fear of Falling: Why the Elderly Fall and How to Stop
When I assess the safety of an elderly loved one in their home, I always inquire about recent falls. If a person has had a fall, they are more likely to fall again. Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults. Sources Read more …
Home Alone: Your Aging Parents…When to Worry
My first home care client was a lovely elderly lady with memory loss that loved to cook. She ordered groceries from a local grocer, and cooked daily. She would leave food sitting on the counter top, or in her refrigerator for weeks at a time. She took food to her neighbors. Her son lived several Read more …
