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  • Making End of Life Decisions for Others

    August 18, 2023

    It is of course difficult to make healthcare decisions for ourselves, especially when it comes to planning on what to do as we begin to wind down and approach the great unknown. But some of us are tasked with making those decisions for the people we care about, when they are for whatever reason unable to do it on their own behalf. Even if your loved one sorted out their advance care planning beforehand, it is likely that it will not cover all possible medical treatments and options. So how can you best advocate for those you care about when they cannot do it for themselves?

  • Safe Lifting for Caregivers

    August 15, 2023

    When a loved one falls or has trouble rising from bed or a chair, we will of course want to help them. One of the essential talents of a caregiver is to safely move a loved one from surface to another. There are numerous types of transfers, with varying degrees of difficulty depending on aptitude and circumstances.

  • Heart Healthy Travel Tips

    August 12, 2023

    With the Summer season in full swing, many of us are making travel plans to get away for a while, either for leisure or to spend time visiting with family and friends. This is a good thing, getaways are important for our physical and our mental health. And traveling offers the change to create lasting memories and create meaningful connections with the people around us. But if you, or one of your loved ones traveling with you, has a current heart condition or a history of heart problems, you may find yourself wondering just what is safe when it comes to journeys by planes, trains, and automobiles. It’s important to be well prepared and informed to ensure a safe journey for everyone involved. Here are some important things to keep in mind as you create your plans for summer travel.

  • What to Know About Cataract Surgery Complications

    August 11, 2023

    Cataract surgery is a common procedure and generally safe, but like any surgery, there's the potential for complications. Let's briefly discuss what those are and how to handle them.

  • Dementia: More Than Memory Loss

    August 8, 2023

    In television and movies, the portrayal of dementia has long been fairly stereotypical. The scene is usually an elderly woman, usually in a nightgown in the middle of the evening, wandering around outside of the home. She will appear lost and distracted, and be unable to recognize her own children when they find her and want to bring her to safety, and may even resist them stubbornly or aggressively.

  • The Effects of High Temperatures on Medications

    August 7, 2023

    As summertime settles in, it’s crucial to understand how the hot weather could affect the medications commonly used by your senior loved one.

  • Helping Friends With Loss

    August 4, 2023

    The experience of loving someone deeply and profoundly, only to one day have to suffer through the loss of them, is something that everyone under the sun is likely to experience at one point or another throughout life. After all, death is the one thing that all of us are certain to go through someday.

  • Benefits of Early Dementia Diagnosis

    August 1, 2023

    More than 5 million people in the United States are living with a diagnosis of dementia. Globally, it is the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases according to the World Health Organization. Societal costs of dementia are estimated at $605 billion per year, and as the population gets older overall, the number of people with dementia is only expected to increase, with estimates of over 7 million Americans living with dementia by 2025, and over 15 million by 2050.

  • Working After Retirement

    July 21, 2023

    Many people tend to view retiring as though they’re looking at a spreadsheet of finances. They do the math equation of how much money do you have, when do you want to retire, and how much money you’ll need for that, and the answer is to save as much as you need each year to have that amount when you get to the projected retirement age. And then once that question is answered, the goal is ultimately to simply never work again, forever.

  • Caring for a Hoarder

    July 18, 2023

    Many of us have a collection in one form or another. Perhaps we buy snow globes or refrigerator magnets as souvenirs whenever we go on a trip. Maybe you collect jewelry or other items from a specific time period. You might have binders filled with years of baseball cards, or boxes with bagged and boarded comic books. But while compulsive hoarding may seem similar at first blush, it is a different animal than simply having a collection or two that have gotten out of control.

  • Managing Arthritis

    July 14, 2023

    Arthritis is a painful and debilitating condition that happens to be common among older adults. It has been estimated that at least 92.1 million adults currently living in the United States have either an official diagnosis of arthritis from their healthcare provider, or they report having joint pain and other symptoms that are consistent with a diagnosis of arthritis. While the chronic pain that is associated with arthritis would be a troubling enough issue on its own, arthritis also has a very profound and detrimental effect on the quality of life for those who suffer from it, especially older adults.

  • Create Memories With a Pen

    July 11, 2023

    It seems that these days, just about everyone has a smartphone in their pocket, which means everyone just about everywhere has a camera on them wherever they go. It’s no wonder that it has become second nature for most people to whip out their phone the moment they see something interesting so they can take a picture or video. But a number of experts have said that relying on our devices to do all the remembering might result in us returning from vacation with actually fewer memories of the sights we saw.

  • Tips for Helping Seniors Sleep Better During Hot Weather

    July 10, 2023

    Hot weather can lead to a multitude of sleep disturbances for senior adults, from body temperature regulation changes to increased dehydration risks and other discomforts. Thankfully, there are ways to navigate these hurdles and ensure your senior loved one can sleep soundly through the warmer months.

  • Meditation for Seniors

    July 7, 2023

    Meditation was earliest depicted on paintings on cave walls that were done between 3500 and 5000 years ago in the Indus Valley located in the Middle East. All throughout history, most major world religions have included some form of meditation in their spiritual practices. Today, various forms of meditation have become a common component of recommendations in western wellness programs.

  • Common Summer Safety Hazards for Seniors

    July 6, 2023

    For your senior loved one, warmer days bring particular safety hazards that demand your attention. As family caretakers, it becomes your responsibility to ensure their summer days are not only enjoyable but also safe.

  • Self-Care for Caregivers

    July 4, 2023

    According to the CDC, roughly one out of every four adults acts as some form of caregiver to someone with a long term illness or disability, in an unpaid or informal capacity. It is projected that by the year 2030, there will be about 71 million adults in the United States aged 65 or older, which means that the need for caregivers can only increase from here.

  • Seniors and Dehydration

    June 30, 2023

    As the summer approaches, much of the country has been suffering under blistering heat. Record temperatures, heat waves that last for weeks on end, and more have been a reality for much of the population. High temperatures are especially dangerous for older adults, and dehydration is one of the biggest factors in experiencing heat related illness.

  • Heart Health for Couples

    June 26, 2023

    As we age, heart health is a crucial aspect of our overall well-being. Taking good care of our hearts can prevent a wide range of health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, and heart attacks. Research shows that 80% of married couples share heart disease and risk factors. While this may sound grim, it also means that you and your partner can help each other to be more mindful of your heart health.

  • Loss of Smell in Older Adults

    June 23, 2023

    While all of us are no doubt familiar with the loss of smell being one of the temporary symptoms of the COVID-19 virus, the inability to smell can also be caused by many other things. Allergies, congestion, and other causes can interfere with the sense of smell in people. Historically, clinicians haven’t taken the loss of the sense of smell very seriously, but they should. Suffering from a loss of the ability to smell can cause wide ranging impairments to a person’s quality of life. Negative emotional impact, feelings of isolation and loneliness, negative effects to relationships and daily functioning, and impacts on physical health.

  • Protecting Your Bones

    June 20, 2023

    Osteoporosis is a silent disease that impacts the bones, making them weaker over time and raising the likelihood of fractures. In the United States, around 50 million people over the age of 50 have low bone mass, and many of them won’t know it until they break a bone. Many people are under the mistaken assumption that fragile bones are simply a natural part of aging, but the fact is getting older doesn’t mean having to live with weak bones. But the good news is that it’s never too late to strengthen and protect your bones.

  • Is It Safe Exercising with Arthritis?

    June 16, 2023

    Arthritis refers to the general umbrella term for a group of over 100 different conditions that all have the common factor of affecting the joints in our bones and/or the tissues around the joints. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, followed up by rheumatoid arthritis and gout. There are a number of factors that combine to result in arthritis, genetic factors, lifestyle, and environment. And while people of any age can have arthritis, one of the top risk factors is age.

  • Reduce Stress by Resolving Guilt

    June 13, 2023

    Everyone has heard the adage that couples shouldn’t go to bed angry. What you may not know is that this advice can apply to your other relationships as well. Research done by Oregon State University found that the emotional response after any unresolved argument can be stressful.

  • World Music Day: 6 Musical Activities for Senior Relatives

    June 10, 2023

    Music has the ability to lift spirits, evoke memories, and even help maintain cognitive health. In honor of World Music Day, we've compiled a list of engaging musical activities that family members and caregivers can enjoy with their senior loved ones.

  • Indulgent Treats for the Heart

    June 9, 2023

    With heart disease being the number one killer in the United States, many of us are thinking about ways that we can all take good care of our hearts. Maybe we make a resolution to get more exercise, lower our stress levels, and control our blood pressure, making sure to keep it within recommended levels. For most people, the first step is to examine our eating habits, and look at all the ways we can switch to a healthier diet. Many of us may do this and then experience the disappointment of learning we have to give up some of our “guilty favorites” when we create our meal plans for the week.