Dementia confusion, a common occurrence in Alzheimer’s, can result in recent memories being forgotten or distorted, while those from the more remote past often stay intact. This may cause prior times to make more sense to an older adult with dementia than the present. A person’s alternate reality could be his or her way of making sense of the present…
Let’s be honest: providing care for a senior loved one, in spite of its many rewards, can be stressful. Trying to meet the ongoing, 24/7 needs of another while managing the intricacies of your own life (career, family, home, volunteering, pets, just to name a few) takes more energy and patience than most of us possess. And yet, in tandem…
Acting as the primary caregiver to a seriously ill or aging family member may seem like the only choice you have. You may have chosen this direction for financial, personal, religious, or even moral reasons. Regardless of your reasons, it is inevitable that you will face challenges. Fortunately, there are ways to help prevent or alleviate their impact on you…
Hearing that your senior loved one will be returning home from the hospital, even after a short stay, is welcome news. However, you may have two conflicting emotions, thrilled they are coming home and stressed over how you’ll get everything in order without turning your life upside down! Plus, you’ll likely have plenty of other questions: How many doctors need to…
It’s all too easy to look at your senior loved one through your own eyes and have things colored by your own experiences and preferences. It’s natural to think of their problems, as well as the possible solutions, from the standpoint of what would work for you, or what you think they would want. You may even prioritize a doctors’…
Everyone wants to do their very best when providing or choosing elderly care their senior loved one. There can be so many pressures from all sides (family, friends, employers, personal finances, etc.), and your time is both limited and usually filled with raw emotions. It’s easy to make choices which may seem good at first, but are later regretted. There are many factors to consider. Here are some important points to…
When a person has had an injury, serious illness, or minor stroke, rehabilitation exercises can be hard–mentally and physically. Exercise can be boring for anyone, but especially tedious when the smallest movements are difficult or painful. Too often the effort reminds you of what you can not do, and with that there is the attending anxiety of wondering if you will ever be able to do it again. Seniors have lived…
How important is a strict diet for seniors? For some people a strict diet can feel too confining and just thinking about dietary rules can even make them crave what they “cannot” have. For other people, it can be a relief to know what they will be consuming and when, that they will always like. And their digestive system and…