The statistics are staggering. About 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 each day and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that more than 70 percent of people over 65 will require long-term care services at some point. But few people make preparations for this inevitable part of life that can drain a family… Continue reading Long-Term Care: Are You a Denier?
Category: Caregiving
Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities
Disasters are frightening for everyone and are even more so for people with disabilities and access needs. Here, the experts at www.ready.gov tell you how you can prepare ahead for worst-case scenarios so you and your loved ones can be prepared. Collect and distribute information that is crucial during a disaster The experts recommend that… Continue reading Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities
Get Smart About Elder Financial Abuse
Billions of dollars in life savings are lost each year due to the financial exploitation of older adults. Perpetrators include scammers, professional caregivers, unethical businesses and family members. No federal agency tracks elder exploitation cases on an ongoing basis, but in a survey compiled by the Investor Protection Trust, 20 percent of Americans age 65… Continue reading Get Smart About Elder Financial Abuse
Caregiving Strategies for Traveling with Alzheimer’s Patients
Taking a person with Alzheimer’s disease on an overnight trip is a challenge. Traveling can make the person more worried and confused, so it’s important to think ahead. Here are some tips from the experts at the National Institute on Aging: Getting Started Talk with the person’s doctor about medicines to calm someone who gets… Continue reading Caregiving Strategies for Traveling with Alzheimer’s Patients
Better Communication Needed on End-of-Life Directives
Increasing numbers of people have advanced care planning, but a survey found that almost 40 percent of them didn’t discuss their preferences with the people they designated as their representatives. A study led by Johns Hopkins researchers reviewed nearly 2,000 surveys with people whose loved ones died of cancer. They found a 40 percent increase… Continue reading Better Communication Needed on End-of-Life Directives
Some Surprising Truths About Caregivers
Although the “sandwich generation” is usually believed to include many caregivers, in fact they make up a very small part of the caregiving population, according to a new study. The research, published in Population and Development Review, is believed to be the first to break down unpaid caregiving in the United States by age and… Continue reading Some Surprising Truths About Caregivers
Are Your Long-Term Care Needs Covered?
There’s a tendency to give a silent cheer any time the average life expectancy grows a little longer. But long life also has its downsides. “Not everyone will spend all of their retirement years being active and doing all the fun things they planned,” says Mark Cardoza, author of the book “Positioning 4 Retirement” (www.positioning4retirement.com).… Continue reading Are Your Long-Term Care Needs Covered?
Food Safety Tips for Spring and Summer Festivities
A breath of fresh air, fuller trees and fresh blossoms can mean only one thing – It’s springtime! A few safety tips will help ensure your spring and summer festivities are enjoyable. Cooking outdoors needs special precautions. Take out raw meat and other cooked items only when needed. Bacteria are always on a lookout for… Continue reading Food Safety Tips for Spring and Summer Festivities
Choosing the Right Adaptive Vehicle
Having freedom and your independence is critical to maintaining a healthy attitude toward life. The ability to drive is usually at the top of the list when it comes to overcoming mobility challenges. There are multiple options for adaptive vehicle equipment on the market. Selecting the appropriate features and modifications can be a tough task… Continue reading Choosing the Right Adaptive Vehicle
Dealing with Family Stress When Caring for an Elderly Parent
It’s a time in life that no one looks forward to, but is often times inevitable: caring for an ill and aging parent. On top of the obvious physical and emotional rollercoaster, many families often disagree on what the best course of care is. Families that have been extremely close for years can all of… Continue reading Dealing with Family Stress When Caring for an Elderly Parent
Dying Patients Don’t Always Want a Longer Life
When it comes to end-of-life choices, patients with advanced cancer valued avoiding severe pain or dying at home over extending their life by one year or receiving high-quality health care, research has shown. Investigators from the Lien Centre for Palliative Care (LCPC) and collaborators from the National Cancer Centre Singapore, published their finding in the… Continue reading Dying Patients Don’t Always Want a Longer Life
What You Need to Know When Hiring a Home Healthcare Worker
It happened in Detroit, Salt Lake City, Sarasota, Denver and many other places just this year: home healthcare workers stealing from the people they are supposed to be caring for. Sadly, it’s likely to happen again as the need for in-home care will continue to grow when the aging of America crests in 2030. Kurt Kazanowski,… Continue reading What You Need to Know When Hiring a Home Healthcare Worker
Solving the Problem of “Sundowning”: Tips for Caregivers
Editor’s note: Sundowning, the time of day when Alzheimer’s symptoms worsen, is often frustrating and debilitating for a caregiver as well as a patient. Here, from the National Institute on Aging, is a guide that offers strategies on how to cope: Late afternoon and early evening can be difficult for some people with Alzheimer’s disease.… Continue reading Solving the Problem of “Sundowning”: Tips for Caregivers
How to Ward Off Compassion Fatigue
A willingness to see the needs of others and lend a helping hand can boost a person’s everyday happiness and make life more satisfying. But sometimes the world’s problems can seem so overwhelming – and each person’s ability to solve them so limited – that “compassion fatigue” sets in. Compassion fatigue is a phenomenon commonly… Continue reading How to Ward Off Compassion Fatigue
Needed: Better Communication with Older Parents
Better processes are needed to help improve communication between elderly parents and adult children, researchers say. Such communication is often prompted by parents insisting on what they want or resisting suggestions – in other words, by stubbornness. Steven Zarit, Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State, said the struggle for independence takes… Continue reading Needed: Better Communication with Older Parents
Taking the Right Precautions for a Family Member with Alzheimer’s
More than 15 million Americans – usually family members or friends – provide unpaid caregiving to people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, according to a 2014 report by the Alzheimer’s Association. Although it’s wonderful so many are willing to assume that responsibility, it’s also important they take steps to make sure the… Continue reading Taking the Right Precautions for a Family Member with Alzheimer’s
Hospitals Seldom Share Info on Quality of Home Care Providers
When patients are discharged from hospitals, case manager rarely share full information about home health agencies, even though state and federal quality reports are readily available. That’s the finding of a Brown University study published in January 2015 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. A release from the university written by David Orenstein quotes… Continue reading Hospitals Seldom Share Info on Quality of Home Care Providers
Long-Distance Caregiving: What You Need to Know
Anyone, anywhere, can be a long-distance caregiver, no matter your gender, income, age, social status, or employment. If you are living an hour or more away from a person who needs your help, you’re probably a long-distance caregiver. Long-distance caregivers take on different roles. You may: Help with finances, money management, or bill paying Arrange… Continue reading Long-Distance Caregiving: What You Need to Know