Elder Care Articles

Family » Elder Care | By Pamela Dombrowski-Wilson @ Thursday, 12th July 2007 @ 5:06 PM

Anna drinks almost a bottle of vodka a day. She was recently hospitalized for dehydration due to a fall. She has lost ten pounds in the past two months. She lives alone with her dog as her main companion. There is little need to eat when she obtains her daily nutrition through liquid means. I became acquainted with Anna by a call from a family member after adult protective services became involved. There were previously four calls to 911 emergency services for falls most likely related to ... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Pamela Dombrowski-Wilson @ Tuesday, 10th July 2007 @ 1:39 PM

Your parents are getting older. You see things slipping. The house is not as clean as it once was, your mother is increasingly forgetful, your father has lost weight, and you are concerned about their safety when they drive. So as a responsible child you bring up the subject. How do your parents react? They are angry. They feel like you are trying to tell them what to do. Maybe they feel like you want to move them out of their home and place them in a retirement facility. Sometimes... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Nick Johnson @ Sunday, 3rd June 2007 @ 4:32 PM

When our oldest relatives start to pass beyond their golden years and into a time when they need extensive care, sometimes the kindest thing that we think we can do for them is to put them in a situation where they will be cared for by a staff of professional nurses at all times. In some cases, however, this well intentioned act takes a deadly turn as nursing homes neglect and sometimes outright abuse patients. Elder abuse and nursing home abuse are not isolated or rare phenomena. Lik... more...

Family » Elder Care | By James Yee @ Tuesday, 22nd May 2007 @ 6:52 AM

Here are five things you must do to ensure that you and your parents will have a great vacation. 1. Ensure that the itinerary is not too fast paced. Old folks tend to get tired easily and thus it is not advisable to include activities that are too strenuous. It is also not advisable to pack too many activities in the itinerary such that you and your parents have to rush from one place to another. 2. Ensure that everyone has ample sleep Plan to have at least six to ei... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Jeffrey Voudrie @ Wednesday, 9th May 2007 @ 11:34 AM

Recent legislation in Congress may make it even more difficult for seniors to qualify for government-paid long-term care coverage. If you don't take action now, you may be setting you and your family up for a Long Term Nightmare! This problem is so potentially damaging, yet so little understood, I've decided to dedicate multiple articles to covering it. In this article, I'll expose the problem. Seniors know the potential cost of long-term care could devastate them fi... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Stephen Chua @ Wednesday, 9th May 2007 @ 10:01 AM

Retirement community apartments for senior citizen is a very good option for many people who has already retired and want to enjoy life in their golden years. This is a good alternative for them to retain their independence while relieving the burden of caring for themselves. In this community that is cater to the seniors, many of the everyday household tasks are taken care of. This includes laundry, linen service, group meals, local transportation, planned social and cultural activities,... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Tatyana Turner @ Wednesday, 25th April 2007 @ 4:55 PM

Is it difficult for you to climb up the stairs? And every time you have to go down you are afraid to fall? Then you have to choices - to move downstairs or to install a home stairlift. Domestic stair lifts has their own advantages and disadvantages - find out if a stairlift will be right for your home. Moving to the ground floor might be the first thing that comes to mind, but it is not as simple as it sounds. You will have to do major renovations in the house, modifying one of the existi... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Lisa Copen @ Tuesday, 27th February 2007 @ 11:03 AM

Most of us have had the opportunity to go and visit a friend with an illness or injury in the hospital. It can be a pleasant experience as they welcome you with a smile, or they may cry as you offer prayer and comfort. But oftentimes we wish we had the training of a hospital chaplain so it wouldn't be so be awkward. For those members in your church, all of these situations can be frightening. Despite the fact that yesterday you were easily conversing as you hit golf balls together, t... more...

Family » Elder Care | By James Yee @ Monday, 26th February 2007 @ 10:01 AM

Here are five things you must do to ensure that you and your parents will have a great vacation. 1. Ensure that the itinerary is not too fast paced. Old folks tend to get tired easily and thus it is not advisable to include activities that are too strenuous. It is also not advisable to pack too many activities in the itinerary such that you and your parents have to rush from one place to another. 2. Ensure that everyone has ample sleep Plan to have at least six to ei... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Ken Snow @ Thursday, 22nd February 2007 @ 7:47 PM

When we select a workout program and try to follow it religiously we tend to ignore the finer points and the import of the workout regimen in its totality. Most people concentrate on losing weight, some try to build muscles, and some would exercise simply to remain fit. What is ignored is that any exercise regime will not be completely beneficial unless it is followed in a manner to derive maximum benefit. Strenuous exercise by itself does not give optimum results. Any exercise procedure ... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Ken Snow @ Thursday, 22nd February 2007 @ 5:43 PM

Death is inevitable and he who is born must one day leave for heavenly abode. Most of us avoid talking about death and funerals but the fact is that there are funeral costs to be borne and in the event one has not provided for it, the family has to undertake the expense. Funeral costs are not only a matter of affordability but of timing as well. Death, unless it comes after a terminal illness that every one is aware of, comes unannounced and sometimes at difficult times. The family may not be i... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Jan Hayner @ Monday, 12th February 2007 @ 11:02 PM

Sometimes it isn't presents like clothes, home furnishings or appliances that mean the most to the elderly. At this time of their lives they are trying to get rid of those kinds of things. What is most important for them now are the gifts to help them live life to the fullest and be able to save money too. They have spent all of your lives raising children, working to feed everybody, buy a home, buy clothes to dress everyone, made all of their own financial decisions and hav... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Sam Smith @ Tuesday, 23rd January 2007 @ 2:01 PM

One of the most dreaded diseases in old age is Alzheimer disease. Although unlike cancer and heart problem, this is actually not fatal. In fact, people with Alzheimer can live for a long time with proper care. That is actually the problem most of the time. With Alzheimer disease, the patient need to be taken cared of all the time. This is because the memory loss will often render the patient incapable of thinking and reasoning. Some will even forget how to do the simplest of tasks, like ... more...

Family » Elder Care | By John Pawlett @ Friday, 12th January 2007 @ 11:09 AM

The financial security umbrella that most wage earners would like to shelter under after retirement is now leaking very badly indeed! Money savvy experts block up news channels and advertisement spaces with offers of transforming the average citizen into a healthy, wealthy and wise investor; advocates of 'parting with your money' do house calls alongside those selling vacuum cleaners and the sole 'wanted' letter fights for attention in the mail box amongst the hundreds of onc... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Jimmy Cox @ Wednesday, 3rd January 2007 @ 4:23 PM

The Sixty Year Old Personality Benjamin Franklin once said that all would live long, but none would be old. What should we actually expect of ourselves after sixty years? Must we eventually become senile and mentally old, or can we have a long life and still remain alert and bright with opinions others respect? The answer is simple. Age itself creates very few mental problems; it simply makes us more transparent and reveals the way we have actually been all of our lives. Thus, cranky and... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Johnny Jenkins @ Tuesday, 2nd January 2007 @ 6:58 PM

Amberly is a career woman with aging parents. Her parents require assistance to daily life routines. Amberly is not able to continue her career and look after her parents, as she would like. She had no other relatives in the area. After careful consideration, she decided to hire someone to assist her parents while she worked. She performed a detailed search. She also conducted what she thought was an extensive background check on all the candidates. The were many prospects with various ba... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Pamela Dombrowski-Wilson @ Tuesday, 12th December 2006 @ 10:03 AM

As we move through life at ages 50, 60, 70 and beyond, we notice subtle changes in our abilities. The changes may seem small at first glance. However, subtle changes quickly become difficult to reverse if ignored. We become less active; what used to be an easy trip up a flight of steps now leaves us breathless with aching knees. Trimming our toenails and putting on shoes and socks is a struggle. The organizational skills and sharp memory we once had have gone by the wayside. Sometim... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Pamela Dombrowski-Wilson @ Monday, 11th December 2006 @ 1:23 PM

Ever wanted to find similar minded individuals or some support related to the care and aging of your parents or even yourself but don't have the time to seek them out? Or have you taken the time to go to a group and have everyone else speak, feeling like you were left out? On line support groups are an easy way to gain support without leaving home; and you can't be left out if you can type. Support groups are a vehicle to meet others in similar situations, to discuss feelings ... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Pamela Dombrowski-Wilson @ Friday, 8th December 2006 @ 5:45 PM

I recently received calls from a daughter caring for her mother and a man with no family in his nineties. Both older persons were in nursing homes and wanted to go home, but did not know how. Did you ever imagine getting to a place in your life where you did not know how to go home? This brings back memories of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz wanting to go home, but not realizing she had the power to do so simply by clicking the heels of her ruby slippers. Both individuals are relatively... more...

Family » Elder Care | By Pamela Dombrowski-Wilson @ Friday, 8th December 2006 @ 5:45 PM

Most parents do not want to burden their children when it comes to care in their later years, other parents expect their children to care for them. The best way to balance these expectations is to discuss options for long term care long before the care is needed and to make financial plans now to cover needed expenses. For example, parents can live in the home of the children or vice versa. What modifications would need to occur to make this necessary? Adding a separate apartment with a... more...