In 1988, my maternal grandmother had a mastectomy. The surgery was performed in a major hospital located 65 miles from the nursing home in our home town in which she and my grandfather resided. While my mother sat at my grandmother’s…
Read more
To realize technology’s impact on elder care, I have to look no further than my own grandparents. My maternal grandparents became nursing home residents in the late 1980s. At age 97 and counting, my paternal grandmother still lives alone in…
Read more
More and more people are waking up every day and finding themselves faced with the dilemma of how to cut the costs of elder care. When my maternal grandfather had surgery to repair a pinched nerve in his neck, the…
Read more
Three of my grandparents have been nursing home residents, as well as several aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Sometimes there is no other option for adequate care and therapy. But I use the word “adequate” loosely, because I know that…
Read more
A friend of mine is an only child with three teenage boys, a husband, a developing small business… and aging parents. One day her dad telephoned “Can you come do something with your mother?” My friend explained to her dad…
Read more
I am not making this up. When my friend’s father passed away, someone walked up to him at the cemetery and said, “It’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.” I still can’t believe someone could…
Read more
March 28, 2014 Friends and Peers
“Sticks and stones may break my bones” – and words DO hurt! Proverbs 26:17-22 says “He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. As a mad…
Read more
Let’s face it… there are a lot of things about aging that are no fun, and issues with food and eating are high on the list. As we age, several changes in our diet and eating habits may occur. *…
Read more
My childhood friend – and next-door neighbor – had a first-hand experience with scam artists and her elderly father. He became involved in magazine sweepstakes. Max was convinced he was going to win a Cadillac and lots of cash. He…
Read more
Using the Internet and new technology to find the best resources for eldercare has truly revolutionized a daunting challenge and made it far more manageable. The best way to illustrate this is to compare and contrast the care of my…
Read more
Using the Internet and new technology to find the best resources for eldercare has truly revolutionized a daunting challenge and made it far more manageable. The best way to illustrate this is to compare and contrast the care of my…
Read more
January 19, 2014 Communication
As much as I know it’s a waste of breath, I try to tell my young nieces, nephews and friends, “You will be amazed what you can learn from listening to your elders.” When I was young, I thought I…
Read more
While we generally associate falls in the home with elderly persons, you don’t have to be a senior citizen to experience a tumble in your own home. And many of the tips that therapists provide to elderly persons for preventing…
Read more
Age is not a sole factor in determining when Home Health care is appropriate. My maternal grandparents received Home Health care in their late 70s. My grandfather’s eyesight and hearing had already deteriorated to the point that he was unable to…
Read more
As our population ages, more and more people are faced with the challenge of hiring a competent elder caregiver. With the need for caregivers for the elderly at an all-time high, more and more people are entering this profession. Sadly,…
Read more
One of the biggest challenges of dealing with and preventing elder abuse is getting the public to recognize the value of our elders in the first place. We have become largely a “throw-away society of everything from disposable containers to…
Read more
September 24, 2013 Communication
Your words CAN affect other people’s lives. And once you have spoken, there is no taking back those words. Have you ever had a tube of toothpaste or something else that comes in a tube, and the tip has gotten…
Read more