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Featured Articles
You'll always find all our featured articles here. We generally post new articles several times each week. We feature them here so you can find all the new articles in one place. Click on any headline below to find the full article. And be sure to click the 'view more articles' link at the bottom of the page to read other articles you may have missed.
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Home Caregiver Training
Although 78% of the people questioned in a recent survey believed that their caregivers had received a recognized level of training, in fact there is no such thing. Caregivers who call themselves "aides" may or may not have received any formal training. . . . keep reading
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Home Care: An Overview
Just to add a little more confusion to the whole elder care arena, Home Care doesn't always equal Home Care. There's "Home Care," and then there's "Home Health Care." What a difference one little word can make when you're trying to set up care at home for a senior. . . . keep reading
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Senior Bathroom Safety Under $10
More slips, falls and other accidents happen in the bathroom than in any other room of the house. It's no different for seniors. Unfortunately, seniors don't have the sturdy bones, quick healing capabilities or the general resiliency of younger people. An accident in the bathroom can have serious consequences. While you can't ever totally guarantee against senior bathroom accidents, there are quite a few things you can do for free or under $10 to make the bathroom safer for a senior (and everyone else, too). . . . keep reading
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When Getting The Mail Is Dangerous - Or Downright Impossible
Through rain, shine, snow, sleet, gloom of night...despite the popularity of complaints about the USPS your mail is almost always delivered exactly where it's supposed to be every day but Sunday. Yet that still leaves some of us with a problem because we don't want our frail elders trying to walk out to a mailbox on the street or down the road in the rain, sleet, gloom, etc. For some, a trip to the mailbox might as well be a jaunt up Mount Everest. . . . keep reading
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Informal Senior Activities
Most activity suggestion lists are targeted toward adults with dementia who live in group care. Pass the ball, name that tune, and sing-alongs do work to some degree in these environments. Talk to many of the residents, however, and you'll hear from the more alert that these activities are demeaning, degrading and juvenile. Many would give their eye teeth for something mentally challenging and novel to do. . . . keep reading
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Like Oil & Water, Juice & Pills Don't Mix Well
Grapefruit is the best known, but there are many, many fruits that can interact badly with some medications. Not every person will have a poor result, and not every medication will be affected by every fruit juice. The problem is knowing which one will . . . and which one won't . . . in your elder's particular situation. Here's what we know about medications and fruit juices at present . . . keep reading
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How the Nursing Home Admission Process Works
When our loved one is at home and it becomes obvious that professional care in a nursing home is the best long term option, we don't have the advantage of a hospital social worker or discharge planner to set things in motion. There are many available articles and checklists about how to choose a nursing home, including right here on on this site. There is very little information available about the actual process of having a loved one assessed and admitted to a nursing home after the selection has been made. . . . keep reading
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Holiday Tension Diffuser
When family members gather for a holiday celebration it's an ideal time to gather some of the more obscure and fascinating information about our elders that never appears on a family tree. Getting an oral history started is also a great way to cool down conversations that may be getting heated and to give a senior some positive attention that doesn't focus on health, disabilities and doctor visits. . . . keep reading
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Air Travel With The Elderly
There are several little things you can do to make traveling with an elderly person easier, especially during crowded holiday travel periods. These don't require notes from a doctor or any additional documentation at all, but you might want to set things in motion before you leave for the airport . . . keep reading
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Holiday Rules
This is the season when the food police come out with their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to get through the holidays without gaining 10 pounds. Magazines are full of holiday eating do's and don'ts. 'Eliminate second helpings, high-calorie sauces and cookies made with butter,' they say. Fill up on vegetable sticks. Good grief. Is your favorite childhood memory of Christmas a carrot stick? A carrot was something you left for Rudolph. . . . keep reading
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The Elderly Alcoholic
You can't legally force anyone with a drinking problem to accept treatment for alcohol abuse unless there has been a medical emergency that limits access to alcohol, or unless a court has ordered mandatory treatment. But there are several things you can do that will often result in an elderly alcoholic eventually accepting help and treatment . . . keep reading
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Diabetes and Dehydration
Especially in the warmer months when heat increases the need for fluid, it is very easy for a diabetic to become dehydrated and experience a rise in the amount of sugar in the blood. Older diabetics can be even more susceptible to dangerous dehydration than younger people with diabetes . . . keep reading
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The Trauma of Moving to Dementia Care
My mom is in total denial of her dementia/alzheimers. She now needs to go into assisted living. How on earth do I minimize the trauma of going? We have visited the location, actually gotten on their bus and gone with the group to a brunch outing. While in the facility (assisted living) she looked at me, said "Do these people live here?" I said "Yes" then she replied "Im not going to" . . . keep reading
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Medicare Covers Diabetic Supplies - But It's Not Automatic
Several years back when Charlie Adams was first diagnosed with Diabetes, he learned to use special equipment and suplies to regularly test his blood sugar. As the cost of living has increased, and Charlie's pension has stayed more or less the same, the supplies necessary for living well with diabetes are beginning to cost him more per month than he can now afford. Recently Charlie cut back to testing his blood just twice a day instead of the four times his doctor wants him to check . . . keep reading
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Hearing Aid Basics
More than 21 million Americans suffer from some degree of hearing impairment. If your elder is one of them you know the frustration, anxiety and even dangerous errors that can stem from not hearing well. Hearing aids often make a big, positive difference in the lives of people who don't hear well. While they won't resolve all hearing problems, and they aren't appropriate for everyone, they do improve the quality of life for millions of users . . . keep reading
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When is Medicare Not Medicare?
My father has (Big Name Insurance Company) Medicare. I was just informed by the therapist where he is receiving physical therapy after an accident that Big Name Insurance Company Medicare will not cover his stay past the end of this week, even though he is not ready to come home. The therapist said if he had regular Medicare he would still be covered . . . keep reading
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Alzheimers Disease
