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Symptoms
Symptoms are noticeable changes that usually indicate something about how a person's body is functioning. We tend to use the word as a negative, although one could say that a smile might be a "symptom" that someone is feeling better.
While this is not a medical publication, and we do not give medical advice, this department is devoted to the symptoms that many people inquire about and that everyone should recognize.
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Watch For Cellulitis: It's More Than Just a Rash
Cellulitis, a potentially very serious skin infection that frequently plagues older individuals, is something that we all need to watch for. Because the bacteria that cause it are everywhere, and it can spread rapidly into the bloodstream if not vigorously treated, cellulitis can even be life-threatening if not caught and treated promptly . . . keep reading
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Cold or Flu: When to Call The Doctor
Because it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between a cold and the flu, here are some warning signs to watch for, courtesy of the Centers For Disease Control (CDC). If someone with bad cold or flu-like symptoms develops any of these signs, it's time to get medical advice right away . . . keep reading
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Chemo, Nausea and Nutrition
Weight and fluid loss are our enemies when we care for someone with cancer. Our impulse is to focus much of our energy on food: preparing nutritious meals, offering food frequently, and bulking up our menus with rich and tempting offerings. Often this will backfire for someone experiencing nausea . . . keep reading
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Constipation, A Big Problem For Some Seniors
You can't watch television for more than 5 minutes these days without hearing a commercial for something to cure your "irregularity." No wonder our elderlies are fixated on the issue. As a group they watch more television than anyone. As a group the ones we care for also have more time to think about their aches and pains, too, which doesn't help . . . keep reading
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Combative Dementia
What can you do when someone with dementia becomes dangerously aggressive and combative? Home workers aren't trained to manage aggression, and care facilities will refuse to expose their other residents and their caregivers to potential danger . . . keep reading
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Words Can Be a Dementia Warning
Contrary to what you may have heard, the first signs of early dementia may not be leaving the car keys in the refrigerator or getting lost on the way to the hairdresser. Some people show much more subtle early signs in their speech and language . . . keep reading
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Joint Pain and the Weather: Real or Old Wive's Tale?
"There's a storm coming, I can feel it in my left knee." We've heard the older folks say it time and again, but is this just another hypochondriac's way to get attention, or is it true that your joints can sometimes predict a change in the weather? . . . keep reading
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The Thermostat Wars
Even in February Celia Broderick's caregiver works at Celia's home in a t-shirt and shorts. Soaked with perspiration when she finishes her shift, she says she would quit if she didn't care so much for Celia. Celia, on the other hand, complains constantly that she is cold. Why are so many of our seniors always cold, and why do they prefer to live in a sauna? . . . keep reading
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TIA: Should You Avoid The Doctor's Office?
A TIA (transcient ischemic attack) is in essence a "mini stroke" that briefly interrupts the blood flow to the brain. Symptoms usually happen suddenly and they often disappear within an hour, although some TIA symptoms can last 24 hours or longer. Because TIAs are by definition "come and go," should you make an appointment to see your doctor? . . . keep reading
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The Puzzle of Disturbing Behavior Changes
Your elder is acting strangely. He's hoarding the strangest things, or he's verbally aggressive, accusing, forgetful, making unreasonable demands constantly, or has developed a hygiene problem. Disturbing behavior changes in an older adult usually mean something is very wrong. Here's what to do first . . . keep reading
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Essential Tremor: It Isn't Parkinson's
It's called "Essential Tremor," but when it first starts many with the disorder, and their loved ones, immediately worry about Parkinson's Disease. Your long-term care planning will depend in many ways on whether your elder's tremor is really Parkinson's, whether it's the more common disorder known as essential tremor, or whether it's something else entirely . . . keep reading
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Is It Selective Memory?
Your parent has dementia, so you would naturally expect her to be forgetful. Yet there are certain things that she seems never to forget. Is she really forgetting as much as she seems to be, or is she choosing to use "selective memory" for her own incomprehensible and crazy-making reasons? . . . keep reading
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Worried Seniors: The Stress of Elderly Anxiety
Aunt Audrey was always a worried woman. As she aged, her anxiety completely overtook her. She was famous in the family for her exclamation, in the midst of a huge family reunion, "I'm so worried! Things have been going so well...I just know something awful is going to happen!" At least she was there. As her anxiety worsened, she never attended another . . . keep reading
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Why Does Elderly Skin Bruise So Easily?
Don Markham looks like he recently survived a train wreck. Bruises extend from his fingers to his elbows and re-appear on his upper arms. His daughter is nervous that someone will think her 86-year-old father has been abused and call the authorities. . . . keep reading
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Why Those Hearing Aids Never Did Work Right
Aunt Elsie wouldn't wear her hearing aids. She had a drawer full. Her every other sentence started with, "What??? I can't hear you when you mumble!" Everyone who spent more than a short time with Aunt Elsie left with a headache and a sore throat from trying to communicate with her. Her son Tom wore himself out trying to find hearing aids that would work for her. He never did have any success. Most everyone put it down to the fact that she always was a difficult woman. . . . keep reading
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Caring For Someone With Heart Failure
About 5 million people in the United States have heart failure. Because heart failure is one of the leading causes of illness in our senior population, there is a good chance that you are, or one day will be, caring for someone with heart failure. There are certain things you should know in order to make this easier for both you and your heart failure patient. . . . keep reading
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Alzheimers Disease
