How Do I Get Dad Out of His Cluttered, Unsafe Home?
Photo credit Alexander Schimmeck
Many elders do well in their homes. They graciously accept the help they need, have cleaning people come in, and are even able to throw away the old newspapers that are piling up in the corner. They are content with adding some safety measures and feel cozy with a bit of clutter.
Then there's the other side. Many seniors are living in the same home they raised their children in. These homes are modest but worked well for raising their family and even for the early empty nest years. Often, however, they are two-story cottages, with the bedrooms and the only bathroom up a long flight of sta...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 4, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Is it Alzheimer's, a different type of dementia or something else entirely?
Photo credit Anna Shvets
Is it Alzheimer's disease? As people age, the rapid mental recall of youth often fades. Yet most aging adults have wisdom and life experience to share and are cognitively sound. With increased awareness of Alzheimer's disease, however, has come an increased fear that every mental glitch we experience as we age is a sign of AD. So, what and what could these disturbing symptoms be if they are not AD?
Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that gradually destroys memory and thinking skills. Eventually, the ability to carry out simple tasks is also lost, as ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 3, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
The FDA Has Approved OTC Hearing Aids Increasing Options and Affordability
Photo credit Mark Paton
Dear Carol: My dad lives alone in the same condominium he and Mom shared before she died. While Dad’s always been somewhat introverted, he’s got close friends and is friendly to those he meets. For the most part, he seems content. Lately, though, he seems to be avoiding groups. Also, I’ve noticed that when I accompany him to his medical appointments, he struggles to hear the doctor. We tell him that he should get hearing aids, but he says his hearing isn't that bad, and aids are too expensive. How do I convince him that his life would be better if he’d go ahead and buy hearing a...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 1, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Monitor Your Blood Pressure to Avoid Vascular Dementia
If the risk of a stroke or heart attack doesn’t scare us into controlling our blood pressure, surely a heightened risk for vascular dementia should. While Alzheimer’s is consented by experts as the most common form of dementia, vascular dementia follows closely behind in ranking. The two mixed together is also common, so we should consider ourselves at risk for dementia unless we have a healthy vascular system.
A large study from The George Institute for Global Health and reported on by Medical News Today, lays bare the fact that high blood pressure can significantly raise anyone's risk for developing vascular dementi...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 1, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Adaptive Footwear Can Aid Comfort and Joint Health While Helping You Prevent Falls
While the average person is unlikely to do high jumps or run marathons, even daily life can wear out our joints. Over time, this wear may become apparent through pain. Age aside, diseases such as arthritis can eat away at our joints and cause inflammation, as well. The result of these assaults can be damaged hips and knees, and malformed feet and toes. Wise people learn that supportive, adjustable footwear can make or break our day, and that’s where Silverts can help.
Extra wide for inflamed and non-aligned toes: The pressure of shoes on sore or twisted joints can force even people who once had narrow feet into sandal...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 30, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Life After a Dementia Diagnosis: It's Worth Living
Photo credit Matteo Vistocco
...People living with dementia are anxious to teach the public that while a dementia diagnosis is not what anyone wants to receive, it's not as if they are "healthy" the day before the diagnosis and in late-stage dementia the day after. Many people live for years with manageable dementia, and any number of them would call their lives satisfying.
John Zeisel, Ph.D. wrote a book titled "I'm Still Here: A New Philosophy of Alzheimer's Care," that promotes the idea that people can live full lives even while they are managing their dementia. Zeisel writes passionately about the insights that peo...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 29, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Loneliness May Increase Dementia Risk, Heart Attacks and Stroke
A study published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry has found that people who feel lonely are significantly more at risk for developing dementia.
The study, headed by Tjalling Jan Holwerda of the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, found that participants who reported feeling lonely, no matter how many friends and family surrounded them, were more likely to experience dementia than those who didn't feel lonely. The team focused on approximately 2,200 older adults living in Amsterdam, ages 65 to 86. None of the participants exhibited signs of dementia and none of them lived in f...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 28, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Grief: The Way to Continue on Is to Work Through It
Dr. Gail Gross, Ph.D., Doctor of Education, is a nationally recognized family, child development, and human behavior expert, author, and educator. She has contributed to CNN, the “Today Show,” CNBC’s “The Doctors,” The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, among other media. She also is the host of the nationally syndicated PBS program, “Let’s Talk.”
Note: Carol is the Candid Caregiver here:
Dr. Gross’ newest book, “The Only Way Out is Through: A Ten-Step Journey from Grief to Wholeness,” is for everyone who experiences the often searing grief that accompanies the...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 27, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
9 Tips to Manage Stress for Better Health
Photo credit Jared Rice
Stress is considered a risk factor for dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s. Stress is also a risk factor for stroke and heart attack as well as a trigger for many diseases from arthritis to psoriasis. Obviously, limiting stress in our lives is a good idea. But how? Simply living what we call modern life seems to make stress the norm. How can you adjust your life (just a little) to help manage stress? While much may be out of your control, some things can be managed, if only in stages.
See the complete slideshow on HealthCentral for tips on learning to manage our caregiving st...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 26, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Carol Answers FAQs from Readers About the Minding Our Elders Column
Dear Readers: This morning, as I answered another email asking how I choose questions for the column, I realized that even readers who don’t ask might be curious. So, today I’ll address questions about how the Minding Our Elders column works.
Are these real questions from real people?
Short answer: Yes.
Longer answer: While some people prepare a concise, well-written question that I use verbatim, the average email question is longer than my full column wordcount. I understand why this is so and am honored that people trust me enough to let it all out. However, these questions must...
Continue reading on Inforum for...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 25, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Adult Day Care Can Fill a Gap for Seniors and Their Caregivers
Photo credit Arthur Pflueger
Most seniors are keen on staying in their homes as they age, but family caregivers often struggle to meet their loved ones’ needs and still carve out time for work, family time, hobbies, social engagements, and leisure time. Caregivers can become overburdened quickly, and it is crucial to seek out help to keep from getting burned out. Other family members and friends are frequently recruited for assistance, but these people have busy schedules, too, and are only willing to contribute so much of their time. In-home care is an excellent option, but some families are nervous about invit...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 24, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Caring for Aging Parents Who Didn ’t Care for You
Photo credit Christian Fregnan
As we talked, Nancy described the inner turmoil she was facing as her parents got older. She grew up with a physically and emotionally abusive mother, and her father had been gone much of the time, doing what most men of that generation did: working to support his family. Therefore, he wasn’t around to “interfere” with the raising of the children.
Nancy had spent years in therapy learning to cope with her childhood issues. Through hard work, she learned to forgive her father for his lack of involvement and the fact that he didn’t put a stop to the abuse her mother doled out. ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 23, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Caregiver Guilt: How to Stop Feeling Guilty About Elderly Parents
Photo credit Abigail Keenan..
...Get used to it—the guilt, I mean. The incessant phone call thing was just one of the many games I had to play as a dementia caregiver. When my mother would ring the first time, I’d answer, chat, and see how she was doing. The second time, I’d gently try to let her know that she had just called. The third time, well, sometimes it just seemed better for me to ignore it. I knew she would be embarrassed (or think I was lying, depending on the day) if I told her she’d called me three times in the last 15 minutes. It seemed kinder to just not answer the phone and let her forget that she ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 22, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Should You Go Along with Someone's Dementia-Related Realities?
Photo credit John Mark Smith
It was not unlike any other day, but on this particular afternoon, Dad was adamant. He was waiting for his medical degree from the University of Minnesota and couldn’t understand why it was taking so long to arrive. So, I did what I usually did—waited a few days to see if this episode of delusional thinking would pass. It did not. So, I used my computer to create a facsimile of a medical degree with my father's name on it. I printed it out, scribbled some “signatures” on the bottom, put it in a mailing envelope, and brought it to the nursing home the following day. He was deligh...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 21, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
The Stages of Alzheimer ’s Disease
Eberhard Grossgasteiger
The only certainty, when diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, is that a senior’s condition will progressively worsen. The national Alzheimer’s Association has developed a very useful staging system to use as a frame of reference when coping with AD. Alzheimer's disease constantly keeps doctors, family members, and caregivers on their toes. It is instinctive for humans to want a roadmap or some sort of guide to help get us through a journey or a difficult situation. We strive to know what lies ahead to help ensure that we are adequately prepared. Following a serious medical diagno...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 20, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
