Palliative Care and Hospice Can Enhance Quality of Life at Different Stages
Photo credit Vladimir Soares
Dear Carol: My mom has advanced lung disease and is also in the middle stages of dementia. While we understand that neither of her diseases can be cured, we’re told they can be managed. I think that management should be about making her quality of life the best it can be, but Mom’s miserable. When I asked her doctor about options, he said they are doing all they can for now. I suggested hospice care, but he says that he doubts that she’s “ready.” I feel so helpless. What else is there? – VL
Continue reading on Inforum for more about quality-of-life management for th...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 4, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Tips for How We Can Balance Our Relationships Around Caregiving
Photo credit Abigail Keenan
...Then, the unthinkable: Your dad has a heart attack. You rush in to help... I refer to this as the “creep-up factor” because while many situations are far less dramatic than the one above, being an adult child adds the role of caregiver to your list that frequently includes wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend, mother/grandmother, career woman/man, and friend.
Continue reading the article on HeroHealth about the tricky process of trying to balance our relationships while trying to manage heavy caregiving duties - heavy on the word trying:
Minding Our Elders:...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 3, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Caregiving is Not a Competitive Sport: The Case for Supporting Caregivers ’ Unique Decisions
Photo credit Eugene Chystiakov
Caregiving. What does it mean to you? While often rewarding and frequently exhausting, it’s one of many life events that can only be understood if you’ve been intimately involved. This truth is what drives most caregivers to seek support from their peers as well as professionals who can share valuable information. So, what could go wrong in such a well-meaning group?
Normally, all is well in caregiver support groups. People help and comfort one another, offer advice based on what’s worked for them in a similar situation, or just simply offer a much-appreciated hug — virtual or other...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 2, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Dementia Caregiver ’s Experience Brought Premium Incontinence Protection To the US
As is the case with most people living with advanced dementia Harris Sterling’s father developed incontinence. Along with other difficult issues that come with Alzheimer’s progression, managing the incontinence necessitated a move to an assisted living facility (ALF).
Harris's mother lived near the facility and spent the most time with her husband, yet Harris tried to help as much as he could from a distance. One task he took over was to manage his dad's incontinence products.
“I didn’t know what I was doing,” Harris said. “You hear about national brands and expect them to perform but everyone was frustrated ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - September 1, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Some Medications May Trigger or Worsen Cognitive or Incontinence Problems
Medications save lives and/or increase the quality of life for many people. Yet, there are few if any medications that have no side effects, many of which may negatively affect the brain or other organs of the body. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says there is evidence that some overactive bladder medications (OBMs) can cause issues that are similar to Alzheimer’s and may, in some cases, even contribute to triggering symptoms...
Drugs that could induce or worsen incontinence: There might be other reasons related to incontinence that would make it wise to review medications, as well. According to USPhar...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 31, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Using Music to Provide Harmony at the End of Life
Photo credit Sergia Capzzimati
...How Music Influences the End-of-Life Experience: When someone you love is terminally ill, there are many complex emotions involved. The instinct to nurture and comfort them is intense, but it can be difficult to know what is appropriate to say or do. End-of-life care and support are very different from the daily care that family members previously provided. In many cases, busy days of preparing meals, providing medications and chauffeuring between doctor’s appointments are replaced with comfort care and bedside vigils.
This is one of the many reasons Franz feels that this very special ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 30, 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 ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 29, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Suicide of Caregiver Leaves Spouse Adrift, and Friend Devastated
Photo credit Ivan Samkov
Dear Carol: After years of caring for his wife who has advanced dementia, my lifelong friend reached his limit and killed himself. He had the financial resources to place her in a care home, yet when I suggested this, he said that he couldn’t live with the guilt. Had he viewed outside help differently, he could have returned to his role as a loving husband rather than a stress-out caregiver. Now, his wife has been moved to such a care facility without him to support her transition, and his friends and family are heartbroken. Keep doing what you’re doing by telling caregivers that pr...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 28, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Confused About Palliative Care Vs. Hospice Care? You Aren ’t Alone
Dear Carol: My mom has advanced lung disease as well as late-stage Alzheimer’s. We know that there are no cures for either of her current conditions, but the doctors don’t seem to have any useful answers for me when I ask about how I can make her life better at this stage. She has an inhaler for her lungs, but they don’t seem willing to prescribe medications or advice other than keep her comfortable. Well, how do I go about that? Should she be on hospice? I’ve heard of something called palliative care, but I don’t understand it and no doctor has mentioned it. Can you help me? – CV
Dear CV: I’m so...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 27, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
How to Choose a Mobility Aid for an Older Adult
Most of us would love to live our lives without the need for mobility aids, but as we age, we begin to realize that this wish may be unrealistic. We could need a cane or a walker for a short time while recovering from surgery, or we may eventually need to use a wheelchair or a power scooter to get around safely. Either way, a tool to help us move from place to place and avoid falls can mean the difference between living independently and depending on others for our basic needs.
When I see some of the newer mobility aids on the market, I immediately think, “I wish that had been available for my mom.” My mother...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 26, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Home is All About Heart, Especially for the Elderly
Photo credit Alex Pavloff
...Most of us who've cared for people with dementia have heard the sad, repetitive lament, "I want to go home." If the person lives in a nursing home or assisted living facility, relatives naturally think that the home the elder wants to return to is the last place he or she lived before going to the care home.
More likely, at least in the case of Alzheimer's disease, the home this elder misses is a childhood home. It's the home where he or she felt the comfort of a mother's arms; the safety of a father's protection.
Again, this home is a state of mind rather than a building. Even if we could t...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 25, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
14 Phrases to Help Caregivers Stay Focused
Life isn’t easy for most people, and it’s not perfect for anybody. Sometimes, as we trudge through the days providing help for our care receivers, it’s nice to retrieve a thought or two that can encourage us to keep on doing what we do.
Below are a few suggestions that may help:
There is no such thing as a perfect caregiver. First of all, we are flawed human beings. Our care receivers are also flawed human beings who are likely unhappy about life events that have put them in a vulnerable position. Their wants and needs are ever-changing. We can’t be expected to know what to do at every turn or how to make...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 24, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
How To Communicate with Your Older Parents So They Hear You
“My mom is 81 and lives alone in her condo,” Judy Hanson writes. “Her arthritis is painful, but she gets around with a walker. Her mind is okay for now, though she is sometimes forgetful. I also feel that she is lonely.
“I’m worried about her safety and have been telling her for several years that she needs help,” she continues. “I’m not proud to say that I’ve stooped to yelling at her, but I have done it. I hate the thought of her falling and not having help, and I also think she’d be happier with more company. There’s a nice assisted living close by me so that’s where I want her to move. Will she...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 23, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
How to Get Rid of the Urine Smell When Incontinence Accidents Happen
Dear Carol: I feel like my home is becoming contaminated territory! My Dad is a sweetheart, but he’s got dementia and has developed incontinence. He can really flood a diaper and isn’t great about changing under the best of conditions. I know this isn’t his fault, so I don’t think I let my frustration show, but it’s hard. I don’t mind doing laundry. I don’t mind the constant checking to try to get him to change diapers. I’m grateful that he never resists my efforts, as so many others do. But no matter what I do, there are accidents, and once pee gets into clothing and bedding it’s just so hard to get rid ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 22, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Tips for Restarting Our Personal Lives After Caregiving Responsibilities End
Photo credit Briana Tozour
Dear Carol: I’m a single woman and an only child. Several years back, I stepped up to help my mom care for Dad, but as Mom grew frailer, I took over his care as the primary. Dad died a year ago, and Mom followed less than three months later. Neither of them wanted to linger, so I’ve made peace with their deaths. I work online and really enjoy what I do, but I’ve let friendships go due to caregiving duties. It’s obvious to me now that I need to restart my life, but I’m not sure how to begin. Any suggestions? – CL
Continue reading on Inforum for tips on rebuilding your personal...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 21, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
