Caregiving

If you are able, take the time before your parents need help and while they are still functioning comfortably to ask about the "big" things. Solicit their preferences for managing financial matters or real property. Find out what treatment efforts, such as resuscitation and life support, they want and expect in the event they become incapacitated.

Due to the inexorable deterioration of the cognitive faculties of a person with dementia, there is a progressive inability to carry out the various activities of everyday life. There may come a time in the course of the disease when decisions such as living arrangements (independently, with relatives, assisted living or nursing care), medical treatment, financial affairs, and personal care can no longer be handled by the patient with dementia or Alzheimer's. In these situations, someone must shoulder responsibility for managing that person’s affairs.

In certain cases, mental functions decline extensively with advancing age. The reasons for this progressive degradation vary with the individual, but dementia, sparked by conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, diseased blood vessels in the brain, and Parkinson’s disease, is a leading cause.

A Senior Move Manager is a professional who specializes in assisting older adults and their families with the emotional and physical aspects of relocation and/or aging in place. Senior move managers provide a multi-faceted approach to the move process: from space planning in the beginning to post-move support and advocacy.

One of the most important factors when considering what type of long-term housing is appropriate for a senior is to carefully examine what are known as the ADLs and the IADLs.

The most common place to see edema, or swelling, is in your feet, ankles and lower legs. Edema is the result of fluid building up in your body. It can happen in any part of your body, but because of the effects of gravity, the fluid usually shows up as painless swelling in your lower extremities.

Patients need an advocate at the hospital around the clock, a job none of us gets training for…until now.

Diabetes is a challenging disease, but it can be managed by faithfully following lifestyle guidelines. People with diabetes do have a lot to balance; as they get older, following through on these guidelines may require assistance from a caregiver. Here’s what you need to know.

Learn about best nursing practices that allow and encourage nurses and patients to connect in a therapeutic relationship that facilitates healing.  

Helping older patients reminisce helps them heal and helps nursing professionals gain valuable experience. Family members can use this powerful tool, too.

A recent study published in the Journal of Rural Health emphasizes the importance of using health care centers to reduce the numbers of unnecessary patient visits to emergency rooms. It also confirms that using alternative medical facilities reduces health care costs significantly.