Now that Mom has sold her car, is no longer driving and it is harder for her to get around on her own, it has been decided that you and your siblings will divide up her care needs. Someone has to bring her to the beauty shop, supermarket and doctors’ appointments. One of you has […]
Campaigns against bullying are everywhere these days. We’re now a zero tolerance society when it comes to bullying, and a rough and tough ten-year-old can no longer get away with teasing and tormenting his classmates. But perhaps there’s some other, less apparent sort of bullying occurring - that of trying to play the parent to […]
If you have a loved one with heart disease, the risk for heart attack is increased. What if he or she were to have a heart attack? How would this change your lives? What information would you need to know? How can you help? The many questions of how your everyday lives will be changed […]
Pick a senior, any senior, and you’re likely to hear the same sentiments: the vast majority of older adults agree that they’d prefer to spend their elder years at home over moving to a nursing home facility. However, there are a number of misconceptions about who will pay for home health care. Medicare? Medicaid? Insurance? […]
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has reported that family members caring for a senior loved one are "routinely marginalized and ignored within the health care system." With about 18 million family members providing care for seniors, this report is alarming, as it points to the possibility that these seniors are at risk […]
Looking around at the home where you grew up, the home where your parents still live, can bring forth a flood of memories. The finished wood stairs you used to practice tap dance routines on, much to your father's dismay. The fireplace mantle where your parents proudly displayed a never-ending rotation of your crazy art […]
“Someday…” As a family caregiver in Anchorage, AK, we bet you can think of a variety of ways to finish that statement – with things you’ve always dreamed of doing, but put in the back of your mind until you have the money, means or time to pursue them. But what about senior family and […]
As people age, it’s natural to experience changes. This is especially true in older adulthood. Aging adults can be faced with changes in physical and mental health, independence and mobility, and social connections and relationships, to name just a few. For many seniors and their loved ones, these changes are often experienced as losses and […]
When it comes time to fill out certain paperwork it seems like there’s always at least one involved party hesitating. Living Wills, Advanced Directives, and DNR Orders are all important documents, and they can all put you into an awkward conversation. Whether the discomfort comes from a child that doesn’t want to think of their […]
When you think of someone using a medical alert device, what’s the first thing that you think of? Is it someone older or someone young? We’ve all seen the old commercial with a woman that’s fallen and can’t get up. Unfortunately, falls are a very real danger for many seniors. Also unfortunately, this commercial has […]
