Blog
Midnight Sun Home Care’s Blog providing helpful information to clients, caregivers and family.
3 Things NOT to Say to Someone Experiencing a Health Crisis
Learn what commonly used sentiments are better left unsaid when a loved one is facing a health crisis.
Have you ever walked in to the office or a get-together with friends or family and had a person say to you with great concern, “You really look tired today!” Even though you may have been feeling… Continue reading
Sounding the Alarm Regarding Dementia and Firearms
Dementia and guns: Learn more about this important issue in this article.
With an impassioned level of debate rivaling the Hatfields and McCoys, it appears insurmountable to arrive at a resolution on the issue of gun control. Yet in spite of which side of the issue you are on, there’s one little-discussed situation that should cause us all to take pause: the alarming combination of dementia and firearms.
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Wake Up to the Dangers of Sleeping Drugs for Older Adults
Sleeping drugs double the risk of falls and fractures in seniors, due to the increased dizziness and disorientation they could cause.
Is there anything better than getting up well rested after a great night’s sleep, completely energized and ready to face your day? For most older adults – as much as a third of them – getting enough sleep only occurs inside their dreams. And sadly, it is a common assumption that inadequate sleep is just something to be accepted within our later years – a misconception that Preeti Malani, M.D., chief health officer and professor of medicine at the University of Michigan really wants to dispel. Continue reading
The Radical New Thinking: Potential Causes of Alzheimer’s Disease
Our homecare team is highly trained and experienced in properly managing a few of the more difficult components of Alzheimer’s disease.
Today, Thomas Edison’s words ring true in the race to obtain both the main cause and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Every day tends to bring hopeful news of still another clinical trial, followed soon after by the disappointing news that results failed to meet expectations – and so the pattern carries on. Continue reading
Is It Just a Case of Senior Blues? Or Could It Be an Elderly Mental Health Concern?
For many, there’s a stigma linked with admitting to and pursuing help for mental and emotional concerns.
They’re common concerns in older years: fatigue, sleeping problems, lack of appetite. And often, they’re written off as just that. Yet for nearly 8 million elders over age 65, these signs and symptoms are indicative of something significantly more than normal aging – they’re signs and symptoms of elderly mental health problems. And only a small number are obtaining the available treatment that could substantially boost their overall quality of life. Continue reading
Solo Agers: Do You Have a Designated Senior Planner?
Baby boomers without children, or solo agers, have to consider different options for their later years than those with children.
If you are a baby boomer without children, the new term “solo ager” applies to you. This strong and self-reliant group faces some distinct concerns in aging, chiefly who to designate as guardian and decision-maker in the event that they become unable to do so themselves. Inside her book, Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers, author Sara Zeff Geber, Ph.D. defines several senior planner options to consider: Continue reading
Know the Risks Before Trying Alternative Supplements for Alzheimer’s Disease
Always get the doctor’s approval before trying anything new.
As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That could very well pertain to the recent influx of corporations touting alternative supplements, dietary programs, and herbal concoctions in order to cure, or at the very least minimize, the ramifications of Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer’s Association would like to advise us, however, to go forward with caution when looking into treatment ideas for a loved one with dementia – and always get the doctor’s approval before trying anything new. Continue reading
Can Surgeries Lead to Cognitive Impairment in Seniors?
POCD takes place in more than 25% of seniors in the days and even weeks just after non-cardiac surgery.
Undergoing surgery for seniors always involves some inherent risks, but there is a little-known effect impacting a significant number of seniors following surgery that we all must be aware of: POCD (postoperative cognitive dysfunction). POCD takes place in more than 25% of seniors in the days and even weeks just after non-cardiac surgery, and may present with a variety of symptoms, several of which can be almost indiscernible: forgetfulness, loss in concentration and focus, along with other kinds of cognitive impairment that affect quality of life. Continue reading
Steer Clear of This Latest Senior Fraud Danger
How can you protect loved ones from senior fraud?
Telephone scams aimed at the elderly aren’t anything new, with an astounding $36 billion lost every year to financial abuse. And the current senior fraud danger circulating is hard for most seniors to recognize until it’s too late. Center for Elder Law and Justice attorney… Continue reading
Communicating with Alzheimer’s: Is It OK to Bend the Truth?
Is it OK to bend the truth when communicating with someone who has Alzheimer’s disease?
Very early on, we learn the tale of George Washington’s mishap with the cherry tree along with his bold admittance to his parents, “I cannot tell a lie; I chopped down the cherry tree!” Truthfulness is integrated in our character,… Continue reading
Senior Living Arrangements: Should Mom Move in with You?
Should Mom move in with you or is home care in Anchorage, AK the answer?
Probably one of the most commendable and admirable choices adult children can make is to open up their house to an aging parent. Our parents raised and took care of us when we needed help and support, so it seems… Continue reading
Stay Safe and Independent with Lifeline
Many of our seniors did not grow up in Alaska, they moved here for an exciting job opportunity or adventure. As this independent generation ages, their spirit stays the same but unfortunately sometimes their body can’t keep up. Luckily, with Philips Lifeline, seniors can stay safe while maintaining their freedom.
Philips Lifeline is the number… Continue reading
Ways to Celebrate Senior Citizens Day
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5847 declaring August 21 National Senior Citizens Day. The day is meant to recognize the achievements and leadership of seniors, and thank them for all they’ve done. It’s also a day meant to remind people to take care of seniors by providing them with the proper care and… Continue reading
The Cancer Treatment That May Also Treat Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
What if there was a medication that could treat not just one, but three devastating diseases: leukemia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s? At Georgetown University Medical Center, researchers are hopeful that nilotinib is that medication. Now approved to use in people that have one kind of leukemia, a small trial is causing great excitement in its encouraging… Continue reading
Strokes in Old Age: A Brighter Future to Recovery
For the first time ever, a treatment option that’s become increasingly popular in Parkinson’s patients – deep-brain stimulation – is also showing promise for recovery for strokes in old age. The new form of treatment is being tested on a stroke survivor and is conducted by implanting an electrode that stimulates a particular area of… Continue reading