Providing care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease can often feel like an endless guessing game. Wouldn't it be nice to have a handbook that provided all the answers for caring for dementia when needed? The various periods of the disease that need to be worked through make it increasingly challenging; the instant we […]

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 […]

Sweetie, honey, dear, young lady/man - terms of endearment like these may be appreciated when spoken by our husband or wife or when directed to our very young children, but how do senior citizens react to them? In a word, most older people are offended by these derogatory comments. And despite the fact that doctors, […]

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 […]

If you're a resident in Anchorage, AK, you know that we're a do-it-yourself society; one that especially values self-reliance, and applauds people who pull themselves up by their bootstraps and take care of every little thing independently. But the fact is, there are some things we simply can’t carry out alone; things which can possibly […]

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 […]

Think about this possibility: your 90-year-old mother, who lives in her own home alone, fell recently, cracked her pelvis, and is being released from Alaska Regional Hospital today. Leafing through her discharge papers reveals the need for medications, physical therapy, medical follow-up in several weeks, and a number of symptoms to watch for that would warrant a return […]

There’s no emotional roller coaster quite like the one ridden by family members providing home care in Anchorage AK for an aging or chronically ill loved one. In fact, very few if any emotions don't come into play at one time or another during caregiving – and sometimes, the full spectrum of emotions can happen entirely in one […]

Since moving away from each other, you’ve made it a point to call Mom every weekend, no matter what. After catching up on the week’s news, she always reassures you that yes, she’s eating well, taking her meds, getting plenty of rest, and doing perfectly fine. However, seeing her in person over a long weekend […]