Caregiver Corner

If your goal is to stay at home as you age, it's time to reexamine your current health and home. Are you willing to adapt, modify and change to meet your changing needs as they evolve? ...

Is your older loved one in denial about their increasing forgetfulness and weaknesses? The lack of self-awareness or the inability to realize one’s limitations is known as “anosognosia dementia.” This isn't willful denial. Rooted in neurological changes, 98% of those with dementia also have anosognosia. ...

For those with dementia, anger is often a secondary emotion in response to something like shame, humiliation or embarrassment. As caregivers, we should try to understand the emotion behind the emotion. Are we coming across as condescending or patronizing? This will trigger anger in our loved ones. Individuals with dementia need support and patience. ...

Always stopped up? Or too loose? Our bowel habits are something no one really wants to talk about, but we need to. Over 60% of older adults have issues with their bowels at some point. Our bowels greatly affect every aspect of our bodies and overall quality of life. Better balance is achievable. ...

Accepting the effects of aging can be a tough pill to swallow. We think we must hold on tightly to our lifelong identities, or else who will we be? Some people are more willing to accept the hands of time. Others are never going to accept the changing realities of their lifespan. What can we do when a loved one cannnot admit they need help, support and assistance?   ...

If loneliness is the problem, the remedy is to build social resilience, master new skills and relearn others. You read that correctly: re-learning skills includes one we probably never thought of as a skill when we were younger: making friends. ...

Everyone I have ever met does not want to end up in a “nursing home" or lose their autonomy, their independence. Yet, many of us are reluctant or simply refuse to allow support or assistance to potentially stop or delay this from happening. We choose to simply not think about it and let chips fall as they may. ...

Fear of speaking up in senior communities or nursing homes is a real problem. Residents frequently believe, if they report about the way an aide interacts—or in many cases, does not interact—with them, there will be repercussions. After all, they are the vulnerable ones needing care and assistance. ...