Minding Our Elders

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How to Overcome Feelings That Prevent You From Visiting Someone in a Care Facility

People cite numerous reasons for why they hate visiting care facilities. Some can’t stand funky smells, others find the sight of disengaged, listless seniors...

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How Hiring a Handyman Can Help Your Older Parents

Years ago I saw a van whose driver was letting teenagers off in front of the local high school, where I was doing the...

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Why Caregivers Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About Calling Hospice

A billboard in my city carries a simple message: “Most families say, ‘Why did we wait so long to call hospice?’ “ When I...

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Geriatric Care Managers Can Help Busy Caregivers

Geriatric care management is a rapidly growing field in the elder care industry. As most caregivers know, researching and coordinating all the care options...

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Accepting Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Hard, Yet Capacity for Joy Remains

Dear Carol: Six months ago, our lives changed when my husband, age 58, was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease. He has good doctors who...

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Should Your Elderly Loved One Move in With You?

Decades ago, it was fairly common to have grandparents living with family and it often worked well. It did for my family. My parents...

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When a Person Living with Dementia Says, ‘I Just Want to Go Home’

Update: Some current thinking is that the emotion behind this sad lament is more about finding a level of emotional comfort than thinking back...

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Elders Who Abuse Their Family Caregivers: Yes – It Happens

Most of us have seen evidence of people being harder on those they love than they are on strangers or even people they don’t...

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Coping when Both Parents Have Dementia

“My mom and dad both have dementia. I am all alone taking care of them since. I have no one to help me. I...

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Choosing Senior Housing and Care Based on Your Parent’s Needs

As our population ages and more of our national focus is on senior care, we can find ourselves in a muddle over confusing choices....