Brain Health

Image background is a barely visible assisted living common room. Foreground shows two men. On the left is an older man, balding with a little gray hair. He's wearing a cream cardigan over a dark shirt. Next to him is his middle-aged son who has short, light brown hair. He's wearing a gray scarf around his neck over his dark jacket

Dementia Caregiver’s Experience Made Premium Incontinence Protection Easier to Find

As is the case with most people living with advanced dementia Harris Sterling’s father developed incontinence. Along with other difficult issues that...

This indoor image shows a white paneled background. In front, two women sit on a counch. The older woman has gray hair and is searing a light blue, collared shirt. Next to her sits a younger woman with blonde hair who is wearing a blue, short-sleeved top. The younger woman has her arm around the older woman as they look at each other. Both are smiling.

How to Help Mom with Bone Fractures Cope with Embarrassing Incontinence

Dear Carol: Recently, my mother, 76, fell and broke a hip, fractured a wrist, and cracked an ankle. She’s in the hospital...

And older woman with white hair sits in a chair with a younger woman in a medical coat leaning over her, touching her shoulder. They are both smiling.

Could a New Medication Be the Cause of Mom’s Increased Falls?

Dear Carol: My mom’s had a lot of health problems in her life, so her prescription list is long. Yet, sure enough,...

Cover of Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. The background is a sepia-toned room. In the foreground is a picture of the author's father, sitting in a contemplative pose with arms crossed. This image is also sepia-toned in browns of different shades. To the right is the book title.

Are People with Advanced Alzheimer’s Aware of Their Surroundings?

Even among medical experts, you will find differing opinions on how much someone with advanced dementia of any type understands. Alzheimer’s disease...

Cover of Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. The background is a sepia-toned room. In the foreground is a picture of the author's father, sitting in a contemplative pose with arms crossed. This image is also sepia-toned in browns of different shades. To the right is the book title.

Coping with the Stigma of Dementia

People stare. Most are not unkind; they are just curious. But when someone “different” from the norm becomes part of their environment,...

Cover of Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. The background is a sepia-toned room. In the foreground is a picture of the author's father, sitting in a contemplative pose with arms crossed. This image is also sepia-toned in browns of different shades. To the right is the book title.

You Can’t Prevent Parents’ Decline from Age, but Your Support Is Priceless

Dear Carol: Providing care for my parents is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s not so much the time and effort involved,...

this indoor image has a blurred background. IN the foreground we see a man with clipped brown hair and a receeding hairline who wears a cream golf-style shirt with some muted stripes. He has brown skin. He wears an unhappy frown and he looks slightly toward the side.

How to Cope If an Older Adult Is Always Complaining and Being Negative

You took your mom to the doctor, and she’s upset with you because the appointment took too long. You helped Dad with...

We see two middle-aged adults sitting at a distance on a couch, clearing aging. The woman on the left had her head turned away. She has shoulder length brown hair and is wearing a white shirt. Her arms are folded in defiance. The male on the right also has his head turned away and sits with arms folded. He has brown hair and is wearing a blue, long-sleeved shirt.

How to Handle Siblings in Denial About a Parent’s Declining Health

Nearly all family caregivers with siblings have experienced some version of sibling denial regarding their aging parents. Whether it stems from a...

An older woman with white hair cut in a stylish bob and wearing a white pullover shirt with a v neck looks out at the camera. She's tugging a bit on one side of her hair.

Reader Worried about Her Cognition After Repeated Infections

Dear Carol: I’m a 66-year-old, well-educated woman who has had multiple health challenges and many surgeries. Since I ushered my mother through...

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

“I want to go home.” Nearly every dementia caregiver has heard this heartbreaking plea from their loved one. They may already be...