Dementia care

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What to Do When a Senior Refuses to Bathe and Change Their Clothes

When it comes to caring for the elderly, hygiene issues are surprisingly common. Determining why their bathing habits have changed is the best way...

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Minimizing Grief for a Surviving Spouse with Dementia

Deciding whether to tell someone who is cognitively impaired that their spouse has died is a serious and often recurring struggle. Dementia and death...

Is Lying to Someone with Dementia Unethical or Compassionate?

Dear Carol: Like many of your readers, my husband has dementia of the Alzheimer’s type, and I’m caring for him at home. We’ve always...

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Some Adult Siblings Care More About Their Inheritance Than Mom and Dad’s Care

“We don’t want strangers taking care of Mom!” “We promised Dad he would never have to go to a nursing home!” “If you really...

Needing a Last-Minute Mother’s Day Gift? How About One That’s Both Fun and Meaningful?

Gift giving for older adults can feel complicated, but it needn’t be. KOSMOS Gifts offers legacy time capsules that intrigue me. The gift recipient...

The indoor background is blurred. IN the foreground, we see an older dark skinned woman with short gray hair. She has a blue ribbon tied around her head. The blue blends with her brown top that has blue and red in the print. Under her short sleeved top, we see she is wearing a long-sleeved brown top. He expression ois one of pleasure as she holds her arms up to be guided in dance by a younger drak-skinned man. We only see a porteion of his face but he has a dark mustaches. His had that holds th arm of the woman wears a wedding ring.

Adult Day Services Can Fill a Gap for Seniors and Their Caregivers

Most older adults are keen on staying in their homes as they age, but family caregivers often struggle to meet their loved ones’ needs...

Caring for Aging Parents Who Didn’t Care for You

Years ago, a journalist (we’ll call her Nancy) requested an interview with me to discuss common caregiving issues for an article she was writing....

A Story from the Sandwich Generation: Caring for Kids and Parents

Watching out for elders has always come naturally to me. I grew up close to my grandparents, and during my teenage years, my paternal...

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.

Should You Join Someone With Dementia in Their Reality?

It was not unlike any other day, but on this particular afternoon, Dad was adamant. He was waiting for his medical degree from the...

This indoor picture has a mottled gray background. IN the forground is a head and shourlders image of an older man with a receding hairline and gray hair. He's wearing a black sweater and his eyes are turned downward in a thoughtful expression.

How Dementia Affects Friendships (and What You Can About It)

Memory loss can be one of the first symptoms a person experiences with Alzheimer’s, and those living with Lewy body dementia may also become...