Dementia

Two younger adults facing each other arguing and pointing fingers. Both the man and woman are likely Asian descent. The man wears a dark gray tee shirt and the woman wear a dark gray elbow length top

Adult Siblings Are Often in Denial About a Parent’s Declining Health

Whether it stems from a subconscious need to ignore the fact that a parent is declining, or they want to pretend that caring for...

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Potential Causes of Skin Picking with Dementia and How to Help

Dear Carol: My mom is in mid-stage Alzheimer’s, so she has fidgety hands. Even though I lotion her skin regularly, she’ll zero in on...

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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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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....

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How Often Should You Visit After Someone Moves to Memory Care?

Dear Carol: My mom is on a waiting list for memory care and should be able to move in soon. I’m struggling to accept...

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Give Your Dad the Best Father’s Day Gift Ever: Your Attention

Our aging loved ones often repeat the same stories over and over again. As our patience wanes, we blame the repetition on memory issues,...

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A Caregiver’s Struggle: Balancing an Elder’s Sense of Purpose with Their Safety

A recent question brought back memories from my early days of caregiving. The member wrote, “My 81-year-old father still thinks he can do handyman...

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Should Your Parent Risk an Anesthesia Disaster or Forego Surgery?

Note: This is an older article so the types of anesthesia have (in some cases) changed. That said, it’s clear that undergoing a procedure...