Should Your Parent Risk an Anesthesia Disaster or Forego Surgery?
Just last week a reader asked me whether she should try to sway her mother, who had colon cancer, toward surgery. Her mother, 87,...
Medication
Dad’s Personality Has Changed Overnight: Medications? A UTI?
Dear Carol: My dad, 86, lives with me. He has an academic’s personality, so we’ve often talked about different issues that spanned all disciplines....
Incontinence After Menopause A Common Challenge
Menopause: The ceasing of menstruation. Sounds simple, but for each woman, the process of going through perimenopause and eventually arriving at menopause can be...
Caregivers: It’s Time to Stop Second-Guessing Ourselves
Like most adults, I’ve second-guessed many of my own decisions. While most were made with my own future in mind, that all changed when...
Medicare Open Enrollment Starts October 15: Time to Review Your Plans
Dear Readers: While we may be looking forward to (or dreading) cool weather, autumn leaves and Halloween, October also brings Medicare Open Enrollment. Medicare Open...
Pain and Dementia: Observing Body Language Important When People Can’t Articulate Pain
My dad, who had developed dementia after surgery to correct problems from a World War II brain injury, was seized by sudden, horrendous pain....
Is Your Aging Parent on Too Many Meds?
By the time Janet Johnson’s father reached his mid-80s, he was on so many medications their names are now impossible to recall. There were pills...
Common Drugs with Surprising Mental Side Effects
Many of us have become aware that prescription medications such as Ativan, Xanax, and Klonopin may have serious side effects including memory issues. These drugs,...
Medications Should be Carefully Controlled as Alzheimer’s Advances
While Alzheimer’s-specific drugs may help slow symptoms for some people, they also may increase the risk of hip fractures, fainting, urinary problems, and other health...
Fewer Medications for Older Adults Can Prevent Falls, Improve Memory
Dear Carol: Countless articles, including yours, report that older adults are taking too many prescription drugs, some with potentially harmful side effects. Yet, it...
