Minding Our Elders

Minding Our Elders Blog

An indoor image of Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH. She stands against a gray background wearing a dark dress jacket open over a dark top with black beads and dainty earrings. She looks into the camera with a soft smile.

Free Caregiver Training with Support from a Geriatrician and More

Caregivers are often thrown into an unknown world of medication management and handling cognitive challenges. With little or no medical training, this...

Two women sit on a gray couch with some shelving behind it. The older woman on the right is wearing a pale green, short-sleeved shrit. She has gray hair and is wearing a gray blood pressure cuff. Beside her sits a younger woman with a long, dark ponytail. She wears light blue scrubs and is smiing and talking with the older woman while monitoring her blood pressure.

Adjusting to New Caregivers is Difficult for Most Older Adults

Dear Carol: My 86-year-old mother’s long-time private caregiver is moving. She’s been a faithful friend and helper to Mom for years, so...

Should I Have to Take Care of My Elderly In-Laws?

Being a family caregiver doesn’t always stop at caring for our own aging parents. Our significant other’s mom and dad often look...

This indoor image shows an older woman with short, steel-gray and a gray sweater from the back. Her wheelchair is being pushed by someone wearing a white medical coat..

Paying for Assisted Living: When Siblings Split Costs, What Is Fair?

There are many options for the care of our aging parents, but most of them are costly. There was a stretch of...

How Involved Should Families Be When Elders Live in a Senior Living Facility?

Over the course of 15 years, five of my elderly loved ones lived, for various spans of time, in a nearby nursing...

Do Parents Really Want to Live with Their Adult Children?

It’s difficult to pinpoint how many aging parents live with their adult children, but there is certainly a lot more interest in...

This indoor image shows a bright, airy interior. An older man sits at a table smiling over at a younger woman who is touching his shoulder and offering to help with something. He wears a blue and red striped golf shirt and has a white beard. The younger woman has blond hair pulled back and is wearing a pink pull-over sweater.

Encouraging Parents to Socialize After the Move to Senior Living

Moving to senior living is often a difficult transition for aging loved ones. Even elders who are on board with the decision...

What to Look for When Visiting an Elder in Senior Housing

So, you and your loved one have taken the plunge. You’ve put in the time and effort to research senior housing options,...

We see an older woman with short, spikey graying hair and thick-lensed glasses, looking out the side window of a car. She's wearing a gold collared top and has her seatbelt fastened.

How to Approach an Aging Friend About Driving Red Flags

Dear Carol: I’m friends with a group of mature women who eat out together at least once a week. We’ve always taken turns...

This outdoor summer image shows a woman with shoulder-length, blonde hair. She wears a black scoup necked sweater and is smiling toward the camera.

Caregiving: A Legacy To Be Proud Of

Have you thought about what you’d want your obituary to say about you? I hadn’t until I was recently asked to write...