Elder Care Cafe

With the numerous studies currently going on regarding diabetes prevention, it’s no wonder information regarding how to prevent diabetes appears on the landscape as often as it does. A 10-year study followed 3,000 high-risk patients with the aim to prevent rather than control diabetes has just released their findings. This study is one of the longest [...]

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A recent study found that people taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs such as Lipitor and Zocor may have unexpected protection from the flu. People who were already taking statins when they caught the flu and had to be hospitalized had a much higher survival rate than those who were not taking statins. Those involved in the study [...]

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Recently we were reminded of a syringe recall notice sent out regarding the Accusure insulin syringes. Apparently, an Alabama company recalled millions of insulin syringes it had distributed around the country since early 2002 because of the complaints they were receiving. Four complaints were received related to how the needle was detaching from the syringe. Thankfully, [...]

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The older we get, the greater importance we must place on wearing the right shoes to help prevent falls. Increasing problems maintaining balance, and health issues such as diabetes, dictate we wear the right shoes to help keep our feet healthy and our walk steady. Shoes make a difference in whether we stay safe and [...]

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Because of the myriad health issues the elderly face, they often struggle with isolation and depression, no longer able to live the life they have grown accustomed to over the years. Sometimes the depression comes upon them due to their circumstances while other times long-term prescription drug use can trigger the disease.

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You made the decision. You chose to care enough for someone else that you were now their caregiver. Whether you decided to move in with the person you were caring for, or they moved in with you, you arrived at a time when you wondered how you were going to keep it all together.

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Over the years, most of us lived our lives along a continuum of day to day experiences that grew into weeks, months, and years. One day we looked back and realized just how many years we have been on earth. At some time or other most of us have faced not only our own struggles, [...]

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As caregivers soon learn, stress becomes part of their daily life. Long hours, mental and physical strain, and isolation, among other aspects, often leave the caregiver exhausted and at the breaking point. In the past, we have discussed a number of ways caregivers can de-stress when their duties seem overwhelming. Earlier this year I found [...]

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Today is my Dad’s 87th birthday. Earlier today I was thinking about how many decades he has lived and what life experiences surrounded him over the years. He was born in 1922, just as the Roaring 20′s was becoming the next big it thing. By the time he was ten-years-old, the banks had collapsed and [...]

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Recently, an article regarding how to understand the symptoms of dementia led me to think about my mother and all she went through as she gradually lost her memory. As difficult as that loss was, there was also the difficulty of watching someone we loved change before our eyes.

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In a previous post, I wrote about saving money by creating a simple weekly meal plan. Jotting down what your meals will look like over the next week will help you save money at the grocery store. Checking out special sale ads, keeping an accumulative grocery list during the week, and taking care not to [...]

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Although it appears the recession is beginning to turn around, and better times are on their way, many people are still struggling with their finances. Senior citizens on fixed incomes are especially vulnerable. There are several ways to save money on meals to help you keep your dollars in your own pocket.

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Numerous studies have shown the connection between what you eat and how you feel. Eat the right foods and you will feel happy and full of energy. Eat the wrong foods and you will feel down in the dumps, cranky, and struggle trying to get a good night’s sleep.

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In the midst of grief, it is often difficult to find the right words to express our feelings. I recently came across Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep, which contains over 250 carefully selected poems, quotations, and readings for use when you or someone close to you has lost a loved one.

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Whether you are a caregiver to a loved one in your home twenty-four hours a day or you take care of someone daily or nightly in his or her home, at some point in time you will need to address the stress that comes along with being a caregiver.

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