Elder Care Cafe

Our recent emergency reminded me how important medication safety is to a person’s health and well being. When Dad fell down a stairwell several months ago, he was out of town at the time. EMTs took him to their local hospital, and over his three-day stay in ICU his usual medications were changed. Then he [...]

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Many caregivers fall into their role when a family member or close friend becomes ill or too old to care for themselves. Most of the time no training in how to give care has been provided, and caregivers are learning on-the-job so to speak. One area that may not come to mind for new or untrained [...]

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An advance directive is a document that allows a person to make his or her wishes for treatment known in advance. Many people choose to have a written document on file stating what medical intervention, if any, they would like in case of emergency or if they become incapacitated.

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Many people don’t yet realize what having an advance directive means to them or why it is important to make sure one is in place prior to giving consent for medical treatment. Patients have the right to make decisions about the medical care they are about to receive. They also have the right to be [...]

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As the holidays quickly approach, there are a number of ways caregivers can reduce holiday stress. Planning holiday meals ahead of time will reduce the amount of stress caregivers experience as they are trying to buy presents, prepare more elaborate meals than usual, adjust to an influx of visitors, and control a budget that threatens [...]

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As with most any new trend, there are savvy entrepreneurs who will take advantage of a growing movement to offer their goods and services. Currently, that is the case with aging in place, the new buzz word for those families who are choosing to keep their parents and grandparents in their own homes as long [...]

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We are now in November and the holiday season is moving into full swing. Many people are already Christmas shopping, while others are preparing for a full house on Thanksgiving Day. For caregivers who are already stressed due to their daily duties and responsibilities, the holidays can look like a mountain they must somehow get over [...]

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Dementia patients often suffer unnecessary medical interventions because health care workers and family members do not realize they are close to the end of their life. What most people do not understand is that dementia is fatal.

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The last three years as caregiver to my now 87-year-old father has been quite a learning experience. After he landed in the intensive care unit (ICU) of an out-of-town hospital last August due to a fall down a flight of stairs, he was sent to a rehab center to continue his treatment. He spent three [...]

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Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are hot topics of late. Some say if you are not a part of the trend, you are missing out on life. Others say the social media sites are time-consuming, distracting, and dangerous. Some people dabble in the growing phenomenon, others are addicted spending many hours a day [...]

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