Elder Care Cafe

In today’s economy, we must save as much money as possible to help us in times of emergency and to prepare for our future. With many companies no longer offering the retirement packages they once did, or failing companies causing workers to lose their pensions, it is of vital importance that we reduce spending and [...]

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As seniors age, they or their caregivers need to pay special attention to oral health to help avoid possible problems with their teeth. Many seniors struggle with arthritis and are unable to brush their own teeth let alone try to floss. Others struggle with loss of memory, and may not remember whether they brushed their [...]

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Living a healthy life now seems more important than ever. While researchers are trying to find out if people who are living into their 100s are doing so because of healthy living or they have good genes, recent findings reveal that bad habits can age a person by 12 years. The Danish Aging Research Center [...]

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There are a number of activities we can participate in to keep our minds stimulated and active as we age. As explained in Part One, most of the time Alzheimer’s and dementia occurs due to disease, not aging in and of itself. We can keep our minds active much longer than we do by actively [...]

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Reading and learning about our brain and how it functions are a fascinating adventure. I recently ran across several articles that explain more about how the brain operates and what we can do to keep our brain from falling into decline. Hopefully, this information will help all of us keep our brain active long into [...]

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How to Maintain a Healthy Brain No Matter How Old You Are! In years past, scientists thought we lost brain power as we aged. Now, they are realizing that we keep most of our brain cells as long as we live. In recent years we have seen a plethora of ads calling for us to [...]

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As we age, we start to experience body aches and pains that we did not experience when we were young. Unfortunately, most of us do not respond well to those aches, nor do we really know what to do about them. What we need to learn is that there is a difference between an ache [...]

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Last week our local newspaper, The Lansing State Journal, contained an article about the discussions the city was having regarding the establishment of a streetcar line between downtown Lansing and a large mall in a popular outlying suburban area. Why I got excited about the news is that, partially by choice, I have not had a [...]

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Over the years, I started to notice a chronic ache here, a slight painful few days there. Usually the ache or pain would go away after a while. I was quite athletic as a child until well into my thirties and forties. After a long run or a night of bowling three to six games, [...]

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My mother died of a stroke in 2004 as a result of TIA dementia. For at least ten years prior to her death, mini-strokes slowly reduced her ability to function on all levels, particularly on a cognitive (mental) level. I remember a particular afternoon when Mom and I were sitting side-by-side on her living room sofa [...]

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Sundown syndrome is not new, and in fact caregivers to the elderly have been aware of this phenomenon for years. Around sundown, family members and second shift care givers to the elderly noticed an increase in memory loss, confusion, and agitation in those they were caring for. Their loved ones worsened condition often confused family [...]

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Unfortunately, I have struggled with osteoporosis for many years. After a couple of decades of bowling, more than one painful fall to my knees, and just plain lack of attention and care to my body, my knees are hurting. Doing lunges and squats while weight-lifting did not help either. Whenever I run across an article about [...]

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