Elder Care Cafe

WOW! as my grandson frequently says. In the busyness of our life this month, I forgot to celebrate Elder Care Cafe’s 2nd birthday. How could I forget such an important milestone after last year’s fabulous party. Elder Care Cafe officially opened for business on August 3, 2008 and we have come a long way since [...]

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Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating and devastating illness, but you can do some things to reduce the pain and fatigue, including developing a proper diet plan. For example, fatty foods can exacerbate the effects of rheumatoid arthritis as can foods that promote weight gain – sugars and breads. Trial and error might be in order [...]

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Osteoporosis is likely to affect men over 70 and women over 50 and can result in serious and life-changing fractures if not treated. Osteoporosis occurs when calcium and phosphate leave the bones and are reabsorbed in the body, leaving the bones thinner and weaker. Osteoporosis in women is sometimes caused by an estrogen shortage during [...]

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If you’ve recently been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, you may be feeling isolated and frustrated. Osteoarthritis can drastically upturn your lifestyle by making you feel like the disease is running you and that you’ve lost control. There are ways to manage the pain and restrictions that come with this debilitating ailment – and the first step [...]

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The longer we live, the more likely we are to suffer life-changing situations and grief in our lives that might bring on bouts of depression. We’re more vulnerable to changes and sometimes don’t have the energy or the money or any other means to change situations that happen to upend our lives. Most elderly depression [...]

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Attacks of gout occur when uric acid accumulates in the joints. Gout is a type of arthritis that is extremely painful and may affect one or more joints. Joints affected are usually in the lower extremities such as the big toes, ankles or knees and the onset of pain is sudden and excruciating. Some attacks [...]

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Although summer is winding down, there are still plenty of daylight hours left especially in the southern states. Many people, particularly aging seniors, are not aware how easy it is to get skin cancer. My mother spent a lot of time outdoors all her life, and in her later years developed skin cancer on her [...]

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Mealtimes can sometimes be one of the most difficult aspects of caring for someone who has Alzheimer’s or dementia. Among the many challenges the disease can cause are the loss of interest in food, having a poor appetite or the lack of desire to eat, forgetting to eat, or that they have already eaten. One [...]

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Trying to manage the care of your aging parents can be difficult in the best of circumstances. When you live many miles away, it becomes much more problematic to keep an eye on how they are doing. At some point in time, you will probably decide you need to see for yourself just what your [...]

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In today’s society, many adult children live quite a number of miles from their aging parents. When you live miles away from a parent who has a debilitating disease such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, the ability to care for your parent becomes much more complicated. You may have concerns about their nutrition, safety, and overall [...]

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We discussed in part one of this article how planning a structured day can help give substance and meaning to the life of someone who is struggling with Alzheimer’s or dementia. In part two we discussed how to approach each day. If your loved one awakes in the morning with little or no structure they may just [...]

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We discussed in Part 1 of this series how having a structured day can help give substance and meaning to the life of someone who is struggling with Alzheimer’s or any other form of dementia. If they awake in the morning with little or no structure they may just drift throughout the day until it [...]

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For those who are struggling with Alzheimer’s or dementia, having a somewhat structured day can help give substance and meaning to their life. If they awoke in the morning and there was no or very little structure throughout the day, they would drift like an unmoored boat until time to go to bed. Planning and providing [...]

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One of the devastating results of Alzheimer’s disease or related types of dementia is that it gradually diminishes a person’s ability to communicate. If you suspect that you or your loved one might be showing signs of Alzheimer’s or dementia see your doctor right away. The sooner the disease is diagnosed, the sooner you and [...]

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According to a report released earlier this year, the answer is no. The report also disputed the notion that high priced supplements or exotic herbs can also prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, no one has yet found a way to prevent the disease or slow mild cognitive decline. The high cost of hope [...]

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