Elder Care Cafe

As a caregiver of an elderly male, I’ve tried to be honest about what goes on in our lives because I hope that our experience can be of help to others. My father has had problems with sinus infections for decades. Recently, we noticed that he once again was showing the signs of the infection [...]

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The good news is that just because you are having problems with your memory that does not mean you are facing a diagnosis of dementia. The bad news is that you may have another problem or two in your life that needs to be addressed. As we age we become more forgetful because our brains [...]

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When I first moved in with Dad in the fall of 2006, I had no problem sleeping through the night. In fact, I was a good sleeper! I woke up alert and ready to face the day. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before I struggled with sleeping all night, woke up tired, and forced myself [...]

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The risk of losing a tooth increases with age, but there are ways of replacing missing teeth. Missing teeth do not just affect the aesthetics of your smile, they also cause problems with the function of the mouth and it is always beneficial to consider treatment to replace lost teeth. How are Teeth Lost? There [...]

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This week was a thrill as I was able to publish my second Kindle book in the Caring for Aging Parents series. Caregiver Burnout begins with a brief story about my relationship with Dad and how I ended up struggling with burnout. The rest of the seventy-two page book is much more positive and has [...]

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Several years ago I wrote an article about sundown syndrome that apparently hit a nerve with quite a number of people. That article has been the highest searched post on this site, month after month since 2010. I’ve always wanted to write more about the topic, and did write one follow-up, but still felt like [...]

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Treatment for high blood pressure is much easier than you might think in most cases. It is vitally important that you keep your blood pressure under control. In fact, it is so vital to your overall health that researchers adjusted the guidelines in 2003 to reflect the concern researchers and health care professionals had regarding [...]

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After a trip to the doctor’s office yesterday, I was thinking how important a visit to the doctor is for those who are elderly or are questioning unexplained symptoms. You can live the healthiest lifestyle on your block, but it is still important that you know when a doctor’s visit is in order so that [...]

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This article is a guest post from Brian McGovern of ElderKind.com. I really appreciate Brian’s message about arthritis and hope you do too. Be sure to check out his website; the link is at the bottom of this article. Arthritis is a chronic illness that affects millions of senior citizens. The disease causes joint inflammation [...]

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In recent years researchers studying all things concerning Alzheimer’s and dementia have seen a connection between lack of sleep and the disease. The question they are most concerned about now is whether the lack of sleep is due to Alzheimer’s or is it the other way around – is the disease causing sleep deprivation? A study funded [...]

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In my early thirties I started having health problems when I was diagnosed with thyroid problems. Since then I’ve struggled with occasional bouts of depression, fatigue, and now growing signs of dementia now that I’ve reached my mid-sixties. It seems like each decade has brought its own health challenges, and along with that an increasing [...]

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The word cancer brings shivers to most people who know how insidious, dangerous, and lethal the disease can be. One of the most deadly forms is colorectal cancer if it is not diagnosed in time. Years ago I worked in the Surgery Department of a large hospital. During that time a campaign was initiated throughout [...]

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Did you know that you can get a sun burn during the winter months? People who spend time on ski slopes, at outdoor ice skating rinks, or sledding on their favorite hill can also develop sunburn if they are not careful. The best barometer of whether or not you may be a candidate for skin [...]

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As most of us are aware, as we age we experience numerous changes in our body. Quite often one of those changes is our sense of smell. Unfortunately, any change in our sense of smell can also affect our enjoyment of what we eat and drink, as well as how we eat and what nutrients [...]

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Did you know that you can have high blood pressure for years without noticing any symptoms? I didn’t either. But, what I found out was that high blood pressure that is uncontrolled can increase your risk of a heart or stroke, or other serious health problems. It can occur when the force of the blood [...]

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