Elder Care Cafe

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Many caregivers involved in elder care are relatives of the aging senior. In most cases, they are caring for their family member out of love and compassion. By definition, caring is to feel a special interest or concern about someone or something. It takes a special person to care for someone else’s needs, especially on a daily basis. And, in particular, someone who lives in the same house and provides care around the clock.

When I visit forums where caregivers and concerned family members collect to share their stories, I am amazed at the dedication and love that pours out even when the caregiver is frustrated, angry, and feeling overwhelmed by their responsibilities. [Read more →]

A diagnosis of glaucoma can be devastating to hear. Glaucoma is the name of a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. You can lose your vision when this nerve becomes damaged. People with the disease will first notice the loss of their peripheral or side vision. If left untreated the vision loss can lead to total blindness.

Unfortunately, glaucoma is also on the rise in the United States due to changes in the demographic make-up of the nation. [Read more →]

One of the main reasons that people develop cataracts is the aging process, but they can also occur if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, are a smoker, drink too much alcohol, have a family history of cataracts and numerous other medical problems. The first symptom of cataracts is usually that your vision is hampered by cloudy lens. Cataracts develop slowly, are painless, and usually don’t impair your vision until later on. [Read more →]

Macular degeneration is a chronic eye disease usually associated with aging, and in fact is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over 60. Macula is the tissue just inside the back of your eye and is about the size of a pencil eraser. Macular degeneration occurs when the small central portion of the retina, the macula, deteriorates.
 
While this disease doesn’t result in a complete loss of vision, your lifestyle will probably go through drastic changes. Such changes could include the inability to drive a car, to read, watch television, or do close work such as sewing and needlecraft or anything else that requires precise, focused vision. [Read more →]

A side effect of aging or even chronic illness that most people do not understand is the loneliness that most seniors experience. Loneliness isn’t just about being alone. It is about being lonely, and, unfortunately, it comes with a price.

Along with loneliness comes the feeling of isolation, of being disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and the rest of society. Most people who are lonely feel like they don’t belong even when they are surrounded by their loved ones. [Read more →]

There are a couple types of depression that may show themselves in today’s economic times. Short-term depression occurs in most all of us at some time or other in our lives, but severe depression is more serious and may require some type of medical care or intervention. Severe depression is when the feelings become so agonizing that it extends to every area of life, and the person suffering may think that there’s no solution. [Read more →]

The economic decline over the last couple of years in the United States, with its accompanying number of people who have lost their jobs, their lifestyles, and often their homes, reminds me how many people could also be struggling with depression. Unfortunately, the older people are when enduring these life-changing losses, the more likely they will become depressed and continue to struggle with depression as they move into their later years. [Read more →]

Although our ability to taste may change as we age, tasting is still one of the most pleasurable senses we have. That enjoyment should continue into our senior years. The ability to taste helps us enjoy eating and drinking, and aids in determining whether a food is good or bad for us.

Sometimes when aging seniors have a serious problem with their ability to taste, they find they have a loss of appetite. Their lack of appetite can lead to weight loss that could compromise their health, impairing their immune system and thus causing them to be more susceptible to disease. [Read more →]

Many of you will remember Jane Pauley from her 13 years on NBC’s Today Show and later her 12-year stint on Dateline NBC. The good news for her fans is that she will appear on the Today show once a month as an ambassador in the new AARP-sponsored segment, Your Life is Calling With Jane Pauley.

During the monthly segments she will report on how people over 50 are reinventing the way they live and work, testing the assumptions on how some baby boomers are choosing to reshape their lives as they enter their senior years.

She has been married to cartoonist Gary Trudeau for over 30 years and has three children, twins Ross and Rachel, born in 1983, and Thomas, born in 1986. If you haven’t yet seen her on NBC’s Today Show, you can catch her segments at AARP.org/Jane.

According to three recent studies, certain life style changes can help prevent the brain decline that is the forerunner of Alzheimer’s disease. Improving living and dietary habits such as drinking lots of green tea, engaging in plenty of exercise and increasing the amount of vitamin D in the body all play a part in slowing or preventing the disease in an individual.

As encouraging as these results sound, there are a number of others in the scientific community who do not believe such life style changes will ward off dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. They believe that people are just grasping at straws while trying to save themselves or their loved ones from the devastating disease. [Read more →]

Many times you will hear the term active aging as it relates to the senior citizens of today.  Active aging means that seniors strive to remain active and strong into their later years to prevent the loss of mobility. Loss of mobility in seniors can drastically change their lifestyles and some might never recover.

However, a daily health plan that includes healthy diet and exercises designed to keep joints moving and the mind sharp can help you stay mobile much farther into your senior years than in past decades. [Read more →]

As people age, socializing must rank right up there with diet and exercise on the ladder of importance.  When a spouse dies or an aging senior becomes ill, sometimes family and friends withdraw simply because the person no longer fits into their lifestyle. Instead of keeping busy and finding new friends, many seniors often become depressed because of their growing loneliness. Unfortunately, loneliness can lead to other problems such as alcoholism, heart disease, or even cancer. [Read more →]

While today’s article is more likely directed to teens and young adults than it is to the elderly, there are a number of baby boomers who should also pay close attention to this information. Exposure to loud noise over a period of time is one of the most common causes of permanent hearing loss. Because it develops slowly and there is no pain or other symptoms associated with it, most people do not realize they have a problem with hearing loss until it is too late. [Read more →]

Unfortunately, hearing loss cannot be reversed, but you can often boost your hearing with special aids or treatments. Hearing loss due to aging is common and heredity can also be a factor. Blockages from earwax can cause a certain amount of hearing loss that prevents you from hearing sounds. Ear infections and bone growth or tumors that affect the middle or outer ear can also cause hearing loss. [Read more →]

Although over 100,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year, the majority of people who develop the disease have no known risk factors. While the exact cause of colorectal cancer is not known, there are a number of risk factors that figure into your susceptibility to the disease.

Colon cancer and rectal cancer are known together as colorectal cancer. The truth is that each of us, no matter what our background or current health status, is at risk. That’s why it is important that you know the warning signs and are aware of what the risk factors are so that you can discuss them with your health care provider. [Read more →]