Do you know what an advance directive is, much less whether your senior (or you) has one somewhere — or should? An advance directive is defined as a written statement of a person’s wishes regarding medical treatment made to ensure those wishes are carried out should the person be unable to communicate them to a doctor. … Read more
Many seniors take anticoagulants, medication to keep blood thin by preventing clots that may lead to heart attack, DVTs or stroke. Without anticoagulants, blood clots could form and travel to other parts of the body, causing other health problems. In reality, your senior’s blood is not ‘thinner’ but blood clots have more difficulty forming when … Read more
It is time to Blaze a Trail with seniors across the country. Celebrating Older Americans Month (OAM) gives us the opportunity to raise awareness about the issues facing our older adults as they try to blaze their own trails. Over their lifetimes, seniors – including your senior loved ones – have made contributions to society … Read more
Each year, care communities celebrate long term care facilities and professionals who provide care to older adults with week long activities in their facilities. This is a great opportunity to learn that the many advances in person-centered care have made caring for seniors different than we may believe — they are not our grandma’s nursing homes anymore! Nursing … Read more
When you are a family caregiver, sometimes family members — especially siblings — can offer unsolicited opinions about you are doing. Sometimes it is even the one for whom you care that feels it necessary to comment on your performance or worse yet your “caring.” These comments can be hurtful instead of helpful when you are trying … Read more
The number of seniors who have transitioned from home or hospital to a nursing home has begun to dwindle slightly as more are able to age in place, but their numbers remain strong. As of 2014, according to the CDC, there were 1.7 million licensed nursing home beds and 1.4 million nursing home residents. Is your … Read more
Caregivers worry about the safety of their senior loved ones during severe weather. It could be a winter storm, tornado, flooding, earthquake or hurricane depending on the part of the country where your senior may reside. Each region of the US has its unique weather and potential emergency situations that could pose a safety risk … Read more
“I want to go home.” It can be heart wrenching when a family caregiver hears their senior loved one say that. Sometimes you are out at the doctor or running errands, maybe you are visiting them in a senior facility. They could be in their own home where you give them daily care. It doesn’t matter … Read more
Many family caregivers of seniors will, at some point, have to answer the question “does your loved one have a DNR?” Too often that question will come at a stressful time, during a medical emergency. “What does that mean?” you may ask. You won’t have to ask that, though, after you read this article. DNR (Do Not … Read more
