It is Heart Month and a great time to begin making changes to improve our heart health. As we do, it’s important to consider the link between heart health and brain health. Maintaining good blood flow to the brain has been linked with delaying the onset of — and even preventing –cognitive impairment, including dementia. Who wouldn’t want … Read more
Family caregivers of senior adults can find themselves tackling situations that are foreign to them on a daily basis. One caregiving task that might be unique for you as a caregiver of an elder family member is caring for their dentures. Yes, someone else’s teeth! “No way,” you say? Dentures require special care to keep them clean, … Read more
There are many myths of aging — beliefs that, while widely held, are not true. Many people have preconceived notions about how we should or shouldn’t be aging and how our bodies should reflect our aging. Multiple media messages that tell us to do this activity to avoid aging or take this pill to stop the signs … Read more
Arthritis is a constant source of pain for millions of our senior loved ones, with impacts to their lives going beyond the pain. Seniors’ arthritis can result in self-limiting actions, causing them to stop doing the things they love doing. It can even interfere with or take away their independence. Did you know that arthritis is … Read more
“To sleep, perchance to dream” is a Shakespeare quote of which I remind myself when I am really tired. The unfortunate truth is, when I am most tired, the dreams become weird imaginings that tend to wake me from a sound sleep, putting me right back in a sleep deprived state. Does that happen to … Read more
The recent outbreak of measles has sparked debate about immunizations for children, leaving family caregivers to wonder how it will affect their senior loved ones (and themselves). Did you know that older adults got the measles at Disneyland? As of this writing, 121 people were affected in that outbreak, including people up to age 70. Most of … Read more
Dental care – can it really be all that important to seniors and their family caregivers? Family caregivers have so much responsibility every day just getting all the jobs done. We often don’t get all the daily tasks completed as the sun begins to set. We merely add the unfinished tasks to the next day’s list in … Read more
Do you have a senior loved one with dementia and notice your senior having more difficulty seeing or hearing things lately? Have you observed subtle changes in them such as straining to see or hear, sitting closer to you or turning up the volume of the TV? Did you realize that even seemingly small changes … Read more
Caregivers who look forward to having a nice dinner and relaxing at the end of the day may find that their senior loved one with cognitive impairment makes that dream a nightmare. Many older adults who have dementia find that time of the day, referred to by some as the gloaming, a very difficult time. … Read more
