A Geriatric Care Manager Can Make Moving Easier
March 9, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Submitted by JP Mondeau
I am an only child who grew up in the Boston area.  While I moved to Colorado with my wife, my parents stayed in Boston and lived in the same house for over 54 years.  When my father, now 79, had a heart attack four years ago, my wife and I began to discuss moving them out West to a facility near our home.  Fortunately my father’s health improved and so the idea of moving …

Finding The Right Doctor
February 15, 2010 · Leave a Comment

by Judy Starkweather
When my Mom moved to Atlanta, I needed to find a new doctor for her.  I received a recommendation from someone at the Assisted Living Facility where she would be residing and made an appointment. After each visit, however, I had to make additional appointments with specialists, which meant carting my 91 year old Mom from one to another. It was tough since I was working full time. My mother wasn’t very helpful. She was always saying “Why are you …

Protecting Your Parent From Falls
February 10, 2010 · Leave a Comment

by Judy Starkweather
It took awhile to convince my mother that her walking was shaky enough to warrant a cane, but once we did, it worked out well. She selected a clear acrylic one that garnered lots of compliments.  She grew to like it not only for steadying her gate, but also as a conversation piece and fashion statement!
When mom’s falls became more frequent and she needed a walker, it was a much tougher sell.  It wasn’t until she went into Assisted …

Tips for Hiring Help for Your Senior Parent
January 25, 2010 · Leave a Comment

By Joe Ponepinto
Many seniors who are healthy enough to stay in their homes, rather than move to a care facility or move in with relatives, prefer to remain in an environment that they know and feel comfortable in. But often these seniors need a little help around the house, whether it’s cleaning, doing laundry, or personal care like bathing. If children can’t provide it, then hiring a service or agency may be an option.
Before you or your parent …

Teach Your Parents Well
January 22, 2010 · Leave a Comment

I was taking my 94-year-old Mom out one day and feeling stressed. My job and the caregiving were getting the best of me. When we arrived at our destination, I got out of the car, went around to get her and as always, reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt. In a moment of sheer frustration, I said “Gee Mom, you’d think a college graduate could learn to unbuckle her seatbelt!” We laughed a bit, but she knew my fuse was shortening by …

For most of my life, one of my mother’s outstanding traits was her ability to socialize with others.  She had an ability to start, or add to, a lively conversation on most any subject and a way of making every stranger feel welcome, every person feel important.
Alzheimer’s changed that wonderful behavior and recently she has begun to just chatter, maybe for attention or maybe as an attempt to be her old self.  However, she now interrupts conversations with nonsensical, repetitive, often irrelevant chatter.  Or in the car, she will just …

Sometimes Hospitals Should Be Avoided
January 16, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Submitted by Richard Hetzler
There comes a time, if people live long enough, that hospital admission should be avoided. My mother struggled to maintain her independence into her 90s, tolerating walkers and assisted living only when necessary. Once her life was reduced to a wheelchair and skilled nursing care, she did not consider her life worth living.
While my mother was in assisted living, she appeared happy and mentally alert. After a family reunion for Thanksgiving, she developed a urinary tract infection that …

Sometimes Hospitals Should Be Avoided
January 16, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Submitted by Richard Hetzler
There comes a time, if people live long enough, that hospital admission should be avoided. My mother struggled to maintain her independence into her 90s, tolerating walkers and assisted living only when necessary. Once her life was reduced to a wheelchair and skilled nursing care, she did not consider her life worth living.
While my mother was in assisted living, she appeared happy and mentally alert. After a family reunion for Thanksgiving, she developed a urinary tract infection that …

Does Your Parent Drink Enough Water?
January 12, 2010 · Leave a Comment

This story was contributed by a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. It addresses the importance of hydration in our parents’ overall health & safety. 
On several occasions my sister and I noticed that my Mom’s dementia would get worse. We worried that this was the “beginning of the end” of her mental competency. I recall when she started holding a terrible grudge against one of our favorite caregivers at her Assisted Living Home. The caregiver’s name was Jane, but she …

When it was time to move my parents out of their home, I was lucky that my father was still very cognizant, able to help plan and execute the move.  But my mother was a different story.  She has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s three years prior and really didn’t connect with reality.  Though she still knew the family, she had lost grasp on the details of everyday life so what do you tell her?  What would easiest for her?  Did she have a need to say goodbye to her long-time …