You’ve finally been able to sit down with your healthcare provider at an anxiously awaited appointment to discuss a worrisome health problem. But all too soon it’s over, and you realize you didn’t quite understand the diagnosis and treatment, you have more questions and you feel like you weren’t heard. Perhaps the doctor stared at […]
The headlines tell the story: “Pair targets elderly in home-repair scam,” ”Dallas police arrest man in home-repair scams targeting the elderly” and “He lost more than $60,000 in home improvement scam.” In one case, an elderly woman in Lincoln County, Missouri, was approached by a man who said he had done work for her late […]
The U.S. Government Accounting Office predicts that by 2020 the number of older Americans living alone with no living children or siblings will be 1.2 million. That figure for “solo agers,” or “elder orphans,” is almost double the reported figure in 1990. Because family members provide 70 to 80 percent of eldercare, those without family […]
As soon as the Medicare open enrollment period starts, scammers begin their efforts to steal your identity. The National Council on Aging (July 17, 2015) offers five tips to avoid the most common Medicare scams. Know how identity theft works. Someone pretending to work for Medicare may contact you and tell you they need your […]
Family members and caregivers of people who suffer from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia can often feel helpless. Dementia is usually caused by irreversible factors that people can’t control, and this creates situations where people who want to act in a positive way find that they simply don’t know what to do to help. […]
Most of us go about our daily activities without paying much attention to the details. We often go to bed at night thinking that the day went by quickly without much happening, but the reality is that our lives are filled with activities – many of which we take for granted. For seniors, taking day-to-day […]
If it seems like yoga has become a lot more mainstream in the last few years, you’re not just imagining things – the ancient practice has seen quite a resurgence lately here in the United States, especially among those who may have shown little interest in the past. New yoga studios are opening every day […]
As people continue to live longer lives, the strain placed on family caregivers of the elderly grows dangerously. Children of seniors are spending more of their own lives looking after Mom or Dad, and in many cases, it’s causing them to neglect their needs, health and other family responsibilities. This issue isn’t going to go […]
Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia, requires a specific and dedicated kind of care. Caregivers must work closely with their patients, whose worlds seem to shrink as their cognitive function, memory and mental sharpness deteriorate. This creates feelings of isolation, which can lead to depression, so it’s critical for caregivers and […]
Few things in our world are as associated with freedom as the ability to drive. Our culture has been obsessed with cars for the greater part of a century, and for many people, coming of age doesn’t happen until the driver’s test is passed and a license is issued. Unfortunately, there comes a time in […]
