Securing Your Loved One
Is your loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s a wander risk? There are frequent articles in the news about individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease who wander from homes or care communities. How do you know if your loved one is at risk? What precautions should you take? Gated communities offer safety and security for a [...]
Is Your Dying Loved one Starving?
Your loved one is on hospice care. They sleep most of the time and have stopped eating. You are concerned that because they are not drinking or eating that they are starving. Toward end of life, the body’s need for nutrition shuts down. Your loved one is not starving; their body is in transition, not [...]
Do You Spend More on Healthcare for Your Pet Than for Yourself?
Americans love their pets. I’ve had five different dogs in the past 25 years, all adopted from pet shelters who have since passed on. But when our pets become older and sick, what’s the right thing to do? Do we spend exorbitant amounts of money on cancer treatments, hip replacements and other surgeries? Or do [...]
What’s Your Caregiver Level of Pain?
What questions do you have as a caregiver for a loved one? What issues result in stress? What issues result in guilt? What issues result in fear? What issues result in anger? What are you willing to do about it? Visit The Care Navigator library and access free articles on a variety of subjects. You [...]
Healthcare Reform
Why rush a good thing? If current recommendations for health care are so solid, so appropriate, so researched, financially feasible and so well thought out, why rush? The current Medicare and Medicaid systems are facing issues. Why not fix the current problems before adding to the list of issues that need attention. Reforming health care [...]
Taking Away the Car Keys
One of the most traumatic and upsetting experiences for an older adult is relinquishing the ability to operate an automobile. Some older adults who possess cognitive ability can understand the need to give up the keys. Others with memory or other cognitive problems find this extremely difficult as they remember always being a safe and [...]
Needing Care or Leaving an Inheritance
A client has saved for years and has a sizeable nest egg. The same client needs a higher level of care to maintain health; a move from an independent living community to assisted living. Concerned about not leaving a legacy to charities, this client hesitates to spend money on care. This is a common conflict [...]
Urinary Tract Infections Result in Confusion and Delusions
In older adults, urinary tract infections can quickly result in confusion and delusions. If your loved one suddenly becomes confused, delusional and seems to have increased issues with mobility or balance, suspect a urinary tract infection. It’s easy to contact the physician for an appointment or to collect a sample for analysis. By catching urinary [...]
Schizophrenia in Different Forms Challenges Caregivers
Two individuals I know are diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. One repeatedly talks about situations where harm occurred and expresses fear and concern about events occurring again. This individual, however, has no other issues and can generally participate with others and in society. This person realizes that mention of her concerns should not be expressed publicly. [...]
Cognitive Issues Frustrating for Family Members
When a family member is diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, the situation can be especially difficult if the diagnosis was made after the disease has progressed beyond comprehension. There is a stage when a loved one can no longer understand the diagnosis and often becomes angry when the disease is mentioned. The person can [...]
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