The most effective caregivers bring a personal touch to their work, making caregiving much more than just medication reminders, meal preparation, or transportation assistance. While practical skills are essential, a caregiver’s ability to build a genuine connection with the senior is even more critical. Here are five tips to help you choose the right in-home care provider. 1. Search for…
Older adults enjoy plenty of perks, from popular senior citizen discounts to their own special day. National Senior Citizen’s Day is observed annually on August 21 to honor their contributions to family and society. Communities are encouraged to celebrate seniors on this occasion. The number of people aged 65 and over in the US runs in the millions and is…
National Assisted Living Week is held annually each September to honor the ongoing contributions of the dedicated staff and volunteers as well as the surrounding communities involved in the operations of assisted living facilities. Aging residents are celebrated, too, on this special day. What is the value of assisted living facilities? Seniors who wish to live independently but require minimal…
Perhaps you saw the video that went viral a while back about the elderly Alzheimer’s patient who was transformed when he was given a iPod loaded with the music of his era? (You can watch the video on the “Music and Memory Project” website.) Over the past few years, researchers have offered new insight into the ways music promotes healthy aging…
It’s not a myth the Adult Home Care Industry has suffered from bad publicity – bad news spread quickly. Seeing our elderly being mistreated, exploited and sometimes killed goes against our feelings and moral values. As well, is hard for reputable Home Care Companies to overcome that sticky stigma. As a Home Care Agency we found the importance of networking meetings…
A new study offers some good news for caregivers and other loved ones of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. The study shows that even if patients immediately forget a shared joke or a meaningful conversation, the warm feelings associated with the experience can stick around and boost their mood. In the University of Iowa study, published in the Proceedings of the…
During the ongoing national debate over healthcare reform, there is one point most people can agree on: the need to curtail the growing epidemic of healthcare fraud. Estimates put the loss at $65 billion a year to Medicare alone. Government agencies are working hard to catch these crooks—and you can help by protecting yourself and loved ones against medical identity…
We humans are “hardwired” to crave and rely on human contact. Unlike, for example, a turtle, which hatches from a buried egg and is on its own from that moment on, people depend on other people for survival. Brain experts explain this “wiring”: early human beings lived in small, interdependent groups. To survive and thrive, individuals needed to be finely…
“I felt so insulted and so hurt. It was like their father had met some gal at a bar and married her the next day, and she wanted all his money. I felt they didn’t give me any credit, or any respect, appreciation or anything. It still hurts.” —Remarried wife of 12 years, caring for husband with Alzheimer’s disease, about…
For most of us, the automobile represents independence, control and mobility. Most of today’s seniors built their lives around the ability to drive wherever they wanted—to work, to visit friends, to shop, to their faith community and on vacation. Yet the normal changes of aging can make driving more challenging. Hearing loss, vision problems, decreased reaction time, memory loss and…
