Family
What is a Health Care Power of Attorney?
Watching a loved one's health decline is a difficult process and can be made even more stressful if he or she has not set up a health care power of attorney. A health care power of attorney, also called a health care proxy or a durable power of attorney for health care, helps protect your loved one's end-of-life wishes.... Read More
5 Keys to Providing Successful Dementia Therapy at Home
Dementia therapy is a way for a family to provide dementia activities to promote and maintain independence and mental function for as long as possible... Read More
Writing Your Will Is Not Enough
Ah. You’re feeling proud of yourself. You’ve made your will and told your relatives where to find it. You’re patting yourself on the back for your foresight and a job well done. You’re entitled to a satisfied sigh of relief—aren’t you?... Read More
What are Care Homes and How Much Should they Cost?
Across the country they are called adult family homes, personal care home, adult foster homes, and group homes or perhaps, board and care home, butthey all provide a very basic and needed service: care for seniors in a home-like setting... Read More
Helping an Aging Parent Adjust to Assisted Living
If your aging parent has made the decision to move to an assisted living, the move will be far easier than if the move is the result of your encouragement... Read More
Rethinking the Driving Conversations with Aging Parents
Ideally, you begin the Driving Conversations long before you ever need them. Your parents are decent drivers, in reasonably good health, and things are going well. Now is the time to start. Why? Precisely because it’s not needed... Read More
Feeling Good in Troubled Times…Simple Joys for Caregivers
I love fall. I like everything about it; the changing colors, the coolness in the air, the morning light, early evening dinners with the family on Sunday; and the promise of holidays upon us. I even like college football. It just feels right to me... Read More
Talking to Kids About Alzheimer’s and Dementia
I have mentioned before that I had a grandfather and grandmother with Alzheimer’s disease on opposite sides of the family. My grandfather got Alzheimer’s disease when I was about 4 years old, but no one knew what to call it at the time. Was it reversible? No one could tell us... Read More
Top 10 Design Trends for Aging in Place
Rather than look at the basics, I’d like to comment on some of the top trends – those being requested by clients, not just those suggested by designers... Read More
Decreasing Fall Risks
Falling is one of the major causes of health decline in older adults. Resulting bone breaks or other injuries often lead to being confined to chair or bed which lead to a rapid decline in overall health... Read More
How to Deal with a Difficult Sibling in Decision-making for an Aging Parent
It seems that every day I have a similar conversation with friends and colleagues. “I can’t get our family on the same page about our elderly parent. It’s like my brother came in from another planet.” I laughed the first time I heard that statement but realize that’s exactly how I felt about my brother!... Read More
Why Consider Creating an Ethical Will?
A great deal of time and attention often go into creating your “end of life documents” such as your will, health care directive, or durable power of attorney... Read More
Communication is Everything In Eldercare: Part 1 – “Sundowning” Behaviors
Even Non-Communicative Elderly Individuals are Always Communicating. Although some elderly individuals are unable to communicate using the King’s English, you may be surprised to learn that frail, chronically ill elders do communicate, albeit in a language some of their caregivers may overlook inadvertently... Read More
What Am I Going To Do About Mom?
Not long ago a reader asked for some feedback on the important issue of dealing with a difficult parent. This problem is one that many of us are facing now, or will have to deal with in the future... Read More
Should I Be A Caregiver?
We all play many roles in life. Each is important but not all can be done equally at all times. Before deciding whether to be a care giver, consider the relative importance of care giving and your other roles....Read More
Top Tips To Talk To Dad
In most of my articles, I write about helping aging women and use feminine pronouns because women out live men by an average of 8 years. But there are a lot of elderly men out there too, that their adult children are struggling to help. ... Read More
Finding the right Elder Care Mediator
When your family needs to make an important decision, hiring an elder mediator can be a crucial step in reaching an agreement. (Read part 1, part 2 and part 3)
Top 10 Secrets That Aging Parents Keep and what to do about it
Your aging parent may be keeping secrets from you. Not necessarily lies, but withholding of information that may be important to their health, safety or general well-being .... Read More
What if Your Aging Parent Has Race-Based Caregiving Preferences?
Let's not pretend it doesn't happen in aging. Just as inmates notoriously self-segregate based on race, color and national origin, there are some elders who have sincerely held beliefs about the race of any individual assigned to be their unpaid caregiver and/or paid direct care worker. ... Read More
What is Respite?
The word respite is frequently used in the world of caregivers, paid and unpaid, but how many know its meaning or the importance of it? Respite as defined by Merriam-Webster as an interval of rest or relief. ...Read the article
Living long, easy, living well, takes work
Living long and living well are two separate issues for our aging population. How can we help our parents live well and age in place for as long as possible? ... Read the article for some great tips
What do you know about home care?
We have a great three part series provided by Angil Tarach-Ritchey from Visiting Angels, Ann Arbor which covers Home Health Care, Private Duty Home Care and Hospice. A read through this series will give you a good base to ask questions from.
A (true) Boomer Fairy Tale - Lessons Learned About Accessibility
Once upon a time a young, healthy baby boomer couple purchased a three-story castle that had no elevator. They loved their spacious new, modern home! But knowing they wouldn’t live in it for many years, they chose not to modify it. After all, they were relatively active! The stairs were no problem, and offered great exercise.... Read the rest of the story
Learning to accept your parents aging - a lesson in life
If asked for the most universal issue I've encountered during my career as a Case Manager, I would have to say that it's the difficulty families have in accepting the physical and mental changes in their aging loved ones..... Read the rest of the story
Striking a Balance: Eldercare and the Workplace
From ChangingAging.org and Dr. Bill Thomas
Earlier this year Dr. Bill and Dr. Judah Ronch, dean of the Erickson School at UMBC, came up with a wonderful idea to partner with UMBC’s Wellness in the Workplace program to create a workshop dedicated to the issues of aging, eldercare and work life.
Unfortunately, few people find themselves fully prepared when they are first faced with a caregiving situation for an aging parent or loved one. Family dynamics are upturned, difficult choices must be made, all while maintaining order in your personal and professional life. Bill and Judah held their first “Eldercare and the Workplace” workshop to a packed audience in February, accompanied by Erickson M.A. in Aging Services alumnus Steve Gurney ’08, founder and publisher of the regional publication – Guide to Retirement Living.
They also appeared on our local NPR call-in radio program, Midday with Dan Rodricks, for a spirited hour-long discussion on aging and eldercare. You can listen to a podcast of the program here.
I captured some of the workshop on video and edited down some of the highlights, below:
