The holidays are a time when families get together for joyous celebration—but when your family includes someone suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia, that can make the time spent together a little bit more stressful and challenging. This is not to say that the holidays season cannot still be delightful—but it may require some planning and recalibrated expectations on everyone’s part. …
Looking for Signs That Your Parents Need Care
The holidays are coming, and with them, the opportunity for plenty of time spent with friends and family. This can be a joyous thing, but also a difficult one—especially if you spend time with aging parents whose physical and mental health seems precarious to you. This is a sad but normal part of growing up: Eventually, your mom and dad …
Should Seniors Be Screened for Depression?
There is an argument that can be made for senior citizens to be screened for mental health disorders—and for depression, in particular—as part of their routine medical care. That argument is simply this: While depression is by no means a normal part of aging, it is quite common among those who are in their senior years. In fact, WebMD reports …
Preparing to Become an Alzheimer’s Caregiver
Learning that your aging parent has Alzheimer’s is difficult and emotional news to hear. You’ll undoubtedly have a number of questions about the disease and its prognosis, and about what you can expect from your parent’s daily behavior. You will also have to face tough questions about caregiving like whether or not you will provide day-to-day care or transition your …
What is Respite Care?
Being a caregiver to someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia is a full-time job—and as with any full-time job, you sometimes need to take a break, to preserve your own mental health and to protect against burnout. What options are available to full-time dementia caregivers, though? One answer is respite care, which allows the caregiver to take a temporary rest while …
Home Safety and Alzheimer’s
The onset of Alzheimer’s can bring a number of concerns—including practical concerns over safety. While individuals with Alzheimer’s can certainly remain in their home, certain precautions need to be taken to keep the home safe and secure. How exactly does dementia impact safety? There are several possibilities, just depending on the stage of the dementia: Dementia can impact judgment—i.e., forgetting …
Stirring Memories Through Activity
What can you do when a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s? How can you support a loved one with Alzheimer’s? We get these questions frequently, and the answer to them may be more complex than you imagine. The truth is, selecting the right activities for those who have dementia is important—and not just because we want to keep them …
Signs That Your Loved One May Have Alzheimer’s
It is often difficult to accept that our loved one is experiencing the onset of dementia, or exhibiting warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Being mindful of the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s is important, though: The earlier we recognize the risk factors in our family members—whether spouses or aging parents—the more readily we can seek prompt intervention. Here are just …