The Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center, a service of the National Institute on Aging, released a guide recently for those who care for family members or others with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at home. The guide, Caring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease, cov[...]
I have been thankful for a long time that I was born toward the end of the baby boom generation. With few exceptions (such as the financial mess we’re in), I believe the leading-edge baby boomers (born around 1946) have lead the charge with innovative initiatives to improve quality of care for[...]
The Caregiver’s Voice answers questions about preventing abuse in nursing homes. How do my sisters, brother, and I ensure that Mom won’t be abused in the nursing home? Most of the time we can rest assured our loved ones will be well cared for in a nursing home. However, there are those r[...]
It’s one thing to deal with our own clutter (uh-hmm, possessions). What happens when we have to dispose of our loved one’s things? Holly Whiteside, author of The Caregiver’s Compass, offers a thought-provoking perspective as she faces the disposition of her late mother’s trea[...]
Toward the end of my father’s life, he had difficulty chewing food and eventually swallowing. I didn’t know it then. One morning, while feeding him breakfast at the nursing home, I stuffed more and more food in his mouth, thinking this might stimulate him to swallow. Upon seeing his stuffed cheeks, [...]
Alzheimer's disease--Four updates: sign petition and support a cross-country bike ride to raise awareness, consider participating in a clinical trial, and snort insulin for improved cognitive function.[...]
Expert wife and husband team, Roya Sayadi, PhD, CCC-SLP and Joel Herskowitz, MD, answer this question. Swallowing can be tricky. It’s not something we usually pay much attention to until there’s an obvious problem like choking or gagging. How can you tell if your loved one has a swallowing problem? [...]
If you had the option of being tested to see if you had the marker for Alzheimer's disease years before you showed any of the effects (e.g., forgetfulness, disorientation), would you want the test?[...]
I was touched by how Holly Whiteside dealt with her mother’s treasured possessions after she died of Alzheimer’s. She describes it in The Caregiver’s Compass. Since clutter is a problem to varying degrees for nearly all of us and since the media has also jumped on the bandwagon wit[...]
A beautifully created book. Easy to read, featuring a photo on every other page. Mother-daughter co-authors, Gayle Alexander and Anne Alexander Vincent, present Gayle’s work as the founder of Nashville, Tennessee-based Spiritual Journeys for Women and their joint efforts leading retreats on spiritua[...]
Holly Whiteside presents a touching perspective on dealing with her own possessions as she faces the disposition of her late mother’s treasured possessions in The Caregiver’s Compass. Since clutter is a problem at varying degrees for nearly all of us and since the media has also jumped o[...]
While we Americans celebrate our 227th anniversary of independence from British rule on this Fourth of July, I reflect on a family tradition that has been the constant across the highs and lows of forty-five years. Beginning during childhood and continued while caregiving, I invite you to join me on[...]
