In-home health care is often cited as one of the fastest growing industries in the economy. Researchers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics have pointed out that the number of home health care workers is expected to grow by 70 percent by 2014. For caregivers like us, this means that many of us are having to make some very import…[more]

Most of us don’t make a habit of touring assisted living and nursing facilities, just for the heck of it. I guess there are more interesting things to do. But if you have any reason to believe a loved one may need a facility in the future, it doesn’t hurt to check out facilities so you have an idea of what is good and wha…[more]

$593.43. I’m standing at the pharmacy counter. If I write a check, I can’t pay my house payment. $593.43. I pull out a credit card, grit my teeth and slide the card through. I work for a good company, one that was willing to hire me at age 56 after a divorce and twenty years out of the “…[more]

Can people with Alzheimer's disease continue to learn? Most people would say that they cannot, as their short-term memory is deteriorating, and we need to hold a concept in our short-term memory before we can commit it to long term memory.  However, a story by Angela Jimenez on nytimes.com tells of a doctor who has been proving this concept to be false, at least in some instancesRead more about using Montessori techniques for Alzheimer's:

In many ways I was fortunate as I made decisions about my parents deaths. My mother's sister and her husband were ten years older than my parents. They came out to the prairie to live near us, their only family, as aging and health problems took over their lives. We helped them through the death pr…[more]

Alzheimer's disease and other dementias rob our loved ones of their personalities. We are often left wondering whether we should try to preserve the person, in the eyes of others, as they once would have wished to be seen? Or do we just give into reality? Do we just accept who they are now, and let go of the past? What would they…[more]

Often, when I speak at conferences and workshops, one of the other speakers is a hospice representative or program director. I always enjoy listening to these talks and I always learn something from them. Last spring, I spoke in Crookston, Minnesota. One of the other speakers was, of course, from hospice. The Rev. Jane Millikan , Spiritual C…[more]

Diet and Alzheimer's are sharing the news again. This time, ScienceDaily is running a story titled, "High-fat Diet Could Promote Development Of Alzheimer's Disease," which links diets rich in animal fat to Alzheimer's disease.A team of researchers has shown, "that the main neurological markers for Alzheimer's disease are ex…[more]

November is National Family Caregivers Month. What better way to mark the occasion than to tell you about a gem of a book titled To Survive Caregiving: A Daughter's Experience, A Doctor's Advice on Finding Hope, Help and Health? I saw a brief announcement about this book, written by Cheryl E…[more]

Caregivers, this month is for you. November is officially National Family Caregivers Month. Will you take time to honor yourself this month? Likely, it hasn’t occurred to you, as you are too busy keeping up with your job, your kids and your caregiving duties. You are too busy keep…[more]