For New Year’s, a lot of people make a resolution to improve their health. Some commit to eating a healthier diet, while others pledge to make it to the gym more often. While these steps are no doubt good for your health, it might be just as important to resolve to build and nurture your [...]
Over the summer, I wrote about the challenges that can come with long-distance caregiving, defined as living more than an hour from the care recipient. While serving as a caregiver for a loved one under any circumstances can present a number of challenges, long-distance caregiving has its own unique set of difficulties. Long-distance caregivers have [...]
In the United States, more and more people are taking on the role of caregiver to an aging loved one. In fact, a 2015 study by The National Alliance for Caregiving revealed that over 34 million adults are serving as a caregiver for a senior. Most caregivers are female (60 percent), and they are 49 [...]
I know that it’s only within the last 10 years or so that the term “aging in place” has become part of the vernacular, driven in large part by countless industry articles and surveys showing that upwards of 90 percent of seniors say they want to stay in their home for as long as possible. [...]
Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to a large group of prospective residents at a life plan community (also called a continuing care retirement community, or CCRC) in Phoenix, Arizona. Following the presentation, a couple from the audience came up and spoke with me. I could see right away that they were considerably [...]
In last week’s post, I highlighted a recent article that discussed the advice that caregivers of a family member who has Alzheimer’s disease would share with others who are newly embarking on this labor of love. Much of the advice centered around the emotional and financial challenges that caregiving can present and the need to [...]
Some journeys you get to pick; others are chosen for you. Such is the case for people who are caring for a loved one who is suffering from a degenerative mental condition like Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common form of dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.7 million Americans are currently living with [...]
Money. Even under the best of circumstances, it’s a subject few people want to discuss…even with individuals in their own family. But as people age, it becomes important—and sometimes necessary—that the senior’s adult children or another trusted person has an understanding of their financial situation—what is sometimes referred to as “financial caregiving.” It happens too [...]
Dementia is not one specific disease. Instead, it’s a general term used to describe a decline in mental capabilities, such as memory issues, that are severe enough to affect activities of daily living (ADLs). Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, accounting for around 70 percent of diagnoses, but there are other types too, [...]
The death of a spouse or partner is one of the most difficult experiences people will endure in life, requiring more psychological and behavioral adjustment than just about any other period of life transition. And there is ample research that confirms it. The Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) study, conducted out of the University [...]
