I had a call this month from a local hospital discharge planner complimenting us on our professional advocacy (Geriatric Care Management) for clients, our team spirit and wise counsel. She was also very impressed with our caregivers in the hospital setting – whom she said were kind, helpful and an asset to the client. We [...]
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Watch the video blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbOpD9U-jNw
What do you do when you hear that your mother has been hospitalized and you know she has dementia, even though it has not been diagnosed because your father wasn’t ready to hear the truth? Now, Dad is gone, and you have a situation than can go from bad to worse [...]
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Not everyone can care for an individual who has memory impairment and doesn’t reside in the same reality as the rest of us due to cognitive changes brought on by an organic dementia.
Even family members who have been to classes and seem to understand the process, get caught up in the old relationship. They forget [...]
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Is your marriage at risk because you have only time for your parents’ needs? Are you still trying to get mom’s approval at the risk of losing your marriage? Are you using your parents care needs as a distraction for working on your relationship?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, it is time [...]
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Watch the video blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Bt4HWZRsI
More and more of us are caring for our aging family members at the same time as working, caring for adult children and wondering if we can ever retire. Some of us are even retiring early and reducing our possible pensions and social security benefits to care for a family member.
According [...]
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Posted in Age Related Issues, Alzheimer's, Care Management, Caregiving, Dementia and Memory Loss, Elder Abuse and Fraud, End of Life, Health Care Reform, Relationships, adult children on Aug 3rd, 2010
Two of my client’s families have told me this week that their parent has reached the “donut hole,” that place in the Medicare D (drug plan) where they will need to cover all the costs of prescriptions until they reach an even higher level and then Medicare will cover most of the costs.
The question I [...]
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Watch this video blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvSyldkV_cQ
I taught a class that I teach often this past week and heard from many participants in the class: “I’ve been doing it all wrong”; “I wish I took this class 2 years ago”; “I struggle trying to make my mother understand what I am saying, for me and not her, [...]
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Yes, no, maybe? This prospect dances out there in the breeze every so often. We get glimpses of it occasionally then seemingly effortlessly the thought drifts to another day. This might be a decision you could be making for yourself or, even more dauntingly, for someone else.
The idea of giving up our home, whether it [...]
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Watch the video blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oltA6PVmEXo
Often families come to the conclusion that it’s a safety risk for their frail elder family member to stay at home yet 24/7 in-home care is not affordable. The question arises: What is best for Mom or Dad?
Remember to think of future needs as you make a decision for the needs [...]
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When a parent or spouse can no longer do what they did yesterday, it becomes another transition for the primary caregiver and for the extended family.
These transitions catch us off guard and an overwhelming sense of loss and grief is experienced by the primary care provider. The caregiver often does not label this as a [...]
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