Husband with Dementia Talks to His Long-Deceased Parents
Dear Carol: Though my husband was diagnosed with dementia four years ago, he’s had symptoms for much longer. I’ve learned a lot from reading your column and joining a support group, but I’m still struggling with some of his behavior. What’s going on is that he sees and/or talks with his long-deceased parents. I’ve told him that they are waiting for him in heaven, but that upsets him because then he thinks they just died. When I tell him that this happened long ago, he argues and gets agitated. Sometimes I even wonder if this behavior means that my husband’s not long for this world. I’m torn between just leavi...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 7, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Caring For Those in Chronic Pain: How Spouses Cope
Photo credit Justin Follis
Traditional marriage vows generally contain the words "through sickness and in health." For some couples, chronic sickness in the form of a painful disease can come close to defining their lives. I set out to see how these caregivers coped with this change, chronic pain, in their marriages. Research first led to Lynn Greenblatt, a family caregiver for her husband who was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in July 2008. I began by asking Lynn how she provides the care that her husband needs.
Lynn's Story: "My husband Seth has been in constant severe burning p...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 6, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
A Modest Gain in Mouse Lifespan via Pharmacological Means of CISD2 Upregulation
The usual progression of ways to tinker with metabolism in order to affect the pace of aging is much as follows: (a) identify an interesting mechanism associated with a single gene; (b) create mouse lineages in which the expression of this gene is manipulated in a controlled way via genetic engineering, to observe the outcomes; (c) use some form of gene therapy to overexpress or knock down that gene in mice, and note differences in life span and manifestations of aging; (d) search the drug databases for small molecules that might affect expression of the gene of interest without causing too many undesirable side-effects; (...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 5, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Not Everyone Is Cut Out to Be a Caregiver
Photo credit Alex Iby LaHo
Each of us is unique, with our own talents and flaws. Often, our so-called faults are merely ways in which we differ from society’s ever-changing expectations. For example, it used to be a given that married couples would have children if possible. Currently, a significant number of couples are choosing to be childfree. Are they selfish? No. They simply know what they want out of their lives and understand that becoming parents probably isn’t the best choice for them or their potential children.
Similarly, some people have the insight to recognize that they wouldn’t be able to provide dai...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 5, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Family Caregivers Still Undervalued by Many
Photo credit Andrea Piacquadio
We live in a society that tends to value what we do over who we are. If what we do isn't highly paid or well understood, many people often brush it off as unimportant. Thus, one of the most important jobs in our society today – that of being a family caregiver – is all too often undervalued by people who don't understand. We may not be able to control others' viewpoints, but we do have some control over whether we accept this view of what we do and remain confident in our own decisions. During the two decades that I spent caring for different combinations of multiple elders, I often foun...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 4, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Balancing Sandwich Generation Caregiving Relationships with Grace
Caregiving can creep into your life or crash down with a bang, but either way, if we aren’t thinking ahead, we can find that our other relationships suffer. Oh man, I’ve been there.
This is how it often happens: You see your parents a lot since you still live in the same community. So, when your mom falls and breaks her arm, of course, you rush to help. You assist your dad with making some adjustments around the house, and then, for the most part, he takes over. Then, the unthinkable: Your dad has a heart attack. You rush in to help. And then…
I refer to this as the “creep-up factor” because while ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 3, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Minding Our Elders Newsletter Is All Prettied Up and Sporting more Delivery Options
For those who subscribe to the Minding Our Elders Newsletter, here's some housekeeping news:
1. As expected there were a few bumps along the way, so if you signed up but are not receiving your newsletter, feel free to sign up again. A few email addresses were lost in the transfer (including one of mine that I was using for testing). That glitch has been fixed.
2. The "preferences" link in the footer where you can adjust how you'd like to receive your newsletter had a programming error (or something), but the great Feedblitz team quickly corrected the problem. Now, when you click preferences, you can see all available opt...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 3, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Balancing Sandwich Generation Caregiving Relationships with Grace
Caregiving can creep into your life or crash down with a bang, but either way, if we aren’t thinking ahead, we can find that our other relationships suffer. Oh man, I’ve been there.
This is how it often happens: You see your parents a lot since you still live in the same community. So, when your mom falls and breaks her arm, of course, you rush to help. You assist your dad with making some adjustments around the house, and then, for the most part, he takes over. Then, the unthinkable: Your dad has a heart attack. You rush in to help. And then…
I refer to this as the “creep-up factor” because while ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 3, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
The Impact of COVID-19 on Shared Priorities for International Cooperation in Active and Healthy Aging
Discussion reflected on how the findings of the IDIH Digital Health Transformation Forum around the areas of Interoperability by Design, Data Governance, and Digital Inclusion might be impacted in a post-COVID-19 scenario.
Joining us for the panel (moderated by Catalyst’s own Indu Subaiya and Matthew Holt) were Nancy Finn, Devon McGraw, Iana Simeonov, Dr. Mandy Salomon, and George Demiris.
Nancy Finn is an author, healthcare journalist, educator, and activist who has been at the forefront of how technology can help patients. She’s the author of “e-Patients Live Longer: The Complete Guide to Managing Hea...
Source: The Health Care Blog - August 2, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: matthew holt Tags: Health Policy Health Tech elder care IDIH Project Source Type: blogs
Caregiving is Not a Competitive Sport: The Case for Supporting Caregivers ’ Unique Decisions
Photo credit Josh Apel
Caregiving. What does it mean to you? While often rewarding and frequently exhausting, it’s one of many life events that can only be understood if you’ve been intimately involved. This truth is what drives most caregivers to seek support from their peers as well as professionals who can share valuable information. So, what could go wrong in such a well-meaning group?
Normally, all is well in caregiver support groups. People help and comfort one another, offer advice based on what’s worked for them in a similar situation, or just simply offer a much-appreciated hug — virtual or otherwise. Th...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 2, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Time Management Strategies That Can Work for Caregivers
Photo credit Deniz Altindas
Don’t let the title scare you, folks. I’m not presenting a “system” here. Personally, I’ve never seen a chart or graph designed to help me organize my life that I didn’t intentionally ignore. “Systems” designed by experts never take my life or personality into consideration. Instead, they seem like cookie-cutter solutions intended only for organizing some dream life. That being said, tips and thoughts from people whose experiences have closely mirrored mine, in at least some aspects, have been generally welcomed. I like real-life stories, and I like knowing how people make...
Source: Minding Our Elders - August 1, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
