People Living with Dementia - and Their Caregivers - Still Need Their Friends
Photo credit Pexels Cotton Bro
Dear Carol: My dad used to be well known in our medium-sized community because he was a businessman and active in local organizations. Then, he developed dementia and people gradually forgot about him. I understand that the changes in him were painful to see, but this tore me apart. He spent ten years living with Alzheimer’s disease before he died, and while at first, some people did stop by, gradually his lifelong friends fell away. Why can’t people try harder to visit old friends and colleagues who have dementia? It would mean so much! – GH
Continue reading on Inforum for some discuss...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 14, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
10 Caregiver Tips for Caring for an Older Adult's Hair
Photo credit Cristian Newman
As we age, some of the angst of youth fades, making us more relaxed about our looks. But, our hair is a big part of how we present ourselves to the world, and most of us still want to look our best. Caring for an elder's hair can be a challenge. My mother-in-law, Alice, had been going to the same beauty shop for decades. The salon was situated in a woman's home, and there were several steps that led up to the entrance. In general, the steps weren't a problem for Alice, until a fear of falling took over. She would freeze about halfway up or down the steps. We'd remain stuck in the middle, ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 13, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Thankful Patient Smiles at Library Staff During Covid-19
During the Spring of 2020 medical libraries were struggling to balance the need to provide information with the need to be safe from covid-19. The response was varied across the profession. Some hospital libraries remained open, some were open to a limited number of people, others were staffed but closed to patrons, while others were physically closed as staff worked remotely.
On June of 2020, the library received a call from the spouse of a thankful patient. The caller wanted thank the library staff coming in to “man the library” which allowed her to get the books she needed during the pandemic. She wanted...
Source: The Krafty Librarian - May 12, 2022 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: KraftyLibrarian Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
What to Do When a Senior Repeats the Same Things Over and Over
Photo credit Georg Arthur Pflueger
One sign of the aging brain is repeating things more often, especially stories and questions. There are reasons for this that are not related to progressive conditions like dementia, but in either case, repetition can get old very quickly. Even the most experienced and patient family caregivers occasionally struggle to hide their frustration. While there is no easy fix for this trying side effect of aging, a change in attitude and some proven strategies can help you keep your cool and preserve your loved one’s dignity.
On Aging and Being Repetitive" As we age, our perspecti...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 12, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
How to Convince a Older Adult with Incontinence to Wear Adult Diapers
Photo credit Mathias Konrath
Incontinence is a condition that is often difficult for a person to accept and deal with. Many seniors try to ignore this new development and carry on with their lives, but a head-in-the-sand approach usually draws more attention to the problem. There are ways to encourage a loved one to address this issue, but they require patience, understanding and a commitment to upholding your loved one’s dignity.
Pro Tip: Strike the Word Diaper from Your Vocabulary
“My parent won’t wear adult diapers and it drives me nuts!”
This is a common complaint from family caregivers whose loved ones are suf...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 11, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
The Future Of Vision And Eye Care
3D printed digital contact lenses, bionic eye implants, augmented reality: the future of vision and eye care is full of science fiction-sounding innovations. Here is where digital health will take ophthalmology in the future!
More than 80 percent of perception comes through vision
Researchers estimate that 80-85 percent of our perception, learning, cognition, and activities are mediated through vision. Compared to that, our hearing only processes 11 percent of information, while smell 3.5 percent, touch 1.5 percent and taste 1 percent. Don’t you think that’s possible? Renowned scholars, L.D. Ros...
Source: The Medical Futurist - May 10, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: berci.mesko Tags: Augmented Reality Cyborgization 3d printing AI diabetes digital digital health future guide Healthcare Innovation Personalized medicine technology vision eye care ophthalmology Source Type: blogs
How Can We Minimize Grief for a Surviving Spouse Living with Dementia?
Photo credit Tim Doerfler
Deciding whether to tell someone who is cognitively impaired that their spouse has died is a serious and often recurring struggle. Dementia and death are sad and challenging enough on their own, but when they coincide, the result can be truly heartbreaking. For someone who has never experienced the challenges of caring for someone with dementia, decisions about telling the truth may seem like a no-brainer. However, as with many dementia-related quandaries, the question and answer are far more complex for those facing this reality. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to this painful situat...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 10, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
People Living with Advanced Alzheimer's Are Still Aware of Their Surroundings
Photo credit Alberto Barbarisi
Note to subscribers: There was a glitch in the newspaper link in yesterday's post so here is a refreshed link for the column on falls and decline:
Today's post on awareness below:
...Even among medical experts, you will find differing opinions on how much someone with advanced dementia of any type understands. Alzheimer's disease (AD) in particular can render a person mute and uncommunicative, especially during the final stages of the disease. This situation commonly leaves family members wondering how much their loved one is aware of and whether their efforts are providing any comfort...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 9, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, May 9th 2022
In conclusion, although several favorable effects are obtained in our heterochronic non-myeloablative transplantation model, additional optimization is needed for better rejuvenation effects.
More on GPNMB as a Target for Senolytic Therapies to Clear Senescent Cells
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2022/05/more-on-gpnmb-as-a-target-for-senolytic-therapies-to-clear-senescent-cells/
You might recall that researchers recently demonstrated that vaccination against GPNMB is a senolytic strategy, reducing the harmful burden of senescent cells in aged tissues by directing the immune system to destroy these ...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 8, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
For Older Adults a Fall Can Increase Their Chance of Serious Decline and Death
Photo credit Daniel von Appen
Dear Carol: My 86-year-old dad fell and broke his arm. After two nights in the hospital, he was sent to rehab, but the confusion that he’s experienced since his hospitalization hasn’t resolved. The family all work full time so after rehab, in order to keep Dad safe, we’ll need to move him to a facility. There’s a well-respected care home nearby so, considering the situation, I’m not worried about his long-term care. What does concern me is a friend mentioned that a fall was what signaled the end of her dad’s life. I understand that falls are hard on older bodies, but I didn't know ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 8, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Castles and croissants
Hi everyone! I hope you’re doing fabulously!!! I’ve been getting messages from blog readers with a variety of queries, and that made me realise that I haven’t been blogging for a VERY LONG TIME! So sorry about that! Yes, true, I’m still quite “blogged out,” but mainly I’ve been busy with a bunch of projects that I’ve been putting off for years.
Petunia, Florence, May 2022
In June we’re having our roof redone and solar panels installed, as well as a bunch of other stuff, including having air-conditioning put in the only (two) rooms that don’t have it. Our cat-vomit...
Source: Margaret's Corner - May 6, 2022 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll Source Type: blogs
Towards a Rough Definition for the Optimal Human Diet
It seems plausible that there is a roughly optimal human diet, a range within which one will age modestly more slowly than is the case when falling outside it. The work on fasting mimicking is quite solid, for example. What does one eat when not in a period of fasting mimicking, however? On this topic, the science tends to get drowned out by the marketing, ever a human failing. Given a more coordinated scientific community, it could be possible to produce data that is compelling, however, a reasonable and defensible answer to the question. Just don't expect that to turn up any time soon, or for it to settle the diet wars w...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 6, 2022 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Caregivers Can Celebrate Mother's Day With Forgiveness
Photo credit Pexels Secret Garden
Nearly any of us who are mothers have wanted to be a perfect example of motherhood. Yet, the reality is, since we are human, most of us perceive some failures in our own mothering. We do the best that we can and often overcome tough issues of our own. Yet we are rarely saints who are often portrayed in literature and advertisements, especially during this special time when we celebrate mothers. We need to understand, love, and forgive ourselves for our perceived imperfections as mothers. And yes, we need to try to understand, love, and forgive our mothers for what may have been less than p...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 6, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Coping with Dementia Care Burnout
Photo credit Tuva Mathilde Loland
You watch your once mentally sharp loved one decline before your eyes. Their uncontrollable behaviors, mood swings, outbursts, confusion, and memory loss are heartbreaking. The worry that a single lapse in supervision may result in your loved one wandering off, falling down or having some other accident is overwhelming. Caring for a senior with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or another type of dementia involves significant physical, mental, emotional, and financial investments. Family caregivers often struggle to balance dementia care while working, nurturing relationships with their immediate...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 4, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Facing the Facts: How to Handle Parents Who Are Aging
For most of us, our parents are just there — seemingly invincible as we grow up. Once we leave home, we’re on a mission to move into our own adulthood with our parents moving to the background, but still a solid, if often unacknowledged, presence. As we move on with our lives, creating careers, marriages, and possibly children, most parents continue to be involved in some capacity. Many families are close, while others can be both physically and emotionally more distant. Still, there is a parent-child relationship that younger people rarely think deeply about. It just is. Then there’s that first time when...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 3, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
