Elderly people are already at a higher risk for hospital readmissions due to their advanced age. However, there are other risk factors that increase the odds of having to be readmitted to the hospital. Being aware of these risk factors allows you to work with your senior loved one to…
Family caregivers for senior loved ones with dementia tend to find they need more help providing care as the dementia progresses. While you might have felt fine just checking in on your loved one in the early stages, you may have now reached the point where your loved one needs…
Alzheimer’s researchers continue to make amazing breakthroughs every year, and we now know quite a bit about this pervasive disorder. Doctors still aren’t sure exactly what causes Alzheimer’s, but they’ve been able to identify some of the most common risk factors. Here’s a quick look at a few of the…
If your senior loved one is living with dementia, his or her day should be filled with activities that keep the mind and body busy while providing a sense of accomplishment. Seniors with dementia often lose the ability to structure their own days, which means you need to step in…
Strokes often impact the parts of the brain that affect language. Your senior loved one’s stroke may have caused lingering symptoms, such as muscle weakness around the mouth, that make it difficult to speak. While your loved one may not be able to verbally express him or herself, you can…
Even though modern research has greatly expanded our understanding of Parkinson’s disease, the causal factors behind the condition remain a mystery. The disease itself isn’t necessarily fatal. However, the symptoms can be debilitating. As the disease progresses, the tremors as well as balance and gait problems associated with the disease…
Changes in a senior’s brain can cause hallucinations, among other symptoms. Seniors with dementia often hear, see, taste, smell, and feel people or things that aren’t there. Some of the false perceptions can be scary, while other hallucinations may be of people they love, miss, and wish they could see…
When seniors are released from the hospital, their family caregivers need to do everything possible to prevent them from being readmitted, which begins with a safe living environment and an adequate care plan. Failing to maintain healthy habits could increase the risk of hospital readmission and harm your aging loved…
In addition to tremors, slowness, stiffness, and balance issues, it’s also common for seniors with Parkinson’s to experience cognitive problems, which could include difficulty with solving problems, processing information, doing specific tasks, or paying attention. Playing the following five brain games may help aging adults with Parkinson’s manage the cognitive…
If you’re caring for a senior loved one who has dementia, spend some time coming up with various ways to distract him or her. That skill set is going to be invaluable if your loved one becomes agitated, unruly, or threatening. Distractions could defuse the situation and give your loved…