If you or your loved one are 65 years or older,  you may have heard about Medicare’s free benefit called the Annual Wellness Visit.  Here are some things you need to know and what to expect during your Annual Wellness Visit:

What is the Annual Wellness Visit?

The Annual Wellness Visit is NOT…

Communication is hard for people with Alzheimer’s disease because they have trouble remembering things. They may struggle to find words or forget what they want to say. You may feel impatient and wish they could just say what they want, but they can’t.

The person with Alzheimer’s may have problems with:

Oftentimes, as nursing home residents decline, they lose the ability to communicate. Sadly, this is a time when families stop visiting as often because they don’t know what to say or how to make the visits meaningful for the family, as well as their loved one. Sometimes, just being present can be satisfying.

Because Americans have become such a transient culture, adult children are now finding themselves having to deal with an ever-growing crisis: taking on the new-found role as long-distance caregiver.

According to AARP,  the typical annual total is $7,242. On average, family caregivers are spending 26% of their income on caregiving activities.  Along with the financial costs, there’s also the…

Should you expect to be paid for taking care of your aging or ailing parents? Should you even ask?

If you don’t ask now — and don’t get paid while your parent is alive — can you claim compensation from the estate after they pass away?

These are important questions, but they’re also delicate. Talking about money…

With Thanksgiving approaching, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) is offering seven tips to help families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related illnesses ensure their Thanksgiving celebration is dementia-friendly.

“Families caring for a loved one with a dementia-related illness deserve to join together and celebrate Thanksgiving, and there a few simple steps they can take…

There are many family situations today where you can find two, three or even four generations living under one roof. While the circumstances that result in multi-generational living vary from financial to health-related to simple family closeness, those who live in these types of households deal with many issues. Serving as the main caregiver for…

If you are caring for an elderly loved-one, consider keeping their refrigerator well stocked to keep them healthy. Sounds strange? 

According to a report in The Lancet, “Elderly people with empty refrigerators are more likely to be readmitted to the hospital after assessment compared with patients with adequate refrigerator content.” Researchers from Geneva University…

As if it weren’t enough to deal with forgetfulness and confusion while caring for your loved-one with Alzheimer’s, but aggressiveness, wandering and paranoia can really put you over the edge. Managing your loved-one’s difficult behavior is your true testament of love and devotion. You know it isn’t their fault, it is their disease that is…

Elder abuse is an intentional act or failure to act that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult. An older adult is someone age 60 or older. The abuse occurs at the hands of a caregiver or a person the elder trusts. Common types of elder abuse include:

We all love our pets, and our attachment to them varies from one individual to another.  In cases of the infirm or elderly, the attachment to a pet may be much more intense. Individuals with memory loss may not understand why they have to move to assisted living, or in with a relative,…

While exercise is often touted as a fountain of youth, it often gets harder to do as you get older. Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians, also called physiatrists, are doctors who restore and maintain function lost due to injury, illness and age-related conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis, joint replacements or stroke.

They often prescribe exercise…

Dementia Diagnosis Are Rising — Here’s How Aging Life Care Managers Are Helping Families Cope 

As more families across the country face the reality of a dementia diagnosis, support from an Aging Life Care Manager® is becoming increasingly essential. According to a recent survey conducted by the Aging Life Care Association® (ALCA), more than 70% of…

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 What is Caregiver Stress Syndrome?

Caregiver stress syndrome is a condition characterized by physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. It typically results…

Too often, the decision to move into a family member’s home is made when a crisis develops or as a last resort. Sudden illness or injury strikes and the family is left without a plan for long-term care for their loved one. Experts suggest that all families discuss the possibility of the need for long-term…