Tagged with caring for aging parents …

The Green Houses are Here — at VMRC!

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time or even occasionally, you know that I’ve been keeping track of the new Green House Homes at Woodland Park with descriptions, pictures from the groundbreaking, and many construction images. The new neighborhood in Harrisonburg, Virginia, will be a special community that enables elders who have traditionally needed … Continue reading →

Inside the Dementia Epidemic: A Book Review

A few  years ago, when my mother-in-law was sinking deeper and deeper into dementia, my husband and I suddenly realized, with some help from professional geriatric counselors, that the devious brain disease had been lurking for some time. Although we had noticed a number of memory issues and behaviors, we continually chalked them up to … Continue reading →

Becoming an Adult Child Isn’t Easy

Take a few minutes to check out and consider reading Growing Up is Hard to Do: Forced into Adulthood by an Aging Parent, by Sarah Khan. Her dad was hospitalized at 62, though he was still employed and went back to work after his hospitalization. The article is online at The Atlantic website. No matter when … Continue reading →

Hospital Cafeterias With No Low-Sodium Options? – Low Sodium Diet, Part II

Read other Low Salt Journey installments: Senior Parents Get Started in Their 80′s: Part I, Hospital Cafeterias With No Low-Sodium Options? Part II, Making Sense of Sodium Labels and Numbers: Part III, and 5 Lessons Learned About Cutting Back on Sodium: Low-Salt Eating: Part IV. Over the past six weeks I have been in four hospital cafeterias with three different friends or family members who … Continue reading →

Another Great MedicareBlogger Post

MedicareBlogger has another posted interesting post, this time focusing on a man who wants a cheaper Medicare Advantage plan when he really needs a Medicare Supplement plan.  Medicare Advantage Selling Season, a November 18, 2010 post, conveys a lot of information in a few short paragraphs.

Senior Parents and Long Term Insurance Changes

During the time we cared for my husband’s mother and even before that when we helped a bit with his father’s care, we were continually frustrated by their long-term care insurance policies. Despite several years of required care for his two senior parents, the long-term care policies, purchased in early 1991, covered only skilled nursing facilities … Continue reading →

Senior Falls: Different Types – Different Interventions

If you have aging parents who fall — and most of us have some experience with parent falls — read the article about senior falling in the September 9, 2010 Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. On its website (not active in January 2012) , the Mobilize Boston Study organization that conducted the research states that, “The purpose of the … Continue reading →

Internet Cafe in Philly Senior Center

A senior center in Philadelphia recently used United States Recovery Funds to renovate its dining room, make it green friendly, and add an Internet cafe with connected laptops. Lots of enthusiastic elders, who have been enjoying meals for years, are thrilled with the new dining facilities and eager to connect. Tutoring will be available for … Continue reading →

Extraordinary PBS Interview on Caregiving – Dr. Arthur Kleinman

In Caregiving: Feelings and Emotions I described several commentaries,written by Arthur Kleinman, MD, a psychiatrist and professor at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kleinman wrote about providing care for his wife, Joan. The post explained: Dr. Kleinman, a caregiver for his wife, Joan, who has Alzheimer’s disease, writes eloquently about the emotions, the … Continue reading →

The Unexpected Caregiver

Check out the radio program, The Unexpected Caregiver, broadcast on KYMN Radio in Northfield, Minnesota. Host Kari Berit and her guests discuss caregiving, communication, health, medical information, and other critical issues that arise when adult children help aging parents. I listened to the program with Connie Goldman, the program on the dangers of denying our … Continue reading →

Check out the “Be the Noodle” Review

While I was intently focused on my Green House posts last week, Inside Aging Parent Care posted a terrific review of Be TheNoodle by Lois Kelly. What I love about this book is the noodle support metaphor. When the summer waters are rough in my beloved St. Lawrence River, a noodle is just the ticket … Continue reading →

Nuts and Bolts of Green House Planning: Part III

“Whatever form they take, there should always be as little distinction as possible between a Green House and the other housing nearby.” What Are Old People For? How Elders Will Save the World by William H. Thomas, M.D. (page 233) The Green House vision projected by Dr. Thomas has become a small, growing movement with … Continue reading →

Cardiac Procedures and Surgeries – Good Descriptions

Last summer my father’s internist referred him to a cardiologist who found an abdominal aneurysm. Dad underwent several cardiac procedures. Understanding an enormous amount of information in a short time was difficult for everyone in our family, and especially for my parents. While the physicians’ explanations were clear and helpful to our family, many questions … Continue reading →