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Elder Care

Hospice: Getting Back Control of Your Life

by April Smith

Hospice is a wonderful service that gives control back to patients and their families. When people find out that they have an incurable illness, they often feel powerless in light of the situation and think they can’t control the outcome of their lives. Hospice gives that control back to patients by allowing them to refuse or modify the treatment depending on their pain level. If the current level of medication is not working, they can request more to help the...Read the rest of this article »

Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes: Part 1

by Ami Icanberry

In continuing the discussion on elder abuse, and its myriad forms, I intend to inform and arm you with ways to recognize and fight against abuse and neglect, particularly in nursing homes. First, the numbers. There are nearly 17,000 nursing homes in the US that currently care for 1.6 million residents—a figure expected to quadruple to 6.6 million residents by 2050, according to the Committee on Government Reform. With the rise in the number of nursing facilities, there’s been...Read the rest of this article »

Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes: Part 2

by Ami Icanberry

(This is the second half in a two-part series. Read Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes: Part 1.) You may have read past missives in which I described a day in the life of an independent living resident—namely, my grandfather. While Grandpa is not yet a candidate for a skilled nursing facility, the thought of any harm coming to him at the hands of a caregiver (or anyone for that matter) makes my blood boil. However, rather than fester at...Read the rest of this article »

When to Consider a Geriatric Care Manager

by Arleen Stern

Welcome, readers. In this first column, I discuss what a geriatric care manager like me does, and when to consider using a care manager. My following missives will be guided by your feedback, so please be in touch! Caring for an elderly loved one can be confusing, frustrating and overwhelming. There are many emotional pulls and no single easy solution to any situation you may be facing. Even if you feel you are moving in the right direction, other family...Read the rest of this article »

Baby Boomer Women Sandwiched Between Caring for Parents & Children

by Lara Belonogoff

I troll the Internet—a lot—as it is part of my job to find out what other people are saying about health and long-term care topics. I have found some weird things. I have also found some very profound blogs; some of the most interesting and heartfelt ones document the experiences of individual family caregivers. After reading through a few yesterday, I decided to add to the discussion. A study published in November of 2006, Squeezed Between Children and Older Parents:...Read the rest of this article »

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