Do I Want to Know if I Have Alzheimer’s Disease? Whether or not one is likely to get Alzheimer’s disease, or any other disease for that matter, may not be something people want to know. In a Washington Post article entitled, “Would You Want to Know if You’re Likely to Get Alzheimer’s Disease?” we learn of…
DetailsNew Hypertension Guidelines Only about six years overdue, new guidelines for treating hypertension have been released by the Joint National Committee on The Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. For drug treatment, the committee increased the threshold of hypertension from 140/80 to 150/90 in those aged 60 and older. With that, they re-categorized…
DetailsDreaded Unexpected Elderly Falls How many times have you heard someone say my father or mother was fine before s/he fell? For many older adults, an unexpected fall can lead to a series of events that end in serious or fatal complications. As a result, many elderly are terribly afraid of falling. Elderly falls is…
DetailsA Typical Scenario: An 80-year-old man walks into a doctor’s office and says, “My bones creak and I feel pain when I just walk.” The doctor responds, “Well, Abe, you are getting on in years. Nothing works like it used to. You can’t expect to feel like you did 30 years ago.” Doctors have historically…
DetailsLovable Cranky Old Lady Sheila Klass was a self-professed old lady and blogging grandma who approached her advanced age and physical limitations with humor and grace. Though she passed away very recently, thankfully she left behind wonderful personal blog entries bringing insight into a natural treasure, our older generation. She was a lovable cranky old lady…
DetailsComplaining Senior Citizen When orienting newly hired home health aides, one should always stress the problems and uniqueness of the situation that they will be encountering. What they should NOT expect to find is a smiling, polite, sweet and considerate patient behind that apartment door. What they WILL find is a grumpy, complaining senior citizen.…
DetailsElderly Alcohol Abuse Alcohol abuse seems to be the most common form of substance abuse in the elderly and is on the rise among this age group. According to Dr. Richard A. Friedman’s article in the New York Times, “A Rising Tide of Substance Abuse,” there seems to be much cause for alarm as the…
DetailsMedical Note Takers With families dispersed throughout the country and the world, a needs gap has developed. Having someone else accompany a senior and take notes during doctors’ visits is gaining popularity as an additional way to care for the elderly. This is especially important with children at work or living in faraway cities. These…
DetailsMemory Clubs for Dementia More and more, dementia patients are being encouraged to join Memory Clubs, a popular and successful form of Reminiscence Therapy. This therapy involves clubs or social groups forming around shared and intense interests in which participants may discuss their opinions, experiences and feelings. The focus of these groups could be sports…
DetailsBehavioral & Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) Many people think of dementia impacting cognitive impairment, like memory loss and attention, but dementia is not just memory loss. However, there are behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) that occur in about 90 percent of dementia patients. Moreover, these non-cognitive symptoms are equally important to the syndrome…
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