Recently I saw a commercial showing a woman who appears extremely agitated. It’s a commercial depicting what is commonly referred to as “dementia behaviors”. These include behaviors that one might refer to as aggressive, whether it be physical or verbal aggression. Heck, in nursing homes, when a person is behaving in this manner, they refer […]
Do you have a loved one or know someone who has memory loss? When we hear the term memory loss, we sometimes also hear the word confabulation. What do these words have in common and how are they different? Confabulations are unintentional ‘lies’ or, better said, mistaken beliefs brought on by an inability to remember […]
The forecast was for an impending storm. A few drops splattered on the windshield, and then magically disappeared. My first reaction was that maybe this was all there as going to be. But the skies said otherwise. Large gray clouds were everywhere. I casually said, “maybe I spoke too soon, and this is only the […]
Late the other night I turned on the TV to watch one of my favorite programs. Instead of seeing the program I was hoping for, it was tuned to a channel with a past episode of a program I had never seen, “Last ManStanding”. The episode aired in March 2019. The dialogue captured my attention […]
The past few weeks, I’ve been working in a skilled nursing facility with an active short-term rehabilitation unit. As is usually the case, the short-term rehabilitation unit is beautifully designed, modern, bright, new. However, there is a stark contrast with the long-term units which is appalling and screams volumes about how we think and care […]
Baby boomers, sometimes commonly called boomers, were born between 1946 and 1964. Why the term baby boomers? They were born in the mid 20th century between 1946 and 1964 which were known colloquially as the years of the baby boom, this due to a substantial increase in the birth rate. This post World War II […]
The other day a friend sent me the link to a video. Watch it here: https://fb.watch/lmUjSTcQw1/?mibextid=YCRy0i What I loved most about it was that it dispels society’s precepts about what older adults are capable of learning, and doing, especially the idea that they can’t learn or appreciate technology. I’ve heard it not only from those […]
Elder Abuse Awareness Day is Celebrated each year on June 15th. On June 8, 2023 the Supreme Court handed down a decision that addresses Issues arising from elder abuse in a significant way. It affirmed that residents in public nursing homes have the right to sue in federal court when their rights are violated. This […]
As part of a series acknowledging May as Older American’s Month, last week’s blog was about the limited oversight and often poor care older adults receive from Homecare agencies. It was based on, and brought to light by, my friend after she had a horrible experience with her father’s care from the local companion agency […]
Last week I passed this banner displayed in a neighboring small city. I asked several people if they noticed it, or what it meant to them. While people said older adults in their families have played an important role in their lives, (i.e., grandparents) they acknowledged that, while they agree older adults should be valued, […]
