Posts Tagged With ‘ dementia ’

Factors to consider Assisted living homes continue to spring up, with owners hoping to attract the highest paying residents to the nicest facilities. After all, Medicare does not cover assisted living and residents must pay out of pocket. If you are considering this for an aging parent, cost is a primary factor in the decision. The price of such a home varies widely from state to state depending on the cost of real estate in any location. The better amenities in an assisted living home also cost more. Before a family chooses a place based on costs of care, explore all options in the area. Notice... Continue Reading

First, Dementia is not a disease. That’s news to many people. Instead, Dementia is a syndrome where one or more progressive diseases, conditions, or disorders affect the brain structure sufficiently enough to limit one’s ability to perform activities of daily living, along with a host of other cognitive changes. Yes, that’s a mouthful. And that may be why some medical professionals will initially use the linguistic shortcut to say that someone likely has “Dementia” without much more detail. They may not know at that moment what’s causing the cognitive impairments, so calling it Dementia... Continue Reading

This is a nationwide effort to raise awareness that falls ARE preventable. These national trip and fall statistics are startling.  And what is even more jarring is that most of these are preventable!  There are many ways of reducing the risk of trips and falls in a home and using the Silver Spaces Home Safety Assessment is one of them. Why the Silver Spaces Home Safety Assessment is such a valuable tool! The major goal of the Silver Spaces home safety assessment is to identify and mitigate trip and fall risks around a home.  This unique inspection provides a 360-degree evaluation of the interior... Continue Reading

We believe one of the unique aspects of All Home Care Matters is the wide-ranging guests and organizations that we have had the privilege of interviewing and welcoming to the show. The post Learnings from the home care community: 100 podcasts later appeared first on McKnights Home Care.  Continue Reading

Did you know that some people diagnosed with dementia may not have dementia at all? Surprisingly, it’s estimated that 5 percent of people institutionalized for dementia actually have Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). NPH is caused when the normal production of spinal fluid goes awry and builds up in brain ventricles, which cushion and nourish the brain. This throws off brain pressure and causes neurological and physical symptoms, such as: Difficulty walking Cognitive challenges Mild dementia Urinary urgency or incontinence NPH can occur at any age, but it’s primarily seen in people age... Continue Reading

I watched this movie expecting to learn more about British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s life story, with the emphasis on her place in British history and politics.  I knew she must have been a unique person to have achieved the position of Britain’s only female Prime Minister to date.  What I didn’t know I would see was the intimate portrayal by Meryl Streep of Thatcher as an elderly woman living with early memory loss.  The depiction of that part of her life story is more important and touching than what we read about in history books and newspapers. While we can’t actually know... Continue Reading

Your loved one has just been diagnosed with dementia – now what? As Bronwen Zilmer would say, you can’t do it alone, so find your community. As the founder of Oasis, a weekly caregivers’ day out program in Lewisville, Texas, she knows firsthand how important it is. This program was inspired by her experience caring for her father with dementia when she was only 29 years old, and it offers caregivers a 4-hour reprieve. Not only that, but attendees with dementia get to enjoy a program of fun and a sense of community each week. With Senior Living Expert Lori Williams, Bronwen discusses: –... Continue Reading

Grab bars.  Two simple words that one may assume describes a common solution to stabilizing a body position movement.  While that is still true, the solutions to that stability have drastically changed in the last decade. What I find interesting is how little most people actually know about the “realm” of grab bars.  For instance, I have clients who may need them, but say they don’t want them installed because they are fearful they will be seen as “old” people.  This tells me they have not seen how this former “tube” has changed dramatically, not only in form and function, but... Continue Reading