Caring for children and family can often be more than a full time job. It pays to be organized. But are you as organized about your own healthcare needs. The number one killer of women today is heart disease and few women know their risks. Do you know the signs of a heart attack in men or women? Symptoms vary but having baseline EKG at your well visit will help pick up on abnormalities early-and maybe save your life. Only 30% of women survive their first heart attack. Often there…

As we flock from indoors to outdoors, we enjoy not only the change of scene but also the change in air. Spring cleaning was historically a way to purge your home of ‘bad bugs (viruses)’ and replace with healthy air. All should be good except if you suffer from allergies. Then those ‘Bad Bugs’ (pollen) will come in and reside in your home causing chaos. probably in the middle of the night. What are we to do? Stay in? NO! Fresh air is clarifying for your body and soul and we…

Spring has given us some warm, sunny weather. It is nice to have sunny days and more opportunities to be outside. Even if it is just laying on a park lawn, the fresh air helps rejuvenate after a long winter. Maybe hiking, biking, climbing, running and outdoor sports are on your weekend agenda. Getting active it is great. But take precautions, too. Now that we have had weather over 60/62 degrees for many days, the bugs will come. With the flies and mosquitos, there will also be ticks. Just walking through a…

Family caregivers face a higher risk of depression than do non-caregivers. In fact, estimates show that between 40 to 70% of caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression.[i] And rates of depression increase as the health status of the care recipient decreases[ii] — higher levels of depression are seen in people caring for someone with a disorder that requires a great deal of hands-on care, such as dementia. According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, 30 to 40% of dementia caregivers suffer from depression and emotional stress. 

What are some of the reasons family caregivers…

Remember when you were a teenager and you had some big test, activity or responsibility coming up, how you tried but just could not sleep? Does it still happen today? Our ability to adjust to stressful events is often also reflected in our children. Yes, does our son or daughter react as you did? How difficult it was for you then and how difficult it is to watch your child going through that anxiety now. What is a parent to do? First, a certian level of anxiety is normal and…

Almost all of us know someone who is a family caregiver—someone  who provides  frequent or even daily assistance to a family member, friend of neighbor.  We know this is a hard job, which often leads to feelings of stress, fatigue and isolation.  We want to help that person, and many of us even offer.  We say, “Please know that I’m here for you.  Call me if there’s anything I can do.”  But they don’t call.  Are they so in control of the situation that they don’t need help?

           Chances are…

As a family caregiver, your goal is to help your family member hear as well as possible so they can remain vibrant members of their community and connected to the life around them. While there have been many improvements in hearing assistive technology, and many people report that a hearing aid has greatly improved their quality of life, the reality is that many elderly people still resist any mention of their hearing loss, never mind getting treatment for it. And to be honest, many users of hearing aids report that “they’re…

Those living with Rheumatoid Arthritis often have difficulty with daily activities and cooking is no exception. This chronic condition causes inflammation at the joints and surrounding tissues. This can affect your ability to use a cutting board, open jars, carry pots and stand for long periods of time.

But by using certain kitchen tools and modifying your kitchen environment, you can decrease the amount of stress placed on your joints. If you or a loved has Rheumatoid Arthritis, follow these tips to make cooking easier.

Use Adaptive Kitchen Tools

• Speed up and reduce prep work with a food processor
• Decrease…

Hearing aids have come a long way in the past decade.  According to Dr. Paul Y. Takahashi of the Mayo Clinic, “In recent years, hearing aid manufacturers have made great strides in developing hearing aids that are more effective for all types of hearing loss — including high-frequency hearing loss, the most common type of age-related hearing loss.”¹ Of course, you may have to prepare your loved one for the fact that finding the right hearing aid, in terms of effectiveness, cost and comfort, may take some time.  They may have…

The latest research from Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute on Aging showed that seniors with hearing loss are significantly more likely to develop dementia over time than those who retain their hearing.¹ When I read this, I was expecting to see the suggestion that the use of hearing aids can, therefore, help prevent dementia. Unfortunately, that recommendation did not come (hearing aid use is the subject of the researchers’ next study).  So are there any lessons for a family caregiver of an elderly person who is exhibiting signs of hearing loss?

First, it…