Medical advancements and shorter hospital stays have enabled more chronically ill people to age at home. One result is that an increasing burden of responsibility for helping with daily care is falling on family caregivers, who may have taken on their role suddenly, and with little training.  Home care is often short-term, but the nurses, rehab therapists and social workers who come into your home can be invaluable in helping you learn skills and identify resources that will help you for the long-term. 

Here are some tips for caregivers to make the…

Jennifer’s final stop for the morning was to visit a long-term patient who has Neuromyolitis Optica (NMO), a degenerative disorder that is similar to multiple sclerosis but it attacks the spine rather than the brain. Patients diagnosed with NMO usually live no more than 5 years after diagnosis, and Francesca P. was diagnosed five years ago. The disease has taken its toll. She’s now blind in both eyes and is a quadriplegic. Additionally, she developed two pressure ulcers as a result of chemotherapy treatment – part of the treatment regimen for the disease.…

After visiting with Maharana L. in Richmond Hill, Jennifer and I drove to visit one of her long time patients, Lenny C., who asked not to be photographed.

As a 19-year-old swimmer, Lenny jumped into the water at Rockaway Beach, hit the water wrong, and broke his neck – instantly becoming a quadriplegic. That was more than 55 years ago, and he lives a full life as an artist (he paints with the help of arm splints). His many friends come to visit him, and some friends even come to his…

The next stop after meeting with Mr. and Mrs. G. was a visit with Maharana L., a Guyanese immigrant living in Richmond Hill, Queens.

Richmond Hill has a large immigrant population from Guyana; this population is currently facing an epidemic of Type II Diabetes. Data suggests that adults born in Guyana have a death rate of 58 per 1,000,000 deaths from diabetes compared to 34 for U.S. born – that’s almost 60% higher.^*

Before we arrived at Maharana’s apartment, Jennifer told me that when she met Maharana three years ago, she was…