The Value of 24-Hour Care

The Value of 24-Hour Care

Most in-home care is delivered in four to eight-hour shifts.  And, for most seniors this is enough to get them through the day with their essential needs well taken care of. Others need more help.  Not only for the patients, but the families who love them.  Being a...
Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline

Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline

Are you repeating points your senior loved one missed hearing the first time? Are you finding the need to turn the TV up louder for him or her? Are they talking more loudly? Hearing loss in seniors is not uncommon.  Nearly 38 million Americans experience hearing loss...
Estate Planning in 10 Steps

Estate Planning in 10 Steps

While nobody likes to think about dying, it is ultimately hard to prevent. Even non-death but incapacitating events require some thought to avoid things not going the way you prefer when others make decisions for you. Here is a checklist of things you can do to give...
Medicare Breakthrough Products Bill

Medicare Breakthrough Products Bill

A bill has been proposed that will reduce the delay in Medicare approval of products and procedures that have not gone through the full FDA approval process.  Many seniors who could benefit and are willing to take the additional risks on not-fully-vetted products and...
When You Lose Your Primary Care Doctor

When You Lose Your Primary Care Doctor

The day may come when your primary care physician retires or moves for one reason or another. Finding a new doctor can be easier said than done. And you need to “train” him or her as to your specific needs and preferences. Certainly, your new doctor will have your...
How NOT to talk to a person with Alzheimer’s

How NOT to talk to a person with Alzheimer’s

For those who have full faculties, having a logical conversation with someone with Alzheimer’s disease can be frustrating, if not impossible.  It is very tempting to remember those who suffer from this aliment as he or she was years ago – or maybe even fairly...
Can a Blood Test Predict Your (Medical) Future?

Can a Blood Test Predict Your (Medical) Future?

Recent studies have revealed that certain proteins in your blood can be predictors of diseases years down the road.  The blood test called SOBA (Soluble Oligomer Binding Assay) can detect toxic oligomers in blood of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Type 2 Diabetes...
Is a “Broken Heart” Really a Thing?

Is a “Broken Heart” Really a Thing?

The phrase “Dying of a broken heart” sounds like a storybook line.  But could it be real? Perhaps one of the most public examples of this occurred in 2016 when Debbie Reynolds followed her daughter, Carrie Fisher in death within two days.  In fact, there are few...
Signs of Senior Depression

Signs of Senior Depression

Depression occurs in about one out of five seniors and, among the homebound, that figure may be as high as 46 percent according to The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).  But, despite its frequency, depression is not a normal part of aging. Depression can...
Senior Home Safety

Senior Home Safety

More than three-quarters of U.S. adults age 50+ want to stay in their current homes, but less than 10% of U.S. homes are “aging-ready”.  Hence, home safety is increasingly important.  Living at home as you age requires careful planning. Falls, burns, and poisonings...