Filtered tag: Seniors Health

Bill McCracken went to bed one night feeling like a 40 year old and woke up the next day feeling like a 90 year old. A stroke will do that to you. But that doesn’t mean life is over. For the past few years, it’s been such an honour to work as a Community Navigator with people… Read more…

Today was a very hard day for me as a gerontologist and case manager. I have a client who has Alzheimer’s Disease. It’s been five years since her diagnosis. She is on the highest dosage of Aricept and is well supported in Assistive Living. She is very functional and maintains a high level of independence… Read more…

I am really excited to announce Keystone Eldercare Solutions’ new website! Click HERE to go right through to the site OR watch the video below and I will give you a quick tour of the new site.     If you have any comments, feedback OR find errors, please connect with me – my team… Read more…

  Making the decision to move a spouse or aging parent into long term care is one of the most difficult decisions families have to make. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it’s actually helpful to clarify what is meant by “long term care”. Trust me, there are so many different ways to describe this… Read more…

I was speaking to my friend, Robert, who I would describe as a “reluctant caregiver” and I was struck by the internal struggle he faces with his aging parents. It is clear there is a long history of conflict and hurt between him and his father. There isn’t much affection between them and his visits… Read more…

Summer is back, in all its glory. For some it also means an onslaught of heat-related issues, especially for seniors. Lethargy, dehydration, poorer sleeping patterns — just to name a few. We tend to take our body’s ability to regulate itself during hot days for granted, and forget that as we age, we are at… Read more…

  In my last column, I discussed the common pitfalls of family dynamics and conflict. How can we “share the care” without creating unnecessary conflict? It all comes down to family members being able to make key decisions together; reaching consensus on dividing the caregiving tasks and how well they work as a team. Here… Read more…

Family caregivers often struggle with not knowing how to speak up and get their message across to key people involved with the person they are caring for. Being assertive with effective communication skills is all about knowing what you want to say at the right time to the right person. We’ve all had those days… Read more…

When my mother had stomach cancer, I flew back to Toronto to give my siblings a reprieve and support my mom post-surgery. The procedure to remove her tumour was long and very painful. Post-discharge, my mom experienced severe stomach pains, difficulty sleeping and digestive problems.  Heavily medicated (not me, her!) to reduce the pain, I… Read more…

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit not one hospital but two! After rupturing my Achilles tendon in a squash tournament, I was taken to our local hospital where upon arrival, I discovered I didn’t have my CareCard on me. Which surprised me, as I was certain it was something I kept in my… Read more…