Author: Nicole Amico Kane
What is your role at Aging Wisdom?
What made you want to work in the field of aging? …
The year-end holidays are here and often include get-togethers with family and friends, lively conversation, good food, gift exchanges, and festive merrymaking.
For someone living with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, however, the activities, engagement, and added stimulation can be disorienting. The holidays can also interfere with daily routines, causing stress and confusion. Individuals who are experiencing cognitive change often do best when their environment and schedule are relatively predictable. …
How to make the holidays more dementia-friendly and -inclusiveRead More »
Nearly one-third of adults who are 55 and older are aging solo, navigating aging without a life partner or children. Top of mind for many solo agers is who will advocate for them when they need assistance.
Proactive planning is essential. …
Having concerns about your parents’ health and well-being as they age is normal, yet incredibly stressful. As an adult child, it is also common to struggle with striking the right balance between supporting your parents’ desire for autonomy and ensuring their safety.
According to AARP, approximately 42 million adults provide uncompensated care to an adult age 50 or older, many of whom are part of the Sandwich Generation. Sandwich Generation is a term used to describe individuals who are “sandwiched” between raising children and simultaneously caring for aging parents. …
Confident Caring: Essentials for Adult Children Supporting Aging ParentsRead More »
“The right to vote is one of the most sacred privileges in a representative democracy and it should be available to all citizens, whether they are cognitively impaired or unimpaired.” ~ American Bar Association Committee on Law and Aging
November 5, 2024 is General Election Day. According to the Washington State’s Secretary of State Office, ballots were mailed out by county election offices no later than October 18 (18 days prior to election day). October 28 is the deadline to register to vote or update your address online.
Please note: you may also register and vote in person at a county voting center through election day. For information about elections in Washington State, visit the Washington State Secretary of State website page HERE. …
The Right to Vote and Cognitive Impairment (updated*)Read More »
Integrated and personalized care is at the core of our work as Aging Life Care Professionals (AKA Care Managers). A person-centered approach is how we best meet the needs of our clients.
There are proven methods for managing symptoms and optimizing care so the person living with Parkinson’s can maintain as much autonomy as possible.
Care management yields positive effects on an individual’s health outcomes, health care utilization, quality of life, and overall well-being, all while addressing the unique needs of their care partners. …
Parkinson’s Disease: The benefits of integrated, personalized care planningRead More »
As we grow older, it’s not unusual to have trouble finding the right word or recalling a name on occasion. If trouble with word-finding or recall persists, or performing everyday task like meal preparation or managing bills becomes uncharacteristically difficult, it might be a sign of something more serious.
It’s important to stress that not every older adult with memory problems has dementia, and Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are not a normal part of aging. …
Memory and Forgetfulness: What’s Normal, What’s NotRead More »
As a family caregiver, whether you are a spouse, partner, adult child, or friend, you know the journey is not an over-and-done scenario, it’s a marathon. The key to a successful marathon is planning, preparing, and pacing.
This especially applies to special occasions, which typically take more energy and thought.
Care partners, this is your opportunity to prioritize your health and needs, as well as those of the person in your care. This isn’t always comfortable, but it’s key to making the holidays (as well as the day-to-day) less stressful and more joyful. …
The decision to move someone in your care to memory care or an adult family home can be difficult. However, it’s often the best choice when daily caregiving responsibilities begin to impact the safety and health of either the person living with dementia and/or their primary caregiver, be it a spouse, partner, or adult child. …
The family of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter made an announcement recently that following a series of short hospital stays, he is forgoing further medical treatment, has returned home, and entered hospice care.
What is hospice care? Hospice is a comprehensive, holistic program of care and support for terminally ill patients and their families. Hospice care changes the focus to comfort care (palliative care) for pain relief, symptom management, and quality of life instead of care to cure the patient’s illness. (SOURCE: CMS.gov) …