January of 2023 will be International Quality Of Life Month around the world, and that makes it a great time to consider just what the quality of life is for our senior loved ones. In many cases, senior parents live right in the homes of their adult children and receive care from them in their later…

Dehydration Poses Serious Problems for the Elderly Water makes up about 50-60% of the human body. It is essential for blood flow, heart function, organ function, brain function, and waste removal. When people fail to drink enough water, they may experience muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, heart palpitations, and lightheadedness. For elderly people, dehydration poses even…

Given that January is National Volunteer Blood Donor Month, now is a good time to start thinking about donating so as to help someone who is really in need of that life-giving blood. There is always a shortage of available blood because so much is needed to satisfy all the possible cases where blood is…

Caregivers Make All the Difference During a Hospital Stay When loved ones require a hospital stay, we expect the hospital to provide the best medical care possible to take care of their needs. What we don’t always consider, however, is how being alone in the hospital can affect a person’s emotional and mental state. For elderly…

The In-home Caregiver Sorts Through Some Dementia Theories What’s the “million-dollar question” in medicine today? One of the top few—actually worth far, far more than a million dollars—is what causes dementia. As scientists continue to work night and day to find a cause and a cure for this common disease of the elderly, the best we can…

Atherosclerosis Can Cause Decreased Brain Function Atherosclerosis, described as a hardening and narrowing of the arteries, has long been associated with heart disease and heart attacks. As plaque builds up on the walls of the arteries, it creates a narrowing of the passageway, restricting blood flow to essential organs like the brain and heart. As…

Seniors Over the Age of 55 Face Greater Risk of Cataracts If you or someone you love is experiencing vision problems and is over the age of 55, cataracts may be the culprit. Although cataracts can occur in younger patients due to a genetic problem or infection, they are far more common in seniors age…

There’s less than a week to go to Thanksgiving. Travel plans are all in order. Menus are set. We’re all set to smile tolerantly in the face of whatever familial tortures are headed our way. It’s a holiday. It’s a time for family to get together. It’ll be over soon. We can get through it. Sadly,…

How Can You Tell Whether Your Elderly Parent Should Stop Driving? The danger of putting off the dreaded “car keys” conversation with an elderly parent is clear. However, it is also harmful to deprive a senior of a big part of his freedom before it is necessary. Just because a senior has reached a certain…

The University of Chicago Medical Center recently published news about a study conducted there which indicates that in some cases, social intervention may be as effective as medications for combating loneliness and depression in the elderly.  According to the press release announcing the results of the study: Changing how a person perceives and thinks about others was…