Love Plus Velcro Equals Dignity for Aging Loved Ones
Supporting your aging loved ones in their desire to live with independence, dignity and normalcy can sometimes be as easy as Velcro buttons and bendable straws. I recently visited the Universal Design exhibit at James Madison University in Harrisonburg Virginia. The exhibit highlighted easy ways to make simple tasks accessible to everyone. One of my favorites [...]
Caregiving Resolution: This Year We Celebrate!
Here’s a powerful mind trick: pretend you are sitting at the funeral of the elderly person you love. Now that they are gone, what are you treasuring about them? What is lost now that they are gone? What do you wish you had done or said? Now: snap your fingers and you have a second [...]
How Not to Have the Same Old Conversation with your Elderly Parents
It’s that time of year – time to visit the elderly parents! You’re glad you’re going because, you know, you love them and all and they may not be around forever. But are you already getting antsy thinking about sitting around in that dusty house having the same conversation you’ve had for twenty years? Time [...]
CareCheckers Call Service Checks on Your Elderly Loved Ones
CareCalls from Care Checkers are designed to assist families of aging and disabled loved ones by making daily health and safety checkup calls. Care Checkers offers medication reminders, meal reminders and activity reminders, along with friendly social interaction. All calls are made by live representatives, not an automated system. They keep caregivers updated with daily status reports [...]
Massachusetts General Hospital Documents the Benefits of Care Managers
Where do geriatric care managers fit into the health care system? Today I listened to a presentation about innovations in the delivery of health care. Timothy Ferris, M.D., M.Phil, M.P.H., Medical Director, Massachusetts General Physicians Organization reported these important results of adding care managers to Massachussets General Hospital (a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School) in a [...]
Does Your Elderly Loved One’s House Support Their Needs?
My pals at BuilderFish have produced a very practical guide for making sure your home supports you and your loved ones at every stage of life. The BuilderFish “Lifetime Home Survey” is free, comprehensive, easy to read and easy to apply. If you’re building a new home, remodeling your home, or preparing for the move-in of a loved [...]
What can a Geriatric Care Manager do for You?
A geriatric care manager can bring your loved one the support they need without putting stress on your life!
Thanking my clients for their…Moxie!
My clients have moxie. I love them for it! Two of my beloved clients died this year but while they lived they did it moxily! One of them raised three kids on her own after her husband was killed suddenly in a freak accident. She picked herself up and did what needed to be done – [...]
Be a Caregiving Genius! Ten Easy Tips
Want to be a caregiving genius? Try these ten easy tips! How do I know so much, besides the fact that I’m a geriatric care manager? I like to listen to my clients, and yesterday one of them said to me (and I quote) “You are a genius!” Hey, cut my pay in half and sign me [...]
The Intimacy of Caregiving
I knocked on the door – no answer. I called – no answer. His newspaper was still by the door. I asked if the neighbors had seen him. No. I was checking in on a new 90-year-old client while his family was away for the weekend. On Saturday everything went as planned – he greeted me [...]
