PEDICURE
When Aging Parents Become Rude:Is It...
Q: My loving, Jewish mother is 92 and has turned into a rude, abusive foul-mouthed woman who I no longer recognize. She’s in relatively good health and amazingly lives in the same house I grew up in. She has an aide during the day. She won’t leave the house, treats the aide poorly and last
How to Choose the Safest OTC...
Q: My 88-year old mother often complains of various aches and pains. What is the safest over-the-counter painkiller for her to take? Aren’t some of them bad for your liver and kidneys? A: Frequent aches and pains are a common problem for older adults. If your mother has been complaining, you’ll want to make sure she
Hiring In-Home Caregivers for Aging in...
This article is by Michelle Allen, LCSW. Michelle is an experienced social worker and geriatric care manager based in Atlanta and is a featured expert providing guidance in our Helping Older Parents programs. At some point, you may need to have someone help your older parent – or perhaps you – with care in the home. So, what
How to Detect & Treat Vitamin...
Everyone knows that vitamins and nutrition are important for health, and many older adults take a multivitamin. But did you know that even among older persons who do this, many still end up developing a serious deficiency in one particular vitamin? It’s Vitamin B12. If there’s one vitamin that I’d like all older adults and
8 Things to Have the Doctor...
If you want to prevent dangerous falls in an aging adult, here’s one of the very best things you can do: be proactive about getting the right kind of medical assessment after a fall. Why? There are three major reasons for this: A fall can be a sign of a new and serious medical
What to Know & Do
It’s that time of the year: fall, which I think of as flu vaccination time. I always think getting a flu vaccine is a good idea for most older adults. In these COVID pandemic times, I think it’s even more important. So I agree with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which is urging that
COVID & Aging Adults: 2024-2025 News...
Since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in early 2020, COVID has become one of the top causes of illness and death in the US, and has especially impacted aging adults, for both health and social reasons. Older age is one of the top risk factors for severe COVID; it’s even a stronger risk factor than vaccination
Essential Parts of Medicare: The ABCDs...
Every year, Medicare has an open enrollment period: October 15 – December 7. During this time, Medicare beneficiaries can do the following: Switch from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage, or vice versa; Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another; Change Medicare Part D (prescription drug)
Ativan Side-Effects, Stopping Safely, & More...
Have you heard of Ativan (generic name lorazepam), and of the risks of benzodiazepines drugs in older adults? Is an older person you care for taking prescription medication for sleep, anxiety, or “nerves”? Would you like an easy, practical tool to help someone stop a drug whose risks often outweigh the benefits? If so, I
What to Know & What to...
Have you noticed that an older relative seems to be having trouble hearing you at times? Or perhaps you’ve realized that sometimes YOU are the one saying “What?” These situations are extremely common. Sometimes the issue is that one is trying to communicate in a noisy place and there is no need for concern. But
