Published monthly, the Arizona Elder Care Report contains important information and resources to help you make the right decisions. Please forward this page to anyone you know who would benefit from this information. If you have comments or questions, please In this issue, Ron talks about the value of having an objective observer and advocate for your family. Please watch the video below: A Brief Message From Ron Goldman Other [...]
Published monthly, the Arizona Elder Care Report contains important information and resources to help you make the right decisions. Please forward this page to anyone you know who would benefit from this information. If you have comments or questions, please In this issue, Ron answers two frequently asked questions about geriatric care management. You can read his answers below or listen to his answers in audio form at the bottom [...]
From AARP: For eight years, Thomas Smallwood got around relatively well for a man with no legs. Poor circulation had led Smallwood, 63 at the time, to a difficult choice: his legs or his life. He chose the latter. You don't need legs to be a man, he thought. The man makes the legs. Or in his case, the arms. Until age 71, Smallwood used his arms to amble around [...]
From AARP: Their answers will give you a clearer picture of how your parents are faring and will help you assess their needs. Their Home -Is your home still appropriate for you now that you're getting older? -Can you manage the stairs, or would you do better on one level? -Does your home have any safety hazards? -Could simple modifications to your home make it more convenient? -Should you think [...]
From the NEW YORK TIMES: When I got up, Mom was already awake. I could hear her rummaging in the kitchen. Through the glass doors in the living room, sunlight flared so brightly off the hillocks of snow that I had to shield my eyes. It was my birthday, and I was afraid. What if my husband had neglected to take Mom shopping for a card? Once Mom found out [...]
From the NEW YORK TIMES: During one especially dicey period with my mother, then in an assisted living facility, my brother and I hired a geriatric care manager, first for a consultation and then for additional help at an hourly rate. It felt like such an extravagance, given that we weren't rolling in money, but the care manager helped solve a series of complex problems that I doubt I'd have [...]
From USATODAY.COM "Dad, you shouldn't be driving anymore." " I haven't hit anyone yet!" "You ran over Mrs. Peabody's cherry tree." "That tree was half dead anyway," Dad growls. "And so is Mrs. Peabody!" Are you dreading a conversation like this over the holidays? It's that time of year when we are confronted with signs of aging in our parents that are not evident in long-distance phone conversations. One friend [...]
From KIPLINGER.COM A few months before my mom's 66th birthday, a doctor diagnosed her with Alzheimer's disease. At that time -- November 2008 -- she was exhibiting symptoms of the early stages of dementia, such as short-term memory loss. In July 2009, another doctor confirmed the Alzheimer's diagnosis and also said she had white-matter disease -- another possible contributor to her dementia. By then, she could still handle daily tasks, [...]
From AARP.ORG: Your loved ones aren't getting any younger, and the economy isn't getting any better. The two trends might have something in common, and that's why it is so important to help your family members organize their important financial documents, to learn more about their financial resources, and to help protect them against scams. What should you do to ensure the safety of your loved ones' financial security? Get [...]
From ALZ.ORG: New criteria and guidelines for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease have been published -- for the first time in 27 years -- by three expert workgroups spearheaded by the Alzheimer's Association and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The workgroups published four articles including ready-to-use clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer's. A [...]