Adventures in Eldercare September 2014 September is a great time to start new initiatives, like starting to develop good memory habits. Here are 10 tips to boost memory: 1. Get organized. Make a list of tasks, or jot things on your calendar or in your daily diary. Don’t put things off; do them as soon as possible so you won’t forget. 2. Take time to remember things. Normal aging changes the brain, making your mind less efficient in processing new information. Slow down an

Adventures in Eldercare August 2014 I have been writing Adventures in Eldercare for a few years now and have covered many important and interesting issues related to aging, home care and healthy living. I look forward to many more years answering your questions, interpreting important information and helping seniors age successfully. In these three short years the home care landscape has already changed dramatically. Seniors are gaining a bigger and bigger voice on polit

Adventures in Eldercare July 2014 Summer 2014 has begun and a very hot humid summer has been forecast in Southern Ontario. Along with these hot days and nights comes the need for an important conversation about preventing heatstroke. To stay safe in the summer heat, it is important to stay hydrated and to be smart about how long you stay outdoors and how you protect yourself from heat exposure both outside and inside the home. Summer temperatures can reach dangerous levels

Adventures in Eldercare May 2014 Earlier this spring in Toronto a 92 year old woman was held captive in her own home. The details of this situation are shocking but I feel they need to be shared. The woman lived alone in Scarborough, in a post war home, she had no family. Although 92 years in age she was quite independent, she did her own grocery shopping and meal preparation but she needed help with cleaning and laundry. Her loyal housekeeper of over ten years became

Adventures in Eldercare April 2014 The business of medicine, for most doctors in Ontario is fee-for-service and unfortunately this means that a physician’s income is directly dependent on the number of patients that he sees move through his clinic each and every day. This means short visits, a lot of information exchanged quickly and an emphasis on the patient being able to handle it all. In the elderly population this can be a very bad combination of events that can lead

Adventures in Eldercare March 2014 My last Adventures in Eldercare article was about Winter Fire Safety in the home. I was surprised when I received a number of calls to my office after it was published. The surprising element was that the calls were not about what was in the article, they were about what was not included. People were calling to see how Rocky was doing because I had not mentioned him in the February article. I apologize. I was still very firmly in deni

Adventures in Eldercare February 2014 The horrendous fire at a Quebec Nursing Home this winter and the 25 deaths of elderly residents in that facility is on the top of the mind of everyone who works in eldercare. No matter who is found at fault in this tragedy the fact remains that our elderly citizens living either at home or in long term care facilities are extremely vulnerable due to their advanced age, possible dementia and/or their frail physical health. Prevention of

Adventures in Eldercare January 2014 I have written about my old dog Rocky a few times over the last couple of years. 14 year old Rocky is now reaching the end of his life; his physical body is deteriorating rapidly, especially his hind quarters. He has great difficulty getting up and down and going in and out of the 4 steps to our side yard. He has had a few accidents in the house and has lost his appetite. Rocky is a part of our family, a beloved pet and companion. I a

Adventures in Eldercare November 2013 This month we are going to look at Facts and Myths with regards to aging. Answer the questions with a true or false and then look below for the answer. You may be surprised at the many myths that surround aging! True or False? 1. The older you get, the less sleep you need. 2. People take more medications as they age. 3. As your body changes with age, so does your personality. 4. Intelligence declines with age. 5. Most older people live

Adventures in Eldercare August 2013 Last July, I wrote about my then 13 year old Golden Retriever Rocky and the response to that article was overwhelming. People like Dogs! I also find that we can really learn a few things from the older dogs that we care for. Rocky is 14 now and has some heart and breathing issues, weakness and very arthritic hips. He does not have a lot of ‘get up and go’ anymore as you would expect from a dog that is equal in age to a 98 year old man.