An apple peel that is! Muscle atrophy (the weakening and breaking down of muscle tissue) impacts most people at some time in their life due to illness or aging. Unfortunately, there is no medication available to treat muscle atrophy.
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Barbara's Blog
Physical fitness and aging
“The age of the body is defined by the flexibility of the spine”
~ Maya Fiennes, yoga master
We all want our parents to remain as active and independent as possible, and we want the same thing for ourselves! Regular exercise is pivotal for seniors. Seniors are at greater risk for disease, lost mobility, and falls than any other age group. Conversely, they often realize the positive effects of exercise more quickly than other age groups. If your parent hasn’t been exercising, it can be difficult to get started. Read…
Healthy Aging Through Food
We all know that a low salt, low fat diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and fiber can reduce the risk of age related risks of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases. However, there are lots of other foods out there. Can you eat those other foods and still experience healthy aging? Yes! Read…
The Invisible Family Caregiver
“This is what you need to do. Please sign here.”
Too often, caregivers, already reeling from a parent’s recent health crisis, are simply handed written medical instructions, new prescriptions, a car load of medical equipment, and sent on their way. They are offered no training, no one asks if they are prepared for their new assignment, or how they are doing emotionally. Read…
Valuing the Invaluable
Whether you give care to a friend or family member, or receive care from a friend or family member, you know that such care is so valuable, it is truly invaluable. The world is just beginning to catch up with that understanding. Read…
Caregiving is a marathon
Too often we underestimate the time obligation of caregiving. Adult children step up to be the primary hands-on caregiver having no idea that they may spend as much time caring for their parents as they spent raising their children. Read…
The emotions of caregiving
I always ask my audiences to shout out the emotions associated with caregiving. ‘Sad’, ‘overwhelmed’, ‘denial’, and ‘angry’ are typically the first responses. Mentioned less frequently, but perhaps even more important are ‘resentment’, ‘isolation’, and ‘burdened’. Yet, no matter where in the country I speak, the one emotion that always bubbles to the top of the list is ‘guilt’. Read…
Caregiving Tips for the Holidays
Help a Caregiver You Know
- Offer to help clean and cook, wrap presents, go shopping, pick up the kids.
- If your family is caregiving, suggest a potluck holiday meal or secret Santa gift exchange to save time and money.
- The best gift you could give a caregiver is help. Give them the day off!
- Remember to say “thank you” to a caregiver and let them know they are appreciated!
- If a member of your family is caregiving for a relative this holiday season, send a thank you gift! Read…
Seniorhomes.com announces its Caregiver Recognition Award winners
Angela Diaz-Burris began caregiving as a young teenager as a volunteer working with kids who had developmental disabilities. She regularly cared for a little boy with cerebral palsy and was devastated when he passed away under her care. As a young girl, most of us would have been too traumatized to continue caregiving, and too scared to experience that loss again. However, Angela was different, and her passion for caregiving gave her strength and allowed her to continue to help people. Read…
Share your caregiving story
Every caregiver has a story, and every story needs to be told.
I am so excited to share with you that I have been selected to participate on a panel of leading senior care experts to judge the SeniorHomes.com Caregiver Recognition Awards program, co-sponsored by Emeritus Senior Living. The Caregiver Recognition Awards program aims to recognize the millions of Americans serving as caregivers; be it as a professional caregiver, or as a caregiver to a loved one or friend. Read…
Understanding aging services
The world of Aging Services is large, complicated, and can be overwhelming. It is difficult to understand where to go, what agency does what, and how to access assistance for your parents.
Here’s a bird’s eye view of what’s what:
Traveling with your aging parents
With so many of us now living with and caring for our parents, we are constantly searching for ways to incorporate that care into our daily lives…and our vacations.
Remember back when our travel plans required that we consider feedings, strollers, diaper changing, and play grounds? Read…
End of Life Plan
Funeral planning is never a picnic, and this is likely why we are so often unprepared when the time comes. Our failure to plan our own funerals forces our grief-stricken loved one to plan our funerals for us, at a time when they are working to process their own pain. It is no different for our parents. As a caregiver to your parents, you are in the unique position of working with them to develop such a plan and avoid later pitfalls. Read…
How parents hide dementia
Is your mom doing more things for your dad than she used to? She may be covering for his dementia.
But isn’t it normal to become more forgetful as we age? Not according to Carolyn Rosenblatt, RN, Attorney, and Mediator for aging related conflicts. Rosenblatt stresses that problems with memory are signs of underlying medical issues. Read…
Does increased activity decrease the risk of dementia?
Dementia is nearly the four letter word of aging. No one wants to watch their parents or partners fade away into a loss of memories and recognition. For so long it seemed that all we could do was sit back and hope the “d-word” didn’t come along. That is until now. Read…
Public Event
If you are in the Columbus area on June 15, 2011 it would be a pleasure to meet you at my upcoming event: Read…
Cities are ramping up for the elderly
Cities across America are finally realizing their populations are aging at a rapid rate. Unfortunately, their architecture is designed for the young.
In New York City seniors will soon outnumber school children. New York Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs says, “It’s about changing the way we think about the we’re growing old in our community.”
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The Importance of Family Caregiving Meetings
The importance of family caregiving meeting
Caring for your parents is a big responsibility. We all know it is very important that siblings share in that responsibility as much as possible, but what exactly does that mean? Read…
Elderly Depression
Depression affects approximately 20% of people over the age of sixty-five, yet only about one in six is treated appropriately. Depression is a treatable medical condition, not a natural part of the aging process. To further complicate the issue, 80% of those over 65 have at least one chronic condition, and 50% have 2 or more. The burden of living with a chronic condition, particularly one not well managed can increase the liklihood of experiencing depression. As you care for your parents, report any of these symptoms to your parents’ doctor: Read…
Prevention is the Best Medicine
While we all know this, we don’t always follow it. Unfortunately, neither do our parents. Not only do heathy people experience a better quality of life, they are also easier to care for.For people over 65 years of age there are eight indicators that signal the appropriate amount of prevention is occurring. Those are: Read…
Medicare Scams
The United States loses billions each year in Medicare and Medicaid fraud scams targeted at the elderly. Knowledge is power, and by educating your parents on the scams that exist, you can protect your loved ones and their needed benefits. Read…
Two Factors Impacting Elderly Caregiving
I just read an article out of the UK titled “The Forgotten Age”. We have known for a long time that the issue of caring for aging parents impacts the caregiver’s emotional, physical and financial well being. Going forward the factors that complicate this “informal” caregiving will be unusual sociological issues. Read…
The Cost of Caregiving
The costs and time of caregiving will impact government and personal resources in ways that are just now emerging.
Family caregivers save society billions of dollars each year. With the elderly now being the fastest growing segment of the population, programs to meet the needs of the elderly will have to expand and consume more of the gross national product. Read…
November is National Family Caregiver’s Month
Take a Minute and Thank a Caregiver
Recognized by President Clinton when he signed the first proclamation in 1997, National Family Caregiver’s Month has been proclaimed by an American President annually ever since. Many states, and dozens of local municipalities have also proclaimed November, NFC Month. Read…
Caregiving and Eldercare News 10-19-10
Key 4 Women luncheon sponsored by KeyBank being held TODAY at the Blackwell Center – speaker Cindy Solomon. Fundraiser for Breast Cancer.
For more information about other caregiving events, visit Barbara McVicker’s Upcoming Events page.
The Sandwich Generation
Caregiving for Yourself and Your Whole Family
It is estimated that 75 million Americans are caring for an elderly parent, many while working full time and caring for a family. This is the definition of the Sandwich Generation – sandwiched between taking care of 2 generations. Read…
Wall Street Journal — “When Siblings Step Up”
I was so fortunate to be quoted recently in the Wall Street Journal. Anne Tergesen wrote a fantastic piece called “When Siblings Step Up” which addressed the difficult circumstances which face siblings when caregiving an elderly parent.The article covered some great points, which I will highlight below: Read…