June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month. The adult children of aging parents should make vigilant efforts all year to detect signs of abuse. Raising awareness includes learning how to identify those signs. Older adults are often unwilling to share their concerns about abuse. If they have fallen for a financial scam, they might be ashamed […]
Caregivers help people who have disabling impairments with their activities of daily living. The nation’s shortage of caregivers is tied to rising demand as the population ages. The shortage is exacerbated by the low pay that caregivers have traditionally earned. Most caregivers are unpaid family members. They provide transportation to medical appointments, monitor medications, administer […]
Adult children face difficult decisions when their parents are approaching the end of their lives. An advancing cancer that no longer responds to treatment is one example of a health condition that leaves parents and their children with few options. The family’s primary goal is usually to make the parents’ last days as comfortable as […]
Dementia is both a growing and declining medical condition in the United States. The number of people with dementia is growing because the population of older Americans is increasing. There is evidence, however, that the incidence rate of dementia is declining. About 10% of American adults who are 65 or older suffer from dementia, while […]
In the year before the pandemic began, about one in ten older adults in the United States experienced elder abuse. A study found that one in five older adults experienced abuse during the pandemic. Based on calls to an elder abuse hotline, another study found that pandemic lockdowns may have reduced the opportunity to report […]
Americans in their 80s probably grew up listening to Elvis Presley. If they are a bit younger, they may have danced to the Beatles during their teen years. Seniors who recently reached retirement age may have listened to record albums of musicians who played at Woodstock. Musical tastes tend to evolve as we age. A […]
Adult children want to assure that their parents live their best lives as they grow older. They may feel frustrated when parents who are concerned about being a burden to their children are not forthcoming about declining health. A frank conversation with parents might encourage them to open up about developing health issues and unmet […]
Labeling an older adult as “frail” can be stigmatizing. Geriatric researchers have cautioned that the term is linked to “mental or moral weakness” and may become “the new cloak of ageism, a tool for discrimination and disempowerment applied to the most vulnerable.” Despite its negative connotations, medical science uses the term frailty to describe a […]
The adult children of disabled parents are often asked for advice about their parents’ housing options. When parents need around-the-clock care, a nursing home might be the most realistic choice. A parent who needs assistance with the activities of daily living might remain in her home with the help of family or outside caregivers. When […]
