Joyce Simard began her career as a dementia care specialist almost unwittingly nearly four decades ago. She had logged many early years as what she calls “a real social worker” when it hit hard that the usual rules and regulations care facilities cling to simply don’t work for residents who have Alzheimer’s disease or other […]
My neighbor, thinking about retirement and downsizing, told me that he was pretty impressed by the idea of a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). He saw it as a way not just to downsize, to make his life simpler, and to be around contemporaries, but also to move somewhere that could attend to increasing needs […]
College campuses are hubs for innovation, arts, culture and athletics. And when looking back, alumni regularly refer to their university years as some of their best — partly due to their access to a community of higher learning and culture. So, could college campuses also be the ideal place to spend your golden years? Increasingly, […]
An Introduction to Continuing Care Retirement Communities Recently, my almost retired 63-year-old active neighbor has been shopping around for a comfortable community to settle down in when he is no longer able to stay in his home. He realizes that at some point maintaining the yard, climbing the stairs, and cleaning the big place will […]
Louise has lived in her Florida home with her husband for the past 10 years. A daughter who has her own health problems lives nearby and a son lives a state away. Though he visits often, for practical purposes Louise has to manage day-to-day problems on her own. She called me because she wanted to […]
Most people say they fear getting Alzheimer’s disease more than they fear heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer, according to a number of recent polls. And a large number even fear it more than dying. And the odds of that fear being realized seem scary, too. The Alzheimer’s Association posts the statistics that an estimated […]
Despite strict government warnings and national initiatives cracking down on administering antipsychotic drugs to older people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia, dangerous abuses persist. The practice is particularly pernicious when it occurs in nursing homes, behind closed doors, where the most vulnerable residents are rarely informed or allowed to give meaningful consent before being […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency charged with overseeing the quality of treatment in the nation’s 15,000 long-term care facilities, recently released a final rule heralding its first major regulatory reform in 25 years. The rule is slated to be phased in over three years, beginning November 28, 2016. It […]
If you or yours are up against a serious illness, you will likely hear the terms “palliative care” and “hospice care” — and may even be asked to choose between them while being confused by the question. There’s good reason for the confusion. Blurred Lines By most lights, “palliative” is just a multi-syllabic word for […]
Hospice care, usually elected toward the end of life to alleviate pain and symptoms rather than cure an underlying disease, involves fewer medical interventions and technology than conventional medical care. For this reason, and the fact that the care is often provided in a home, in part by trained volunteers, it is also less expensive. […]