With the holiday season well under way, you can find a great deal of information on the web about ways to manage the season when you have a loved one with dementia, including on this site. The truth though is that many of us enter the holiday season with a mixed bag of memories and […]

Seeing the ‘Invisible Patient’ Not once in the years I cared for my mother did any of her physicians ask me how I was doing. When was the last time I saw my own physician? Was I eating properly? Sleeping enough? Depressed? What did I do for fun? Frankly, I didn’t notice their apparent lack […]

Health care costs are a big concern for people going into retirement, but the costs of long-term care can still be a shock. Here are a few facts: • 70% of people over 65 will need some form of long-term care at some point. • For married couples, the chance that one spouse will need […]

Trying to hold onto a job while caring for a family member is a tough juggling act. Caregivers sometimes have to arrive late or leave early, cut back to part-time work, and decline travel or promotions. For women, these competing responsibilities may prove particularly perilous, a study recently published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology […]

Home care services range from medical care to help with daily household chores. If you’re considering home care services, ask these questions to choose the best provider for your needs. If you’re recovering from surgery or need long-term care for a chronic illness — or you have a loved one facing a similar situation — […]

Moderate to Severe Alzheimer’s: Managing Your Loved One’s Care Are You at Risk for Caregiver Burnout? Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease can be more stressful than caring for people with other serious diseases. That’s because people with Alzheimer’s disease often need care for decades, rather than a few months or years, says Mary Guerriero […]

Earlier this month Representative Nita M. Lowey, Democrat of New York, introduced what she’s calling the Social Security Caregiver Credit Act, intended to increase retirement income for middle-class citizens who must reduce their work hours or leave the work force because of caregiving duties. It’s hard to feel optimistic about its passage in this political […]

The elderly man lived alone in an apartment complex not far from the hospital. A younger neighbor, who’d watched him hobble down the building’s stairwell for nearly a week, insisted on taking him to the emergency room. Doctors there immediately diagnosed an infection in his painful toe and prescribed antibiotics for him to take at […]

Tracy Murphy was managing a nonprofit agency five years ago when her mother became seriously ill with heart problems. She promptly left her job to care for her, a task that has consumed Ms. Murphy ever since. “For me, it was a no-brainer,” said Ms. Murphy, who lives in Syracuse. “When I was growing up […]