Caregivers of Older Adults Blog | Elder Care Issues

Touch is so important for making connections with our loved ones. 

Have you asked your aging loved one if they would like a hand or foot rub? 

Or considered booking a professional geriatric massage? 

If you’ve ever had a good massage, you know how good it can feel to have a professional feel their way around your knots and tension spots.

There is growing evidence that massage for seniors has many benefits, physical, mental, and emotional.

It can be devastating to lose the ability to communicate using the language you have always spoken.

Aphasia—the impairment of language that is a result of injury to the brain—is frustrating and difficult for the person experiencing it. They can lose the ability to find or form words, read, or write.

Many seniors and their caregivers are concerned about bone health—and for good reason. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 10 million people over the age of 50 had osteoporosis in 2010, and another 43 million had low bone mass. 

If you’re old enough to drive, you’ve probably misplaced your car keys. It doesn’t mean you have dementia. We’ve all done it.

Occasional lapses, as long as they don’t interfere with daily functioning, are certainly part of growing older.

What was I doing here? Where are my keys? Wallet? Purse? How could my cell phone be missing again? 

Sound familiar? 

The First Step to Preventing Elder Abuse Is Recognizing It

The physical, emotional, psychological, financial, and medical abuse of elders is a sad reality that causes pain and trauma for millions of older Americans.

Whether you care for a parent, grandparent, or another aging relative, transitioning to the role of family caregiver can be a challenge. Many family caregivers feel ill‑equipped to make tough decisions about long‑term care options, appropriate levels of care for loved ones with declining health, or even legal, financial, and medical terminology related to end‑of‑life decisions. 

Have you ever seen a caregiver effortlessly transfer someone to or from a wheelchair? While it may seem like they just have the magic touch or some sort of superpower, it's more likely that they've simply learned the techniques that make safe wheelchair transfer a routine task.

Anyone can learn these techniques. Just read below and watch the accompanying videos for basic information and pro-tips on how to safely transfer someone to and from a wheelchair. 

Communicating with a person with memory loss can be difficult, but the right strategies can bridge the gap and foster a more fulfilling relationship between you and your patient or loved one. 

Nearly half of people (49.6 percent) of people aged 65 years and older have reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis, according to the CDC. As many as 25 percent of adults with the condition, meanwhile, say it causes them “severe pain.” Caring for someone with debilitating pain from one of the 100 forms of arthritis and its related diseases can be challenging. However, there are some things caregivers can do to bring aging loved one's relief. Read on for a roundup of seven tips aimed at helping minimize pain and maximize quality of life for people with arthritis.