Caregivers of Older Adults Blog | Elder Care Issues (3)

In a perfect world, all family members would get along when making care decisions for aging loved ones. In the world we live in, however, familial strife is extremely common. While managing conflicts can be challenging, it’s vital to build consensus—both to ensure that each senior’s wants and needs are met as well as to reduce caregiver stress. The good news? There are some things you can to do help things go as smoothly as possible, including the following six strategies:

Passing gas is a perfectly normal bodily function. However, this doesn’t mean it’s not potentially problematic for caregivers—especially when it becomes excessive. Here’s a closer look at the issue of seniors and flatulence, along with caregiver tips aimed at helping seniors manage this common condition.

If you’ve ever been around someone who has fainted—or if you’ve ever fainted yourself—you know it’s a frightening ordeal. Clinically known as “syncope” (pronounced SIN-co-pee), fainting is not only much more common in older adults but also associated with a reduced survival rate—and therefore of particular importance for senior caregivers. Here’s a closer look at syncope, along with what all caregivers need to know about caring for someone with this condition.

As the season of giving approaches, many adult children of aging parents in elder care are left with a challenging question: What should I get my mom or dad? While choosing meaningful Christmas gifts for the elderly may involve some extra thought, finding the perfect present leads to satisfaction for both the giver and the recipient. Read on for a roundup of six gift ideas for your favorite seniors this season. 

Monica Do Coutto Monni is the executive director of Near North Palliative Care Network, a non-profit organization which provides one-stop palliative care, bereavement and grief, and end-of-life free volunteer-based services and training in Northern Ontario. We had a chance to talk with Monica about how our culture views end-of-life issues and why quality hospice and palliative care are becoming more important as the population ages.

As if the trail of destruction left by Hurricane Harvey wasn’t enough, another threat is rising in the wreckage: Disaster-related charity scams. Even worse? Many of these ruthless fraudsters have philanthropic seniors in their sights. Here’s a closer look at this elder care issue, along with tips on how caregivers can help seniors avoid falling victim to these opportunistic predators.

A recent CNN article shares the experiences of 83-year-old John Gutz, who narrowly avoided being bilked out of $10,000 by a ruthless scammer. Thanks to the intervention of his daughter, Gutz walked away from this particular incident unscathed financially. However, he’s one of the lucky few. The reality is that seniors are increasingly being targeted by an ever-growing breadth and depth of scams and schemes. Here’s what all caregivers should know.

Approximately 300,000 Americans break a hip every year. Many of them are seniors. Unfortunately, hip fractures can be much more detrimental for seniors than for the rest of the population.  Here’s a closer look at the issue, along with caregiver tips aimed at keeping seniors safe.

More than half of seniors suffer from incontinence, according to a recent report from the CDC. Caring for someone with incontinence issues can be particularly challenging -- both physically and emotionally. Let's count down six caregiver tips aimed at minimizing stress for both caregivers and care recipients when it comes to incontinence care. 

The desire to age in place is common among older adults today. Essential to helping them achieve this goal?  The ability to attend to the activities of daily living, AKA the “ADLs.”  Here’s a closer look at why the ADLs matter, along with how adaptive equipment can play in supporting mobility and independence in seniors.