Minding Our Elders®
Breaking the Isolation: Information and Support for Caregivers and Seniors by Author, Columnist, Consultant and Speaker Carol Bradley Bursack
by Carol Bradley Bursack
31 Jul 2010 at 2:01am
Hindsight tells me that my mother-in-law, Alice, was already suffering from dementia while she was the primary caregiver of my very ill father-in-law, Milton. I still remember one of the times when I was keeping Milton company while Alice drove off to the grocery store. Milton and I were having a good time, at least as good a time as one can when pending death is the third presence in the room. We knew we were "closing up shop," as we called it.
by Carol Bradley Bursack
30 Jul 2010 at 2:01am
Then the sibling who hasn't been home for a year shows up and is appalled. She notices Dad is hanging onto whatever he can grab when he gets up from a chair and sees that he is uncertain when he walks. He wasn't like that last year. The visiting sibling also notices Mom has gotten forgetful and that everyone around seems to automatically cover for her.
by Carol Bradley Bursack
29 Jul 2010 at 2:01am
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon) and galantamine (Razadyne) as drugs which may help maintain cognitive abilities and help control some behavioral symptoms for a few months to a few years.
by Carol Bradley Bursack
28 Jul 2010 at 2:01am
A paper released in the online and print editions of Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research, a journal of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons, reports on the success of a total Joint Replacement Registry that Kaiser Permanente had developed. The paper states that, ?Total Joint Replacement Registry
by Carol Bradley Bursack
27 Jul 2010 at 2:01am
Because doctors and lay people alike often leap to the conclusion that an elder with an Alzheimer's diagnosis, and exhibiting lack of interest in his or her surroundings, is depressed, I found a new study undertaken at the University of Florida intriguing
by Carol Bradley Bursack
26 Jul 2010 at 2:01am
Dear Carol: I took my mother to the dentist and he found an area in her mouth that worried him. He suggested we have her regular doctor take a look. Couldn?t he have just given her a prescription? It?s hard to get Mom to these appointments. Bill
Dear Bill: Often a good dentist will spot
by Carol Bradley Bursack
25 Jul 2010 at 2:01am
New diagnostic guidelines were discussed at an international Alzheimer's meeting in Hawaii recently. These guidelines have much to offer, but also leave us much to consider when it comes to "unintended consequences"