If a senior family member or other loved one has cognitive impairment or some form of dementia such as Alzheimer’s, you may have noticed them acting differently in the late afternoon or early evening hours. Sundowning, which is also known as sundowners or sundown syndrome, is a term that refers to a group of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that people with cognitive impairments or dementia can often experience in the late afternoon or evening as the sun sets, but it can occur at other times as well. Sundowning can affect a person’s thinking, memory, personality, ability to reason, and their mood.
As we age, our lean muscle mass begins to decline. The good news is that you can significantly reduce the decline by engaging in regular exercise and having a generous amount of meals rich in protein. Studies have shown that older adults who have a considerably high protein intake will have more muscle mass and a greater amount of functional strength than those older adults who consume smaller amounts of protein on average.
For many people, by the time they reach their twilight years of their mid-70s, they are likely to have developed one or more complex health conditions, or had at least one health incident. If you have a senior parent or another loved one who has suffered from declining health and who needs more care, understanding the Ms of geriatrics will help you to better understand and meet their needs and strengthen your relationship.
For many people, living an independent lifestyle is a sought after goal, no matter the age. Independent living means having the power to make our own decisions and focus on the things most important to us. Seniors should be included in prioritizing their own needs to reach their goals for health and happiness. Going through the aging process doesn’t mean that it’s time to start cutting back on our freedoms.
You may not know this, but dental bridges are actually an ancient technology. Archeological finds from ancient Egypt have shown evidence of dental work that we today would consider to be bridges. Thin wire of metals such as silver or gold were wound around existing teeth, and used to stabilize cosmetic material like bone or ivory, inserted to fill unsightly gaps. These bridges would have been installed and kept for the lifespan of the patient. But still, despite the pedigree of dental bridge technology, problems arise and are a reality for many who have undergone this cosmetic procedure.
If you're an adult child or caregiver of a senior with arthritis, this blog post discusses various techniques to help them manage their pain.
For many of us, we focus on living a heart smart lifestyle as we age. This makes sense, as heart disease claims more than 647,000 lives in the United States every year. But the truth is that lung disease can also have a significant effect on how long we live, and how well we live. As we advance through the years, our lungs typically become weaker and less flexible. But our lifestyles can impact how much change our lungs go through.
This blog post provides adult children and caregivers with a helpful guide on how to meaningfully broach the issue of breast cancer with seniors, both men and women, who may show reluctance to discuss it.
The holidays are often filled with high expectations, necessitating a lot of energy and engagement to stand up to the onslaught of non-stop activities and functions. But for seniors living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, holidays can be a challenging time filled with high anxiety and stress. Festivities can often confuse, agitate, and overstimulate people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. And for caregivers, the increased difficulty can add to their existing burden of stress and anxiety.
Dementia impacts the lives of an estimated 50 million people worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, another 10 million cases are diagnosed each year. Of those living with dementia, Alzheimer’s is by far the most common type, making up nearly 80% of cases. In the United States alone, almost 6 million people have Alzheimer’s. As the population continues to age, researchers believe this number will climb higher.
The relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren is a unique bond that enriches the lives of both parties. Here are ways to maintain these bonds.
As we age, the physical and mental limitations that the aging process brings about can easily lead to a feeling of losing control of the things in life that you love, such as your senior independence. But the good news is that independence doesn’t have an age limit. Older adults can easily take certain steps to allow them to maintain as much of their independence as they can for as long as possible.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or, PTSD for short, is a psychiatric condition that can affect people of all ages, including older adults, who have experienced or been a witness to a traumatic event or series of circumstances. PTSD is a complex disorder that can be physical or emotional, or both, and can create a negative impact on a person’s mental health and quality of life.
This blog post provides efficient and budget-friendly strategies for your back-to-school shopping. We will cover time-saving online shopping tips and ways to establish spending limits with your kids.
The human body is the most complex system ever created. The more we learn about it, the more we can appreciate what a rich system it is. Over the years, our bodies serve us well. Our muscles allow us to walk, run, dance, hold each other, and all the other things we do that each make a thread in the rich tapestry that is our lives. But as we age, we will inevitably lose some of our strength and balance, and this unfortunately increases our risk of suffering from a fall. In fact, one in four older adults have reported falling at one point or another, which adds up to nearly 36 million falls per year. 8 million of those falls will require medical attention due to injury, and fully half of all seniors who fall will experience another fall in the future.
From political drama, the recent COVID pandemic, rapidly changing technology and norms, and more, there’s no doubt that these modern times can be stressful. For older adults who may have more difficulty navigating news stories and technology like video chatting, the impact can be even worse.
Dehydration is a common, but sadly often underestimated health issue that can affect individuals of any age. But for senior citizens, the impact can be especially severe and also complicated. With the aging process, certain physiological changes occur that can make older adults more vulnerable to the effects of dehydration, which can quickly snowball and lead to serious negative consequences for health.
Many people today find themselves seeking out approaches and practices in their pursuit of good health that may not necessarily be considered to be part of the typical, conventional approach to conventional medical care. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, these products and practices generally fall into three categories.
Sleep has a profound impact on our health and our daily function. As we age, we might find our sleep patterns changing. For instance, we might wake multiple times in the night, or wake up earlier in the morning than we’re used to. Sometimes, we may feel that our sleep isn’t as deep as it once was.
For most people, living independently is a lifelong goal, regardless of whatever stage of life they happen to be in. Being independent means making all the decisions in your life, such as how you want to live, where you want to retire, and what is most important to you. For many people, getting older means feeling like those decisions will eventually be taken away from you, but the reality is that it doesn’t have to be that way.+
The popular TV show The Brady Bunch showed American audiences an idealized version of a perfectly blended family, with six children, two parents, and a housekeeper. Despite the fact that each parent was only genetically related to three of the kids, they functioned as a family and showed us weekly lessons about love and what it means to be a family. But in real life, things don’t always go so smoothly, and one question is what would have happened to Mike and Carol Brady after the six kids moved out, they entered their senior years, and found themselves needing childcare?
Vascular dementia is a general term describing problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory, and other thought processes, caused by brain damage from impaired blood flow to the brain. You can develop vascular dementia after a stroke blocks an artery to your brain, but strokes don’t always cause vascular dementia. It can also result from other conditions that damage blood vessels and reduce circulation, depriving your brain of vital oxygen and nutrients.
It is of course difficult to make healthcare decisions for ourselves, especially when it comes to planning on what to do as we begin to wind down and approach the great unknown. But some of us are tasked with making those decisions for the people we care about, when they are for whatever reason unable to do it on their own behalf. Even if your loved one sorted out their advance care planning beforehand, it is likely that it will not cover all possible medical treatments and options. So how can you best advocate for those you care about when they cannot do it for themselves?
This article provides a comprehensive guide to understanding affordable home care options. We aim to empower families by helping them navigate this vital decision.
Recognizing and addressing caregiver burnout is both challenging and crucial. If you see these signs of caregiver burnout in your spouse, it's crucial to take action.