Elder Care ABC

It’s no secret that aging makes us, and especially seniors more vulnerable. But, I smiled to hear about a new trend that’s sure to make aggressors who take on the elderly as targets back off, at least a little. It’s called “Cane-Fu” and apparently it’s catching on across the country, poking at the theory that [...]

One of the best resources I have found for all types of great information and Medicare Extra Help is the Medicare Rights Center.  They are a national, nonprofit consumer service organization.  With nearly 45 million people on Medicare they are there to help not just beneficiaries, but their caregivers as well. Since 1989 they have [...]

From 4:30 to 9 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the last 10 years, 79-year-old Konrad Bald has walked the line at Buehler YMCA in Palatine. He makes his way through the sweating masses, greeting everyone by name. The retired labor-relations executive and the “Y’s” longest-standing part-time employee offers just the right words, spoken [...]

Do you know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?  A lot of people get the two programs mixed up and there is a difference.  If you are on Medicare you may also be eligible for Medicaid. Medicare is the federal health insurance program that covers: People 65 years of age and older. Some people with [...]

Recently I found myself reuniting with a group of “soccer moms,” friends who spent years of summer evenings and weekends standing (or sitting) side-by-side at the soccer field watching our sons on the playing field.  Now, that the boys are three years into college, it’s been several years since we’ve come together to connect and [...]

Are you looking for an American Alzheimers society aimed at providing education, emotional support and practical assistance for your Alzheimers patient relative? The importance of seeking Alzheimers help cannot be overstated. Two-thirds of Alzheimers caregivers suffer from depression.

I recently listened to a CD, Thoughts on…Dementia/Alzheimer’s – Living Differently. The CD features 84-year-old Lorna LeBrun and her daughter Louise LeBrun as they discuss their lives.  Louise’s Dad and Lorna’s husband, Buddy has been in a locked ward of the Veterans home for the last seven years due to frontal lobe dementia and they [...]

A healthy brain and good memory are the keys to independent living as we age. As the daughter of an Alzheimer’s disease victim, every memory lapse I experience makes me worry.  I wonder is this the first sign that I will get AD too. While we know more about how our brains work than ever [...]