Caregiver

By Micha Shalev Life expectancy has been on an upward trajectory for over 100 years. According to the most recent report released by the AARP,...

Decades after screen star Bette Davis famously declared that “growing old is not for sissies,” Estelle Gross expanded on the woes of the ailing aged with her lament that people live too long and die too slowly.

Betsy McCann and her husband, Jim Forbes, often worried that his mother was growing isolated in her Los Angeles-area home. At 90, Lois Brokus had stopped driving and was sometimes afraid to be alone in her house.

Non-pharmacological therapies can be effective in treating the symptoms of dementia. They can help with both behavioral symptoms and memory problems. They include aromatherapy, sensory stimulation, light therapy, herbal medicine, dietary supplements, acupuncture, homeopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic and reflexology.

While many vacationing travelers hit the roads during the summer season, the month of September signals the beginning of heavily increased traffic, especially during rush hours.  Drivers are heading back to work, which means sharing the road with more vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians. And, now that school is back in session, expect to see more school buses and pedestrians on the local roads.

The couple had been married 45 years and Wise told his friend that they had agreed long ago they didn’t want to live out their years bedridden and disabled. 
So a week after Barbara Wise’s stroke, investigators said, her husband fired a single round into her head.

There are 40 million Americans, 844,000 in Massachusetts, who help care for aging parents, spouses, or loved ones, helping them to live independently in their own homes. These family caregivers provide unpaid care valued at $11.6 billion annually. Caregivers have a huge responsibility and can take some common sense steps that would make the world of difference to them. That’s why AARP Massachusetts urges passage of The Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act to better support family caregivers as they help seniors stay safely at home.

By Micha Shalev Wandering, a complex motor, cognitive and behavioral disorder, is a common symptom among patients with dementia. A contemporary definition for wandering is:...

Massachusetts residents living with memory changes and their caregivers are now offered more comfortable meeting places. They’re gathering monthly at memory cafés free of charge for refreshments, activities and comradery. Cafés are currently located in Andover, Brookline, Franklin, Lexington, Marlborough, Norwood, Topsfield, Waltham and Westwood.

By Micha Shalev There is truth in the statement, “You can never make everyone happy.” If the person you can’t seem to satisfy is the...