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10 places NOT to use your debit cardDebit cards have different protections, uses; sometimes they're not the best choiceBy Dana Dratch Sometimes reaching for your wallet is like a multiple choice test: How do you really want to pay? 10 occasions NOT to use a debit card They may look just like credit cards, but debit cards work differently, and aren't always the best choice. Some times you may want to avoid them include: 1.Online2.For big-ticket items3.When a deposit is required4.At restaurants5....

Have you noticed that your bank really wants you to go paperless? Nudging you to turn off paper statements every time you log into your account, reminding you every so often that it’s the earth-friendly thing to do, and even offering statement credits as an incentive, the banks are giving the hard sell on the paperless push. Industry analysts expect those efforts to intensify even further. “In 2010, we’ll see much more aggressive pitches to go paperless,” says Emmett...

In a role traditionally taken on by women, a growing number of men are becoming primary caregivers for their wives or elderly parents. According to a comprehensive study conducted for AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving in 2004, 39 percent of an estimated 44.4 million caregivers are males.  Whether an ill spouse or parent has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, cancer, stroke or hip fracture, male caregivers often find...

Help is available for seniors who have trouble meeting their utility expenses. See the Resources section of  the utility assistance page in your area for more information. HEAT is a federally funded program that helps qualified income-eligible individuals pay their utility bills. The program runs November through March or until funds are exhausted. Customers may receive an application from any Department of Human Services or a designated energy office. REACH applications are available at...

I recently spoke at a conference for nursing home staff with Brent Pace and our topic was how to apply the principles of the Eden Alternative within nursing homes. I really like the idea of the Eden Alternative and the wisdom in the principles as they are outlined. However, anyone who has been in a nursing home knows that it is no easy task to apply these principles in a meaningful way. Many are underfunded and understaffed and even more resist the fundamental change that would be necessary to...

A growing number of families are taking in older parents. Members of this group, deemed the sandwich generation, are caring for their aging parents while supporting their own children, often in their own homes. As of 2008, a record 49 million Americans, or 16.1 percent of the total U.S. population, lived in a multigenerational household, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of census data. The Pew Research Center also found that from 2007 to 2008, the number of Americans living in a...

Mary M. Alward a freelance writer offered the following things to think about when an older adult is considering getting a pet. Advantages of Companion Pets Companionship Pets are great companions for elderly people who live alone and have little contact with family and friends. Pets give them a different outlook and bring laughter and love into their lives. They make seniors feel needed and keep them active seeing to the pet’s daily care. Acceptance Pets accept their elder owners as they...

A neuropsychological evaluation can be an important tool in helping your parent’s doctor diagnose conditions that impact cognitive (mental) functioning. It can be used to help refine the diagnosis of memory problems by distinguishing between normal age-related memory loss and dementia. It also distinguishes between dementia and temporary memory problems caused or affected by emotional disturbance. Neuropsychological testing can also assist in differentiating between different types of...

I LOVE reading history, and the shelves in my living room are lined with fat, fact-filled books. There’s “The Hemingses of Monticello,” about the family of Thomas Jefferson’s slave mistress; there’s “House of Cards,” about the fall of Bear Stearns; there’s “Titan,” about John D. Rockefeller Sr. The problem is, as much as I’ve enjoyed these books, I don’t really remember reading any of them. Certainly I know the main points...

I recently read the chapter on weeds in Michael Pollan’s book Second Nature and it seemed to me that there are some parallels between weeds and hopelessness, especially for those who live in the country’s nursing homes. I have been counseling nursing home residents for the past 12 years and in that time I have worked with people who have had such a profound sense of hopelessness that it seemed almost tangible. When I first started working with people in this state I would often...

I can’t tell you how many unfortunate situations I have seen that could have been avoided if someone had asked “could it be delirium?” I have seen people committed to psychiatric facilities where they were treated for psychosis and I have seen people assigned long-term guardians because of what was a temporary alteration in consciousness caused by an episode of delirium. If you have ever seen people during a delirium it is not hard to understand how this can happen –...

When it comes to political, social or health causes, elder abuse has not had the star power of some other movements focusing on the rights of vulnerable people. Last month, actress Nicole Kidman headlined a congressional hearing on violence against women, and stars of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" appeared at a Capitol Hill rally for child-abuse victims. An event sponsored by a coalition of elder abuse groups, meanwhile, featured ordinary senior citizens, recounting in...

TUESDAY, June 8 (HealthDay News) -- A new Canadian review finds that adult daughters suffer more than adult sons from poor relationships with ailing and aging parents who need their care. "Adult daughters place greater emphasis on their relationships with their parents, and when those relationships go awry, it takes a worse toll on the adult daughters than the adult sons," said review author Marina Bastawrous, a graduate student at the University of Toronto. An estimated 44 million...

Most of us who have aging parents go about our daily lives without much thought about what our parents might need if they suddenly became incapacitated or severely ill. Our parents are relatively healthy and self-sufficient, but as they continue to age the likelihood that a critical incident will create a sudden need for us to intervene increases. At HelpWithMyParents.com we think of a critical incident as any event that rapidly changes the circumstances of an older adult, or couple...

When Sheldon Katz died in his sleep four years ago, it deeply saddened those around him, but if Lois Perryman could take comfort in at least one aspect of her father's passing, it was the smile on his face. Even the emergency workers who arrived at Katz's bedroom that morning commented on his serene expression, she said. "My father died in his own home, in his own bed, peacefully," Perryman said, stressing that he had lived out his final years independently rather than in an assisted...

When Siblings Step UpSisters and brothers are finding new ways to circumvent old conflicts as they take on one of the toughest roles in their lives: caregiver by ANNE TERGESEN When Rene Talavera's father, Jesus Talavera, 69, was hospitalized for kidney and heart failure last fall, the 45-year-old Chicago resident and his four siblings were catapulted into an uncomfortable new phase of life: caregiving.   Family harmony is a tall order at any time of life, but as parents grow frail...

OTTAWA — At 73 and living alone, Beverley Montgomery depends on friends and neighbours to look in on her from time to time to make sure she is fine. Like most seniors, Montgomery doesn’t want to live in a nursing or long-term care home, but as she ages, living alone becomes increasingly challenging. She could be in serious trouble and no one would notice for days. She has no children. Because of the growing number of Beverley Montgomerys out there as Ottawa gets older, health...

For months after her husband of 52 years died last spring, Laurel Frisch struggled to read a book. She couldn't make decisions; she only occasionally left her Rockville home. In those rare moments when she could summon the energy, she wandered aimlessly through stores. "I thought that I had prepared myself for it," Frisch, 72, says of life as a widow. "Maybe I did, but I'm still feeling devastated. I'm still feeling practically immobile." Psychological and emotional losses...

Care managers provide guidance and advocacy for the older adult as well as assistance in providing the patient with the most appropriate care possible, while focusing the individual’s disease-specific needs.  Care Management goals include the achievement of optimal health, access to care and appropriate utilization of resources, while fostering  self determination of the older person to the greatest extent possible in decisions that impact his/her life.   Case managers are...

By Lisa Gibbs, Money Magazine senior writer April 7, 2010: 9:08 AM ET (Money Magazine) -- Ask someone why he or she bought a long-term-care insurance policy and you will probably hear a story about family. Often a sad or scary story. Joyce Smith, 68, saw her mother develop Alzheimer's and go into a nursing home, where she's been for nine years. Her mom's savings are completely drained, and she's on Medicaid, the medical safety net for the poor. Joyce and her husband Harry, 62, were shocked to...

Who Takes Care of Mom? By Francine Russo Monday, Feb. 01, 2010 When my mother's health was failing, I was the "bad" sister who lived far away and wasn't involved. My sister helped my parents. She never asked me to do anything, and I didn't volunteer. I was widowed, raising kids and working, but that wasn't really why I kept to weekly calls and short, infrequent visits. I was stuck in my adolescent role as the aloof achiever, defending myself from my judgmental mother and other family...

As people age and need more help with daily activities, such as bathing or taking medication, moving to a facility that provides some assistance, without sacrificing independence, may be an option. This type of environment, known as assisted living, has emerged in the past two decades as an increasingly available option for housing and long-term care. In 1999, one third of the facilities that offered assisted living services had been in existence for less than five years, and 60 percent had...

Resources to Help Manage Care for Aging Parents By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSPublished: February 4, 2010 The financial strain of caring for older relatives can be devastating without proper planning. Here are some online resources for those who want to put the proper safeguards in place and for caregivers who may be looking for assistance: www.medicare.gov -- Find out what Medicare does and doesn't cover, compare home health agencies and nursing homes in your area, plan for your long-term care needs...

As we age the frequency with which we will encounter physicians and other medical providers tends to increase. Along with increased frequency there are also special needs that arise that are related to the aging process. The following, from the American Geriatrics Society helps explain how the medical community is responding to the special needs of older adults. Geriatrics and the Role of the Geriatrician Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that focuses on health promotion and the prevention...

Happy New Year and congratulations! You will live longer, on average, than any human beings in history. Chances are a combination of healthy diet, exercise, medical advancements and a technological society will keep you alive well into your 80s, at least. But after years of striving to give people these additional years, some experts in the aging field are asking "from society's view, what is the purpose of aging and of retirement?" I talked this over with Ken Dychtwald, author of...

A program used in California to help nursing home and terminally ill patients express their wishes regarding treatment at the end of life results in the type of care patients want and expect, according to a new study. The program is called Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment and has been adopted in many nursing homes, hospitals and long-term care facilities in California beginning in January, 2009. The program involves an innovative medical form, that is signed by a doctor, allowing...

Researchers at the Universidad Pompeu Fabra (UPF) have studied how older people interact and use email in their daily life. The study was carried out in social centers in Barcelona and will be used to design new email systems that are more intuitive and accessible. Electronic mail or email is the internet application used the most, even by older people, who haven't grown up with Information and Computer Technology (ICT), and have had to put in greater effort to learn to use it than younger...