We received two similar questions this week and will address them both. Q1. My aunt opened a savings account at her local bank for her son (my cousin) in the late 1980’s when my cousin was in college. When she opened the account for him, the bank representative, trying to be helpful, suggested that the […]
A Screening Tool Exists that Accurately Predicts End-of-Life
Q. I read somewhere that there is a screening tool that was developed to more accurately predict someone’s risk of dying based on different factors. Do you know more about this or other screening tools that are out there and how they work? Is this too much information, or can people use this information to […]
Misinformation about Medicaid in Popular Media and Journalists Getting Legal Information from Non-Lawyers
Medicaid turns 59 in July 2024! In the summer of 1965, President Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress asking that we honor a basic commitment to our seniors. He asked that the later years of their lives not be filled with “despondency and drift, or fear of financial hardship in the event of illness,” […]
Prescribing Art: Can Art Be Used to Treat Conditions Affecting Seniors?
Two years ago, I wrote a three-part series that shared the wisdom of Katya De Luisa, a dementia educator and author of “Journey through the Infinite Mind–the Science and Spirituality of Dementia.” Besides being a dementia educator, caregiver coach, and author, Katya De Luisa is an art therapist. She describes art as “a window into […]
Are You a Super-Ager?
Are you someone in your 80s or older whose memory recall seems to be as good or even better than people decades younger than you? If you are, you’re in a relatively rare category of people known as “super-agers” — people who can easily recall things from many years ago with exceptional clarity along with […]
Comparing a Certified Medicaid Planner with a Certified Elder Law Attorney
Q. My sister-in-law and my husband have recently been discussing Medicaid Planning for my husband’s mother, who is in an early stage of dementia. You and your law firm represented my parents several years ago when we needed to protect their assets and get my mom on Medicaid. Thank you again for that! My siblings […]
Can Alzheimer’s Symptoms Be Reversed? Sanjay Gupta Explains in Newest Documentary
Dear Angel, I recently read about “The Last Alzheimer’s Patient,” starring Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The documentary describes Alzheimer’s patient Cici Zerbe, who claims that her early Alzheimer’s symptoms have been reversed. This was after she participated in Dr. Dean Ornish’s clinical trial on how intensive lifestyle changes can halt the progression of early Alzheimer’s. Do […]
Is Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic?
Years of research has found that the most common gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease is a risk gene called apolipoprotein E (APOE). Recent research built upon what was already known about APOE, finding that people with two copies of the gene variant APOE4 are almost certain to get Alzheimer’s. This new information could result in […]
The Doorway Effect: Why Moving Can Be Especially Challenging for Those with Dementia
Note: This article is the third part of a three part series sharing the wisdom of Katya De Luisa, a dementia educator and author of “Journey through the Infinite Mind–the Science and Spirituality of Dementia.” Read part 1 and part 2 here. Q. The other day, I was watching TV when a commercial came on […]
Part 2: How to Respond When a Person with Dementia Asks if Someone Has Died
Note: This article is the second part of a three part series sharing the wisdom of Katya De Luisa, a dementia educator and author of “Journey through the Infinite Mind–the Science and Spirituality of Dementia.” Read part 1 and part 3 here. What should you do when your loved one with dementia believes someone who […]
Can You Still Live Alone if You Have Early-Stage Alzheimer’s?
When Kimberly was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she took it as a devastating blow. She experienced the gamut of emotions anyone would feel after such a shocking discovery about oneself, including shock, denial, and depression. It took Kimberly more than a year to accept what the doctor had said— that she does in fact […]
How Alzheimer’s is Different for Women and Men
Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s four years ago, 75-year-old Elaine still enjoys jigsaw puzzles, knitting, and dancing. She manages day-to-day life with the help of a GPS tracker – prompted after a trip on the wrong bus – and with reminder notes stuck around the house by her husband Fred, who is also in the beginning stages […]
Why Do People with Alzheimer’s Remember Old Memories While New Memories Fade?
Q. I recently went to visit my father, Paul, who has Alzheimer’s. I posted a picture of us on Facebook, which prompted several cousins who lived nearby who I rarely see to visit while I was there. His first cousin, Sophie, came to visit and talked about how she lived next door to my […]
An Advance Directive Specifically for Dementia
Dear Angel, I recently read about Advance Directives that deal only with dementia. What is included in them and is it a good idea to create them in addition to other incapacity planning documents? Thanks! Dee Rectiffs — Dear Dee, An Advance Medical Directive is a legal document that outlines your specific wishes regarding medical […]
The Reality of a Vaccine to Protect Against Alzheimer’s
Margery recently went for a physical, and while she was there, she got vaccinated for pneumonia, shingles, and a tetanus shot. Similar to most people, she doesn’t like getting shots, but there is one she wouldn’t mind at all: a shot to protect her against Alzheimer’s! Margery lost her mother, her grandmother, and two aunts […]
From Grief to Compassion: The Changing Face of Alzheimer’s Care
Marie sits at a table in the dining room at the memory care center, reading the Washington Post and sipping some iced tea. She greets a visitor who enters with a big smile. She points out the view of a quiet tree-lined street beyond, visible through a wall of windows. Marie makes conversation with the […]
Veterans Benefits for Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Q. I read that Veterans who experienced brain trauma in the course of their service are at a 60% higher risk for developing dementia, while those who have experienced PTSD are twice as likely. My father is a Vietnam Veteran who suffers from PTSD. His family also has a history of dementia. With his risk […]
The 7 Stages of Alzheimer’s
Q. I recently heard that Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court Justice, announced that she has Alzheimer’s disease. Her son explained how she overcame so many obstacles in her life that she was convinced that she could power through Alzheimer’s as well, but sadly you can’t. He describes how she still loves having […]
Sign Language Gives People with Dementia a Way to Speak
John “Alec” Stephenson, an administrator at the Silverado Aspen Park memory care community in Salt Lake City, raised a son with a hearing impairment. As many parents of children who are hearing impaired, the family embraced sign language as a means to communicate with their son. Years later, Alec started a program to teach sign […]
How to Maintain an Emotional Connection to Someone with Alzheimer’s
Geri Taylor (69) had recently retired from her job in health administration, when she started noticing changes in herself. For some time, she had experienced forgetfulness at work. For instance, when she was leading a staff meeting, she realized she had no idea what she was talking about. She got past the episode by quickly […]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 5
- Next Page »