October 25, 2015 Skin and Body
Surely one of the least likely products ever to be immortalized in popular song (“You’re gonna need an ocean, of calamine lotion…” – “Poison Ivy” by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller), calamine lotion is a generic skin protectant sold over…
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“Never wear white after Labor Day” is one of the most frequently cited “rules” of fashion. But as oft-repeated as it is, this rule has never been close to universal, as it is mostly limited to the United States, and…
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Well, the little devil perched on one shoulder tells me that there’s zero mystery to the “how to get guys to ask you out” question, that everyone knows the answer and everyone knows we’re not supposed to give that answer,…
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Much as the name implies, adult day care serves analogous functions to child day care. The difference is that adult day care is for the care of the elderly. One wonders, by the way, about the wisdom of calling the…
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“Assistive technology” is simply any equipment, tool, or product that helps a disabled person perform tasks and activities they would otherwise not be able to do, or could only do with greater difficulty. Also called “adaptive devices,” many such items…
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Bathrooms can be slippery, they require bending and getting up and getting down, and they often have plenty of hard edges and surfaces. It’s no surprise that the bathroom is neck and neck with the kitchen for the most dangerous…
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Studies have shown that most people grossly underestimate the cost of elder care. They don’t anticipate just how much they may have to spend in the last years and decades of their life, and they especially don’t anticipate having to…
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What and how much we eat has a big impact on the length and quality of our lives. Seniors face special issues and challenges when it comes to eating healthy. Let’s look at some of these. As a person ages,…
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Every year, millions of seniors are victims of elder abuse, which takes the form of psychological, physical, sexual, or financial abuse, or neglect. Though there are occasional highly publicized cases of abuse at nursing homes, the elderly are more often…
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Falls tend to be especially a problem for people at both ends of the age spectrum – small children and the elderly. They are arguably a bigger issue for the elderly, because a frail body is much more likely to…
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When a senior is no longer safely able to live completely independently, difficult decisions need to be made. In some cases, there may be no realistic choice other than to make the move to an assisted living facility or nursing…
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Technological advances have had a major impact on the longevity and the quality of life of seniors. Perhaps the most obvious advances have been in medical technology. Slow but steady progress has been made in the fight against cancer, with…
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May 17, 2014 Friends and Peers
There are any number of things that can make a coworker particularly annoying, from the mildest behavior that just happens to rub you the wrong way, to outright criminal acts. The best response to an annoying coworker will vary greatly,…
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An assisted living facility is not synonymous with a nursing home. Both are intended for elderly residents, but a nursing home is generally for people who need considerably more medical attention and assistance in performing basic tasks such as eating…
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Most families struggle mightily with the decision to move an elderly loved one into a nursing home. It’s an admission that the individual cannot take care of him or herself, and that the family is unable to provide the necessary…
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There comes a time in elderly people’s lives when it’s just not safe for them to drive any more, and they must stop. In fact, all too often, they don’t stop until well after that point is reached, putting both…
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The “Baby Boomer” generation is a colloquial term for those born during the time after World War II when the birth rate increased significantly due to the bulk of the marriage-age males returning from having been away at war, ready…
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It’s something of a cliché that older people aren’t tech savvy and don’t use the Internet, but of course that’s no more than a half-truth. Certainly the percentage of people in their 70s who are comfortable going online for the…
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When an elderly or disabled person can no longer fully take care of himself or herself, there are many options, all of which have their pros and cons. Many families choose an assisted living facility or a nursing home, depending…
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Medicaid is a government program to help poor people pay for medical care. It is funded jointly by the federal and state governments, and administered largely by the states. Thus one can speak only in general terms about Medicaid and…
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December 29, 2013 Communication
“Personal space” is the area around a person which they prefer not be occupied by another person. It is the surrounding area that psychologically, subconsciously, they regard as “their turf,” and will feel uncomfortable or react in some negative way…
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Elder abuse does not get the same degree of attention and condemnation in our society as child abuse and perhaps spousal abuse. Yet it is a very real, tragic, and not at all uncommon phenomenon. Elder abuse can be inflicted…
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