With the snow, sub-zero temperatures, and icy conditions outside, many seniors will be cooped up inside and left isolated for long periods of time throughout the winter. To help keep their physical and mental health optimized, here’s how to reduce the effects of social isolation throughout the season and year-round. Weekly Family Dinners Invite your parents over for dinner once or twice a week. You can cook together, learn a few of their classic recipes, and spend quality time together. This will brighten their weeks by giving them something consistent to look forward to while keeping them socially engaged with…

Are you concerned that your parents might be developing Alzheimer’s disease? Forgetting a person’s name or turning off the TV is normal. But when it starts happening all the time, then it’s meant for concern. Alzheimer’s is a serious progressive disease that is difficult to diagnose in the early stages. Only as the disease progresses do people start to show symptoms related to memory loss and cognitive decline. But if left untreated, the symptoms can become debilitating, significantly impacting one’s quality of life. While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, there are treatment options that can lessen the symptoms. So,…

There can come a time in your life when you need to make a difficult decision, whether to send an ill loved one to palliative care or hospice care. Both can bring comfort and relief, but they have some important differences. Learn everything you need to know here to help you make the best decision for your loved one. Palliative Care Palliative care has one goal and that’s to give those with a serious illness a better quality of life. It provides treatment to those with cancer, dementia, chronic disease, and other illnesses to allow for a more comfortable experience.…

There’s just something about the holidays that always feels a little magical. From the social get-togethers to Christmas tree shopping, to the nostalgic lights and decorations strewn along streets and in homes – the holidays make us feel a little more alive during the dark and cold winter months. For seniors, however, this time of year can be particularly difficult to endure with limited ability to get around and stay active and engaged with others. For families with aging loved ones, wintertime is when they really need us the most for beating those winter blues. To help, here are some…

Did you know that there are many people living with dementia today who don’t even know that they have the condition? Scientists are only starting to understand dementia and are finding that most people don’t understand what it is or what the symptoms even are. If you’d like to learn more, here are 5 things you likely didn’t know about dementia that could help you or a loved one with the condition. Woman Are Diagnosed More Than Men Dementia doesn’t discriminate but women tend to be diagnosed more often than men. Some scientists believe it’s because women tend to have…