August 2011

Q. My 82-year-old aunt lives alone more than 300 miles from me, her closest relative.  Temperatures currently exceed 100 degrees there, and I’m worried about her safety.  She is still alert and healthy, but I know she loves to go outdoors and garden.  What can I do from here to protect her? Sweltering summer heat [...]

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Q: I hear a lot about healthy aging, but what are ways that seniors can do that?  My parents are both 76 and I’d like to provide some constructive advice since they don’t get out much anymore. There’s no time like the present to talk with your parents about healthy aging.  In fact, September is [...]

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The shopping is done, and the meal is ready and on the table. Your work is complete, right? And now comes the fun part. You sit down to dine with an older loved one. But what is there to talk about? A senior’s world may have shrunk to the size of their four walls. Even [...]

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Q.  I just can’t seem to get over losing my husband of 52 years two months ago. At this age, I don’t know how to pick up the pieces and go on. My children are trying to help me, but I am just lost without the love of my life. The stages of grief are [...]

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Cataracts, a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision, impacts more than half of all Americans by the age of 80, according to the National Eye Institute. A cataract can occur in either or both eyes.  It cannot spread from one eye to the other.  Common symptoms, according to the National Eye [...]

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Physical weakness may be an indication your senior loved one is struggling at home. If so, a little extra help around the house could be the answer. Q.  I’ve noticed that my 82-year-old mother does not have the strength and stamina she once did. Are these signs that she shouldn’t be living alone and what [...]

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Two of five seniors who live alone (44 percent) have at least four warning signs of poor nutritional health such as eating alone, taking multiple medications and illness, according to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care® network. “Nutrition is certainly a key factor to an individual’s overall health and well being,” said Sandy [...]

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Q. My 83-year-old father is getting dentures, but he doesn’t seem to know much about them.  I’m concerned  he won’t know how to care for them, since he’s suffering from some dementia and lives alone.  Can you help educate me? Eventually many people do need dentures whether they’ve lost their teeth from periodontal disease, tooth [...]

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Loneliness – it’s one of the most serious obstacles to good nutrition that your senior loved one could face. In the United States, approximately 40 percent of the population age 75 and older – 6.7 million people – lives alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. These seniors face significant socialization challenges, particularly when it [...]

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