The First Piece of Advice
Over five years ago when we launched the weekly radio show/podcast for family caregivers, Caregiver SOS on Air, one of our first interviews was with Dr. Arthur Kleinman, a professor of psychiatry and anthropology at Harvard University. He was in the middle of caring for his wife with early onset Alzheimer’s disease who had also
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Virtual Reality Helps Dementia Patients Recall Memories, Study Says
Virtual reality (VR) therapy may vastly improve the lives of people with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, a small new study from the University of Kent, U.K., has found. Specifically, researchers found that exposing people with dementia to virtual reality environments helped them recall old memories, reduced aggression and improved their interactions with caregivers.
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Lessons from The Mandalorian (and Baby Yoda)
The opportunity to stream new entertainment on televisions and computers is a game changer that allows most of us to find something interesting and fun to watch any time of day or night—a real bonus for caregivers. For those who are not familiar with Star Wars, and my heart goes out to you, The Mandalorian
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Why a ‘Memory Town’ Is Coming to Your Local Strip Mall
On August 13, a brand-new town in Southern California welcomed its first residents. They trickled through the doors of a generic beige warehouse on a light-industrial stretch of Main Street in Chula Vista, a San Diego suburb. Then they emerged in Town Square®—a 9,000-square-foot working replica of a 1950s downtown, built and operated by the
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My family faces an impossible choice: caring for our mom, or building our future
My final year at medical school began this fall with an unexpected flight home to Colorado. My mother has multiple sclerosis, and my sister, her caregiver for the past three years while I attended school in New Haven, was moving away to start a new job she’d suddenly gotten. There was no one else but
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Aging in Place: Tips on Making Home Safe and Accessible
Living at home as you age requires careful consideration and planning. Learn how you can make some changes to help maintain your independence. Share this infographic and help spread the word about ways you can age in place safely. Click on the social media icons above, or copy and paste the URL and post it
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Caregiving For A Loved One? How To Get The Help You Need
This year I joined the ranks of 40 million Americans who are family caregivers as I began to care for my 81-year-old father. As a physician, taking on this role has given me the chance to experience what so many of my patients and their families encounter. As I’ve learned, no one is prepared to
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The Reality of Suddenly Becoming a Caregiver
One phone call turned my world upside down. It was Jan. 29, 2006, and the then-president of ABC News was on the phone, explaining that my journalist husband, Bob Woodruff, had been hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq where he was covering the war for ABC’s World News Tonight. Bob had suffered a severe
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On the Job, 24 Hours a Day, 27 Days a Month
STAMFORD, Conn. — Tuesday night was rough. A sharp scent drifted into Marjorie Salmon’s dream world at 4 a.m. She was still trying to rouse herself when its source, her 77-year-old client, pounded on her bedroom door, yelling that he wanted to go home. “You’re home, Bob. This is your home,” Marjorie told him. She
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Home Safety and Alzheimer’s Disease
Over time, people with Alzheimer’s disease become less able to manage around the house. For example, they may forget to turn off the oven or the water, how to use the phone during an emergency, which things around the house are dangerous, and where things are in their own home. As a caregiver, you can
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