Elder Care Decisions

Some people anticipate aging alone without family, while others find their plans upended by divorce, estrangement or death. Preparing for the possibility of being a solo ager requires extra effort but will prevent unnecessary hardships and stress.

Most seniors (and their family caregivers) share a common goal: avoiding nursing home placement. But when an elder’s needs increase, it’s important to recognize when it’s time for a higher level of care.

Deciding whether to use the emergency room, an urgent care clinic, or your physician during an urgent medical situation can be complicated. A new provider model has the potential to add even more confusion to your decision.

To help caregivers find the best assisted living facility, here is a list of basic questions to ask when choosing assisted living for elderly parents.

It is crucial for seniors and their family members to fully utilize all resources available to them. Social workers are an excellent source of support and guidance for those dealing with medical issues, caregiving and the end of life.

New technological developments in the healthcare industry hold great promise for seniors with chronic medical conditions. Telemedicine enables them to live in the community longer and avoid hospitalization, all at a relatively low cost.

Finding the right facility can make the transition process easier for all individuals involved. While researching, assess your loved one’s needs, budget, and personal preferences to ensure you make the best choice.

Integrative and functional medicine focuses on the connection between lifestyle and health in order to prevent and treat the root causes of illness. Furthermore, this method focuses on the health of the entire body rather than individual organ systems.

I had trouble learning how to ask for help when Charlie's dementia care became too much for me to handle.

Rather than avoid the issues of getting older when talking to aging family members, it's important to know how to ease into conversations about aging.

Charlie doesn't want to go to the doctor anymore and he refuses to do his rehab. When is it time to stop medical intervention and just try to make our loved ones are as happy and comfortable as possible?

"My mom never tells me what her doctor says!" is a common caregiver lament. Discover 10 tips for organizing an older adult's medical care so that you will stay informed of your family member's condition.

What makes for a good relationship between a patient and their physician? A doctor's perspective on how to help your physician help you.

Another "hard talk" Carol and I had before her diagnosis with ovarian cancer was the need to balance quality of life and quantity of life.

Placing mom in a nursing home—something we never thought we would consider—was not what we feared it to be.

More doctors and nurses are visiting patients in their own homes; a practice that is being encouraged by government programs like Medicare and the VA. Discover what this trend means for the future of senior healthcare.

‘Minute clinics’ based in retail stores are becoming increasingly popular among the elderly. But are they really a safe care option for aging Americans?

Recommendations for health screening tests like colonoscopies and mammograms are based on patients’ ages, but there are more important factors that must be taken into consideration when making preventive health care decisions for seniors.

A caregiver shares his journey in finding the right skilled nursing facility for his mother, including steps to take before and after placement as well as the hard lessons he learned throughout the process.

A patient advocate is hired by a patient/family to navigate the healthcare system, addressing health and billing issues, coordinating doctor care and much more.