The Truth About Older Drivers

Most seniors are safe drivers

Each family must ask, "Is our older loved one safe while driving?" If the answer is no, then the next question becomes, "Who should do the talking?" Read More >>

Deeds, Not Words, Made Dad’s Love Obvious

We don’t have to hear “I love you” to know we’re loved

I overheard a conversation the other day in which one woman was complaining to another about how she never heard her father tell her he loved her. “He never once said ‘I love you,’ and I do everything for him now.” Hearing this, I began to reflect on my experience with my own dad and came to the realization that I never heard those words from him either. Yet I always knew I was loved. Read More >>

The New “Female Problem”

Caregiver stress affects women in the workplace

In the halls of the nation’s businesses, the hushed whispers once reserved for gossip and Monday morning quarterbacking now echo the despair that stressed-out women are feeling in their role as caregivers. While a growing percentage of today’s caregivers are men, the role is still largely filled by women. Male management does not have the tools to adequately discuss and remedy what could be considered the new “female problem” in the workplace.

An individual’s face may not readily give away clues of caregiver stress, but a quick look at that employee’s attendance record will reveal absenteeism caused by caring for an aging loved one. Another clue is that the employee has been submitting health care benefit claims for stress-related disorders, including doctor visits and prescription orders. Read More >>

Taking Care of Business

Forward-thinking employers would do well to offer resources to caregiving workers

With the first of the baby boomer generation turning 60, the “silver tsunami” is upon us, and working caregivers are being faced with the added responsibility of caring for aging parents or other loved ones. What was once referred to as the “sandwich generation” is now becoming the “club sandwich generation.” Those in the 35–55 age group are sandwiched between caring for their own families and assuming the responsibility of caring for aging parents, grandparents, or aunts and uncles—all while working full time.

Balancing the responsibility has become a juggling act. Deciding between attending a child’s final soccer game and taking an elderly loved one to a medical appointment is stressful, a decision that tugs at the hearts of caregivers. Days grow longer as the nights grow shorter.

Although statistics show the burden of caregiving still falls on the woman in the family, the number of men in this role is increasing steadily, with a 60-40 ratio of female-male caregivers.
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New Tool Helps Manage Multiple Meds

Identify potential drug interactions

Move over “aging in place” and make room for “polypharmacy,” the newest buzz phrase in the senior services industry. Polypharmacy generally refers to the use of multiple medications by a patient, often when they are not clinically warranted. Many seniors have multiple physicians who might not be aware of all the medications each patient is taking. When a new prescription is written without that knowledge, harmful drug interactions or changes in effectiveness could occur.

Polypharmacy is most common among people over age 65. Approximately one-fifth of them take at least 10 medications a week. The Institute of Medicine estimates that at least 1.5 million adverse drug events occur in the United States every year, thousands of them fatal. Studies indicate that about one-third of these drug reactions among senior citizens—and 42% of serious, life-threatening, or fatal events—are preventable.
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