Silver Planet™ Help Your Parents Age in Place.

My 87-year-old mother has Alzheimer's disease and is being treated shingles She is in terrible pain and has become very weak. She only eats if we feed her and just wants to sleep. She also has COPD and diabetes. Should we call hospice?

It was First Lady Rosallynn Carter who became the first public figure to truly champion the cause of those 65 million Americans today caring for loved ones who are older, chronically ill, disabled or challenged by mental illness...

July is Sandwich Generation Month and for everyone who grew up with Wonder bread and PB&J sandwiches - this is a different kind of demographic - one that represents the dedication to, patience with and caring of older or chronically ill loved ones..

Who should a senior grant power of attorney to for health and finance? Carol Bursack believes elders should bestow these important POAs to the primary caregiver. Senior mediation can help settle these questions especially if conflict is involved...

Sometimes feel like the only person struggling with less than warm feelings toward a parent? Your history with your parents is more difficult than normal, certainly, but you also have a lot of company...

Ask the doctors first but diet supplements seem wise for seniors in need of extra nutrition to maintain weight and energy levels unless the supplement interferes with the elders medications...

Loneliness can affect anyone, but it is especially acute for aging parents who must cope with limited driving ability, disability, chronic diseases loss and other problems that can limit their connection to others...

The federal Medicare program covers people 65 and older & younger permanently disabled people. These are answers to some common caregiver questions...

Over time, it is common for many of the elderly to become less active and less involved with their family and in their community. 

It’s your job as a caregiver to not let that happen. A good place to start is with their diet.  Make sure they are eating nutritious foods that provide them with energy. With the approval of their doctor, encourage exercise at least three times a week. Even a short neighborhood walk will do wonders for their spirit and blood flow.

A few years ago, I had a fresh-faced batch of geriatric care management students in my program. For their first training mission they had to spend an entire day in a wheelchair and try to get around town as if it were a regular day. They had to get to my class, make a phone call from a pay phone, get in and out of an elevator, use a public restroom, drink from a water fountain, eat at a restaurant, shop in a convenience store, and so forth. Boy, did that mission awaken them to the realities of a wheelchair-bound life.