Medical Matters

• (New!) 12 Tips To Ease A Parent’s Hospital Discharge

  Discharge planning from a hospital starts upon admission of the patient. This means that as your parent’s advocate, you will learn what he or she …   Read More

• The Mystery of Parkinson’s Disease

  In the year 175AD, the Greek physician and surgeon Galen described the "shaking palsy." The first detailed description of this disease appeared in 1817, written …   Read More

• Quenching That Dry Mouth

  My yoga students often walk into class with a candy in their mouth, and I always make them spit it out when we begin class …   Read More

• The Truth About Prostate Cancer Screening

  Prostate cancer has a blood test that can be done to find the disease in its early stages. So why do the American Cancer Society, …   Read More

• Peripheral Edema: What You Should Know About Swollen Legs

  The most common place to see edema, or swelling, is in your feet, ankles and lower legs. Edema is the result of fluid building up …   Read More

• What You Need to Know About Shingles

  If you had chicken pox when you were a child, there is about a 10 to 20 percent chance that you will develop shingles and …   Read More

• 9 Ways To Reduce The Spread of Hospital-Acquired Infectious Diseases

  We all know about the dangers of staph infection, however there are newer deadly germs in town. According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, …   Read More

• No More Missed Meds

  Despite all the emphasis on the need for reform to our medical system and the fears seniors have about changes to their Medicare coverage, many …   Read More

• Getting Smarter About Medication Management

  The statistics are sobering: In the US, three-fourths of people over 45 take prescription drugs, with an average of four medications each day, making managing …   Read More

• Hearing Problems In Seniors: Tinnitus

  The first thing you need to know about tinnitus, that ringing in your ears, is that it is not a disease—it is only a symptom. …   Read More

• Vertigo and Preventing Falls Among Seniors

  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one third of seniors over age 65 fall each year. Falling is the leading …   Read More

• Understanding Voice Disorders in Seniors

  Some changes in a person’s voice are a normal part of aging. As we get older our voices loose strength, range and some quality, but …   Read More

• 9 Steps To Surviving A Hospital Stay

  All of us will at some point have to deal with our own hospitalization or the hospitalization of a loved one—a parent, spouse, relative or …   Read More

• 5 Mistakes Seniors Make After Getting A Diabetes Diagnosis

  Diabetes can be a frightening diagnosis and hard to believe when you don’t have symptoms. But don’t wait until you have complications to get it …   Read More

• The Primary Nurse: A Lifeline For You And Your Hospitalized Loved One

  Whether your loved one is in the ICU, Cardiac Wing, Med Surg or another section of the hospital, his or her primary nurse is their …   Read More

• 5 Sure-Fire Ways To Reach Your Loved One’s Doctor

  When a loved one is in the hospital, it’s frustrating to miss doctors on their hospital rounds. Here’s how to connect when you really need …   Read More

• Summer Surgery Strategy

  Is a hospital stay in your near future? Stay out of the hospital in the summer months if you can, but if you have to …   Read More

• Critical Conditions: The 8 Rules Every Caregiver Must Follow When a Loved One is Hospitalized

  Patients need an advocate at the hospital around the clock, a job none of us gets training for…until now.

• Cataract Surgery Update

  After age 70, older adults are likely to suffer from vision problems—most likely arising from a cataract on the lens of the eye or age-related …   Read More

• 10 Ways To Help Parents With Diabetes

  Diabetes is a challenging disease, but it can be managed by faithfully following lifestyle guidelines. People with diabetes do have a lot to balance; as …   Read More

• Dehydration: A Hidden Risk to the Elderly

  Dehydration is often due partly to inadequate water intake, but can happen for many other reasons as well. 

• Dealing With Vision Loss in Seniors

  Just about everyone experiences some degree of vision loss as we age. But severe vision loss is a significant problem affecting millions of elderly Americans. …   Read More

• Bedwetting Alarms Can Help Improve Urinary Continence

  Nocturnal enuresis (NE), more commonly known as bedwetting, is the involuntary voiding of urine during sleep. When we think of bedwetting, we think of it …   Read More

• Hearing Loss in the Elderly

  Do you find the TV very loud when you go to visit your parent? Do you find him or her asking more often than before …   Read More

• Understanding Urinary Tract Infections in the Elderly

  Certain individuals are more prone to UTIs than others. For example the anatomy of women makes them more susceptible to UTI’s because their urethra is …   Read More

• Determining the Causes of Urinary Incontinence

  Also called "leaky bladder," urinary incontinence affects approximately 25 percent to 30 percent of older adults, and more women than men. One misnomer about incontinence …   Read More

• Eight Common Ailments We Develop as We Age

  Bette Davis said it well: "Getting old is not for sissies." No matter who we are — man, woman, rich or poor — we all …   Read More

• Treating Urinary Incontinence

  It’s important for caregivers and their parents to know that incontinence is not a normal part of aging and it can be treated. Often when …   Read More

• Elder Abuse

  Elder abuse exists and, unfortunately, is a growing problem. Elder abuse is defined as any act or treatment that results in the harm or loss …   Read More

• Common Chronic Conditions and Aging at Home

  Chronic diseases can have a profound impact on the health and quality of life of elder Americans, not to mention the financial burden that is …   Read More

• Why It’s Important to Keep Moving in the Hospital

  The hospital is the last place someone may think of when it comes to keeping active. Yet it is one of the most important places …   Read More

• Living with Neuropathies

  When an aging parent is diagnosed with a neuropathic condition, it can be a frustrating experience.  In fact, just getting to the point of obtaining …   Read More

• Living with Arthritis and Arthritic Conditions

  There are many types of arthritis, but the two most common forms that your aging parent may be experiencing are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid …   Read More

• Living with Macular Degeneration

  If you have an aging parent who has been diagnosed with macular degeneration, you may have already witnessed the fright your parent is experiencing at …   Read More

• Living with Congestive Heart Failure

  One of the most heartbreaking illnesses we ever have to watch our aging parents suffer through is congestive heart failure, or CHF. CHF …   Read More

• Living with COPD

  If you are an adult child caring for an aging parent, you may have to manage your parent’s chronic illness. One of the most debilitating …   Read More

• Driving After Having a Stroke

  When someone you love has a stroke, regaining independence as quickly as possible is usually one of the main goals. When it is your aging …   Read More