Downsizing Dilemmas
Easing seniors’ transition to a smaller space Dorothy Beatty was an anomaly when it came to downsizing, says her son, Stanley Beatty. Dorothy, from Kansas City, Missouri, took her time making the decision to downsize from the home she lived in with her husband and children to an apartment in a senior community. But once […]
10 Things You Need to Know About Hiring an In-Home Caregiver
When caring for a loved one at home, most family caregivers reach a point where they realize they need some assistance. Hiring an in-home caregiver can ease the workload, providing help with tasks like bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning, companionship and supervision. The caregiving industry is growing alongside the aging baby boomer population. With so many […]
POLST Orders Help Patients Advocate for Their End-of-Life Care
My grandfather did not want to die. From hospital to home, back to hospital and finally to hospice, he angrily fought against the realities of the cancer that would eventually end his life. Many years before his battle with cancer, I remember sitting in the car with him, discussing assisted deaths. I was home for […]
End-of-Life Care: The Conversation That Can’t Wait
By Heidi Lading Kiec Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” This quote, found in many leadership books, is applicable to a host of situations, but it’s especially relevant to individuals and their loved ones facing end-of-life […]
Knowing When to Decide
Aging in a New Home By Megy Karydes LaManda Joy comes across a tiny wooden box in the back of a drawer and realizes it contains flowers from her parents’ wedding in June 1945. Her mother’s home is like a time capsule, she says, and moving her from it to a long-term care situation has […]
Silver Palate
Retirement communities dishing up creative meals for senior ‘foodies’ By Nancy Maes Pictured above: Octopus at The Clare. Photo by Chef Hagop Hagopian Not too long ago, the stereotypical meal in a retirement home might have included nondescript meat, vegetables from a can and bright-colored Jell-O offered in a dreary setting. But as the culinary […]
More than Bridge and Bingo
Retirement communities are no longer homes for the old folks By Karen Schwartz Walk into the independent living apartments of The Admiral at the Lake continuing care retirement community (CCRC) on the North Side of Chicago, and you’ll see beautifully appointed one-, two- and three-bedroom units, some with an expansive view of Lake Michigan. The […]