#aging-and-caregiving

#aging-and-caregiving

The building is conceived as four independently functioning households for approximately 60 residents, fully barrier-free, emphasizing independence and accessibility for the elderly.

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is the second-most-common neurodegenerative cause of dementia, after Alzheimer's Disease. But it's the most-common cause that doesn't receive sufficient attention.

Over the past six years, I've had the privilege of caring for patients with varying degrees of cognitive impairment. As a medical cannabis doctor, I often visit these patients in memory care units, seeing these once self-sufficient individuals, their personas now diminished, no longer able to care for themselves. They become angry and anxious as they confront the fact that their minds, their memories, what made them who they were, recollections of all that they have lived through and accomplished, are slipping away from them.

Loneliness is more common among older adults because they're often not in contact with people through routine activities like work. Isolation is associated with increased risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke, depression and premature death.

Psychologists who study narrative identity have found that elderly individuals often repeat specific stories as a way of preserving and transmitting their core identity and values. These aren't random tales that bubble up from failing memory. They're carefully curated selections from a lifetime of experiences, chosen unconsciously for their significance.

Sometimes it's a fall that brings a broken hip and a loss of mobility. Or memory problems that bubble into danger. Or the death of the partner who was relied upon for care.The need to move to a nursing home, assisted living facility or another type of care setting often comes suddenly, setting off an abrupt, daunting search. It's likely something no one ever wanted, but knowing what to look for and what to ask can make a big difference.

Lauren McCadney had always wanted to live next door to friends or family. In her late 50s, she finally made that happen, though not the way she'd planned. In 2020, Lauren's mother, who had been living with her brother and his family in Frederick, Maryland, died. Lauren, who was going through a difficult divorce and doesn't have children, decided she wanted to be closer to her family and help her brother care for their dad, who was dealing with his own health challenges.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dorenne Simonson, 66, who is her granddaughter's kinship care provider in New Jersey. Simonson has parented her since she was two months old. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. I've always been in a situation where I had to spend whatever I made. There's no retirement account when you're single and raise five kids by yourself.

Caring for both ageing parents and children presents a unique challenge for the so-called 'sandwich generation'