Estimates of hearing loss in the elderly vary, but at least 25% of people from 65-75 and 35% of those over eighty have some degree of impairment.This month Elder Voice focuses on hearing loss in Seniors and how to help when someone is loosing their hearing. Hearing loss can have profound physical, emotional, and social [read more…]
Posts
About Elder Abuse and Prevention
In honour of World Elder Abuse Day on June 15, 2011 this month’s Elder Voice focuses on elder abuse and neglect. Elder abuse is willful, intentional action that causes emotional physical, financial or sexual harm to an elderly person. It’s purpose is power or gain–either financial or emotional–on the part of the abuser. Lack of [read more…]
Nutrition and Aging
By Patti Bonisteel, RD I’ve known Patti for about twelve years, and have always admired her commitment to the well being of her clients, and her belief in an holistic, interdisciplinary approach to providing care and services to the elderly. I am proud to have her as part of the Diamond Geriatrics team. The nutritional [read more…]
Palliative and Hospice Care: How They Can Help
Palliative and hospice care services can make a dramatic difference in the quality of life of someone who is dying or has a life threatening illness. It also provides valuable support to families and caregivers. This month Elder Voice talks about palliative care and hospice care. The terms palliative care, hospice care, or palliative hospice [read more…]
Transitions in Care: How Problems Arise & How You Can Prevent Them
An 87 year old client of ours recently moved from a private sector nursing home to one in the public sector. Three weeks she told us that no one had conducted her weekly blood tests yet. These are critical tests for monitoring the effectiveness of a particular medication on this client. If the levels of [read more…]
Tips for Caregivers on Handling Feelings of Guilt
“I don’t know what to do,” a client told us last week, speaking about her mother who had been admitted to a nursing home three weeks earlier. “She keeps on saying she wants me to take her home, and I don’t know what to say.I feel guilty, like I am a bad daughter.” Guilt is [read more…]
B.C. Ombudsperson Focuses on Fair Treatment for B.C Seniors: How She Can Help You
This month Elder Voice interviewed Kim Carter, the Ombudsperson for British Columbia. The Ombudsperson’s office deals with concerns regarding all citizens in B.C. We focused on Seniors. The Office of the Ombudsperson is an extremely important resource for citizens of B.C. who have a complaint regarding a public agency. This article explains what the Office [read more…]
Incontinence
Incontinence is one of the least talked about, most feared, and also commonest concern among older people. If you go into a nursing home, a huge percentage of people are wearing some kind of incontinence product. We need to develop different attitudes towards incontinence; one of which should include the idea of treatment and prevention. [read more…]
Support: The Key Effective to Caregiving
Support from other people is one of the most important and effective tools available to caregivers to mitigate the stresses of caregiving. Support can make the difference between caregiving being a burden which burns you out and creates strained relationships and one that helps it be a rich and rewarding experience. Support can be both [read more…]
Effective Advocacy for Seniors
While it might not always seem that way, Caregivers actually have the power to advocate within our healthcare system for their loved ones. You need to learn when, where and how to wield it. On one hand, caregivers coming into contact with health care systems, hospitals, or care facilities often find compassionate staff who provide [read more…]