Topics About 'Elder Care'.

I wish I had a dollar for every time my mother's or my mother-in-law's bad behavior prompted a nurse or a CNA somewhere to tell me that. Mom curses at me and tells me I'm ugly and stupid -- the nurse sighs sympathetically and says "that's not your mo...

Take Ed, our resident Oscar the Grouch. He's a World War II vet who also worked as a train conductor; his manner is gruff, and his language is often as colorful as the Oregon Ducks cap he wears. He enjoys nothing more than to wheel himself about the ...

The reacent snow fall had blocked three staff arriving to work and so now, where there should have been two nurses and four care attendants from the permanent staff working, there only five staff, one nurse, two permanent Care Attendants (C/A's), and...

I was one of those little girls whose mother didn't like her. She liked my sister just fine -- thought she was perfect in every way. Me -- not so much. For most of my life, there was nothing I could ever do that was good enough for her, nothing I sai...

The prolongation of life is ultimately impossible, but in the end, should it be the ultimate goal? Medical advances and technology can keep people alive longer, but it doesn't necessarily give them a quality of life. Sometimes it prolongs suffering. ...

The John A. Hartford Foundation was established in 1929 by bequest of its founders, the two brother heirs of the great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company fortune. The mission of the Hartford Foundation is to "improve health care for older Americans." T...

Accidents are the ninth leading cause of injury-related deaths among the older population. Older women have a higher rate of injuries than any adult female age group. Seniors aged 85 years and older have the highest death rate of all from injuries an...

The phone in my pocket rings. I have been an ADN for all of three days now. I am still orienting, though my preceptor scheduled to teach a class while I covered the house. Her presumption of faith in me is both inspiring and terrifying. The er is cal...

I saw him, with his wrinkled face and with tears in his eyes. I wondered how life must be for him, living for eighty-two years in this world. He repeats the question he had asked minutes ago. He tells his story again and again. I have to repeat mysel...

A middle-aged woman tiptoes out of your elderly patient's room as you stand at the computer making your latest entry, then sneaks a look back to make sure her mother is still sleeping. Shyly, she approaches you and whispers, "Do you have a minute?" Y...

"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood" might be the theme song in many assisted living communities, which are often organized into two or more 'neighborhoods' of 10 to 25 residents, depending on the building's layout and size. Each neighborhood h...

Mary and John are great friends. Mary is 94, John is 96. John still has much of his mind, whereas Mary has dementia that's been progressing a lot lately. They met when John moved to the nursing home about 2 years ago. They do everything together. Eve...

It is a typical shift in the emergency department (ed). Lydia smith, a 79-year-old woman, has fallen at home, hitting her face on the concrete slab on her front porch. Her medical history includes mild parkinson's disease, congestive heart failure, a...

During the many years that I have spent browsing these forums, I have noticed a common theme regarding the preconceived notions that many people in healthcare have expressed about long term care (LTC) and the elderly population in general. To be stra...

This one is about Ed, the crusty curmudgeon of "ear WAX!" fame from "Elders Say the Darnedest Things". Without revealing too many personal details, let us just say that this gentleman is one of my favorite residents, EVER. He's been on the ICF (other...

One assignment will never leave my mind; it was quite a horrible experience! They called and offered me a job working at 3 pm until 11 pm, for three evenings in a row. They assured me it was an "easy" assignment taking care of a ninety-something-year...

As we discussed in the first two articles of this series, the rules and regulations that govern assisted living communities vary widely from state to state, and thus impact the types of services offered. Some states, such as Oregon, allow unlicensed ...

This was one of many reasons Mr. Colon ended up being hospitalized. Not only did he stop eating, he was also a dialysis patient. Three times a week he was in the hospital for treatment. A big commitment for whoever took care of him. Especially since ...