Tag: Caregiving
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12 Ways to Reach Out to Caregivers During National Caregivers Appreciation Month
Chances are you know someone caring for a loved one who is sick or has a disability. This could be due to an illness such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, stroke, or a variety of other conditions. Some family members provide live-in care, others visit daily or weekly, and some oversee care from a distance, or…
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Family Caregivers: The Unsung Heroes of Society
In 2004, my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s-related dementia and a few months later, my mother with Alzheimer’s disease. That was the year I became a caregiver. While my parents did not reside with me, I was still intimately involved in their daily care for the next 4 and 5 years. Traveling down that rabbit…
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The Science of Alzheimer’s: Where Are We Going?
The McMaster Health Forum, with support from the Labarge Optimal Aging Initiative, recently hosted a public talk to examine the latest research and evidence into risks, prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. This talk featured presentations by Jay Ingram, one of Canada’s best-known and most popular science personalities, and Dr. Christopher Patterson, an expert on the…
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Is Gogo the New Mama? How HIV/AIDS and globalization are increasing the role of older caregivers
Precious, a woman who looks well beyond her sixty-six years of age, sits in her yard in rural Zimbabwe watching over her three grandchildren, ages four, six and seven. “Gogo, gogo!” the youngest one beckons his grandmother, as he chases after his older siblings who are in search of guava fruits. Precious’ son, Michael, left…
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Expectations and Reality: A Review of Long-Term Care
Unfortunately, it is impossible to create a standardized time frame regarding end-of-life or long-term care since it varies case by case. While there are signs and symptoms that allow people to predict the direction that someone’s health is going, many individuals begin long term care after a sudden life change that leaves them unable to…
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Affected, not Infected – HIV/AIDS and the Elderly in Thailand
The HIV virus is known to affect men and women in their reproductive age, between 15-49 years, leaving behind a large dependent population – children, the elderly, etc. The elderly play an important role in the epidemic although they are the invisible victims of this epidemic. They may not necessarily be infected with HIV, but…