Your dad has Alzheimer’s, and now lives in a long-term care home half an hour away from your office. Your mum who lives with you has a mild stroke six months ago and is now using a walker. You have wall to wall plush carpets, and your home is margining accessible. It’s time for some […]

Staying active and in touch with family and friends is a large part of maintaining both physical and mental health. For many of our older adults, maintaining an independent lifestyle and getting out and about with ease becomes a bigger challenge with age. Often, safety, fear of falling and fatigue are worries which lead to […]

What I’ve learned is that one size doesn’t fit all, and change ideas and changing circumstances. What’s right for today may not work tomorrow given emerging health or financial concerns. For example, if you’re looking for ways to encourage socializing and safer living, investigate house sharing, co-operatives, or a move into seniors living community or […]

Health is the key determinant in establishing levels of care. The accompanying table may be useful in helping you determine what stage your relative is at, and offers some suggestions for the type of care they may need. (Thanks and credit to Barbara Carter.) Here are some things to consider. Stages 1: Active Lifestyle Stage […]

Following an assessment, make a list of essential tasks that need to be performed, including: meal preparation, laundry, housekeeping (daily vs. janitorial – windows, spring cleaning), outdoor maintenance (garbage removal, lawn care, leaves, snow, eavestroughs, bush trimming), banking, shopping (groceries and personal) and general maintenance. Consider

Having a family doctor involved in our home and hospital care has been important to most people for their whole lives but it becomes much more important to them as they age. But it’s no secret that a lot of us are still having trouble finding a family doctor and that there are ridiculously long […]