Blog
Heat is harder on Elders
Heat is not something most in the Bay Area commonly have to deal with. Tips for dealing with heat and elders: * Stay somewhere cool * Drink plenty of water * Wear light clothing and hats outside *...
To Walk or Not to Walk?
I often have families of patients express concern about how much mobility a person with dementia should be allowed. Elders with dementia often want to move in ways that seem excessive to the rest of...
Behavior Challenges
I am the owner of a non medical in-home caregiver agency. One of our clients is providing quite a challenge due to his anger, agitation, racial slurs towards caregivers, as well as inappropriate...
If You’re Unconscious, How Will the EMTs Know Your Wishes?
Imagine this scenario: An elderly woman is found on the floor. She’s unresponsive, unconscious. A neighbor calls 911. In a few minutes, the EMTs arrive with an ambulance. How do they know the...
Is Hospice a Drain?
Recently, The Washington Post ran a story investigating the increased use of hospice care. Its investigation found that the number of “hospice survivors” has increased greatly in the last few years....
Don’t Discount the Value of Exercise!
Earlier this month, a large study cast doubt on whether exercise can help nursing home residents with depression. The study, published in BMC Medicine, followed more than 1,000 residents in 78 “care...
Right to Folly? Dealing with realities of suspected dementia
“If someone who is alert and aware makes a conscious choice to live in unclean, potentially dangerous conditions, as long as it doesn't affect others, they have the right to refuse help." That is...
Hard to Swallow, Part 2
Recently, I came across this story from a family that inspired more thoughts about swallowing: An elderly woman suddenly started holding her breath. She gagged whenever she tried to eat, and she...
Is Your Elder Neglecting Their Own Care?
A colleague recently forwarded me an essay from The New England Journal of Medicine about what we call in the field “elder self-neglect.” The essay describes a patient who has piles and piles of...
When Things Get Hard to Swallow
As a geriatrician making house calls throughout the Bay Area, I often must explain to families that toward the end stages of dementia, their loved ones will eventually forget the most basic of...
Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Just as individuals can fall on financial hard times, businesses and corporations can experience financial setbacks as well. When a business is failing financially, there are several options...
What if an Elder Resists Treatment?
One of the most common complaints I encounter doing eldercare house calls is this: “My—father/mother/aunt/uncle/grandmother—will not cooperate with care. We’re just trying to help, and our loved one...
What Makes Life Worth Living?
This is the first question I ask of the patients I see as a geriatrician doing house calls in the San Francisco Bay Area. So often, I consult with the children of patients who are incredibly worried...
Be on the Lookout for Normal Pressure “Hydrocephalus”
“Normal pressure hydrocephalus” (NPH) sounds complicated, but it’s simply an abnormal build-up of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain’s ventricles or cavities. It occurs if the normal flow of spinal...
Don’t Forget Dental Care!
Recently, as I was doing house calls in the San Francisco Bay Area, I visited a patient whose dentures were caked with plaque. Those dentures spoke volumes. Often, a patient with dementia will not...