The holidays can be a profoundly stressful time for a Person With Dementia (PWD) and his/her family members. To avoid even more stress and any potentially awkward or embarrassing situations, family members who don’t know about the PWD’s diagnosis should be made aware of it. That way, you will avoid…
The worst part of my business is that I sometimes have to say “Good-bye” to my favorite clients. In the past several weeks, I have had two favorite clients pass away, and one move out of state to be closer to her son. Today, I am going to share a…
My clients were a very pleasant, alert, 90 year old woman and her son. The son had been gainfully employed by a major corporation and had been transferred to a state out west. He liked the new location very much and remained there once he was retired. His mother had…
In this month’s newsletter, I share with you advice from my colleague Renee N. Duba, a certified financial planner with Sonder Private Wealth Management. Inc. In a recent article about the impact of inflation on purchasing power, authors at Sonder observed that, in 1916, nine cents could buy a quart…
After I have completed the task of finding the perfect senior living option for a senior loved one, many of my clients are faced with selling the senior’s property. I have asked my colleague, Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) Roz Byrne, to offer advice on that subject: It’s an age-old…
My client is a 72 year old, Eastern European woman who had been living in an apartment. She ambulated with a walker. She is diabetic, suffers from anxiety, and has difficulty with her vision. She had contracted an infection in her back due to a fall and had refused to…
Hearing loss can lead to auditory deprivation, dementia, and emotional problems. I have asked my respected colleague, Audiologist Kelly O’Malley, to share some facts about each consequence: Auditory Deprivation: When the hearing nerve and the area of the brain responsible for hearing are deprived of sound, they atrophy. Microscopic hair…
At the request of the Illinois Chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, I was recently asked to give a presentation at their annual meeting on, “How to choose a nursing home”. Had I been asked to speak about how to find a nursing home for a person with…
Being older CAN have its advantages. Among them are these potentially money-saving tips from the IRS, for those of you who have not already done your taxes. If you and/or your spouse are 65 years old or older, you can get a higher standard deduction amount if you do not…
While “age 55 and older” seems to be the general definition of an American “senior,” I have never allowed my age to deter me from enjoying two of my favorite activities: tap and jazz dancing. As a senior living advisor and former part-time children’s dance teacher, I am pleased to…