As family members watch a loved one age, it is easy to be confused into not recognizing how fragile or precarious that person’s condition may be. This month, Elder Voice helps you understand how to assess what you are seeing. Elsie was two weeks shy of 95 when her daughter, Marie, came to see us, [read more…]
Planning
The Right To Live
As the implementation of a national Canadian policy on assisted dying approaches, we increasingly read articles and hear on the news discussion about the right to die. This month Elder Voice focuses on another aspect of the question: the right of someone to live and how that decision is made. Several years ago we walked [read more…]
A Quick Guide to Explain Seniors Housing
There is an array of seniors housing options which caregivers and seniors confront as they begin to think about moving and downsizing. A good understanding of what these options are and what they offer can help you choose what is right for you now and in the future. It can also help you avoid some [read more…]
Finding Help: Taking the Confusion out of Eldercare
The first steps in finding help on the rollercoaster of caregiving can be the most stressful ones. This month Elder Voice describes sixteen of the most common types of services and support available. There are two main “streams” of help available to caregivers: the public and the private systems. In the public system, services are [read more…]
As Couples Age: What Their Children Need to Know
We are often contacted by adult children who thought their aging parents were doing well together until a crisis occured. When they looked more closely at the situation they realized “we didn’t know what was going on.” This month Elder Voice focuses on aging couples. There are two different and challenging pathways that can unfold [read more…]
In the Emergency Ward: Getting Seniors the Best Care
Recent news reports of seniors being inappropriately discharged from a hospital emergency ward to their homes in the middle of the night outrage the public and frighten any family member with an older relative who lives alone. This month Elder Voice has three articles which focus on Seniors in the emergency ward. Our first article [read more…]
Geriatric Care Managers: What They Can Do For You
A Geriatric Care Manager (GCM) is a professional whose education and work experience has trained them to provide services to, and manage/coordinate care for, older adults, their families and caregivers. This month Elder Voice focuses on Geriatric Care Managers and Geriatric Care Management. GCMs have been described as a professional family member, a counsellor, an [read more…]
The Costs of Care: Beyond Housing Part 2
Last month Elder Voice reviewed equipment costs that sometimes arise as people age. This month, we focus on the costs of home help. This includes personnel who help with personal care and companionship, as well as a number of other types of services, such as drivers, physio- and occupational therapists, and other allied professionals such [read more…]
The Costs of Care: Beyond Housing
When planning for the costs associated with growing older, people often only consider Seniors housing prices. However, your planning should also take into consideration that at some point you may need some equipment or a paid caregiver, especially if you wish to remain in your own home. You might not ever need them, but if [read more…]
The Rights of Older People
Recently we did a workshop/seminar for several local churches. During the question period one of the women raised her hand and said, “When I went to my doctor a few months ago with pain in my leg, he said it was just part of getting old and nothing could be done about it. He wouldn’t [read more…]
