HIPAA: Questions and Answers for Family Caregivers

Suppose your mother is a patient in the hospital or Emergency Room. You are her family caregiver and when you ask about her treatment, the doctor or nurse says, “I can’t tell you that because of HIPAA.” That answer is wrong. But you need to know more. What is HIPAA?...

Medication: Special Concerns in Dementia and Alzheimer’s Patients

Many older adults must take several medications each day as they strive to keep their health in balance and remain independent. As many as 10 percent of people over age 65 take five or more prescription drugs, requiring them to juggle potentially dozens of pills every...

THE NEWLY ADMITTED ALZHEIMER’S RESIDENT

Families find placement of a loved one in a long term care facilities (Rest Home or Nursing Home) difficult even in those cases where it is clearly in the best interest of the person and other family members. Invariably, they experience feelings of frustration and a...

WANDERING AND SUNDOWNING AT INDIVIDUALS WITH DEMENTIA AND

Wandering may be a response to restlessness, agitation, fear, boredom, or physical discomfort. It may be a continued expression of a life-long habit of walking in a work situation or leisure-time pursuit.  Wandering in some cases may be viewed as a positive activity...

Brain Scan for Alzheimer’s

Beginning next month, doctors can use a brain scan to better diagnose Alzheimer’s. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a fluorescent dye that binds to amyloid plaques, a physical hallmark of the disease, as a diagnostic tool. Currently,...

A Resident Who Has Changed My Life

I have had a lot of work experience in the business world, from administration to garment design, all at an aggressive pace to make good money.  I did not want to go back to work full time is such a cold atmosphere where someone steps up on your head to take the next...

Mary Elizabeth (McDonough) Gagnon

Mary Elizabeth (McDonough) Gagnon, 96, of Worcester died Wednesday April 25, 2012 in Dodge Park Rest Home after a brief illness. Her husband, Norman A. Gagnon, died in 1970. She is survived by her daughter, Michele Gagnon Thayer of Shrewsbury, and her 4 grandchildren,...