Useful Links Archives - Better Health While Aging

Coronavirus Info: What to Expect Regarding Hospitalization (3.27.20)

Like many of you, I’ve been following the recent coronavirus developments closely.

In March, I devoted my twice-monthly Helping Older Parents members calls to this topic.

Here is a video commentary I recorded on 3.27.20. Although the statistics about COVID numbers in the US quickly fell out of date, I am leaving this video available as the information on what to expect regarding hospitalization should be relevant for quite a while. This video covers:

What I’d recently learned about the clinical course of COVID
If you think you (or your older relative) might be sick with coronavirus
What to know about hospitalization for this, and how a “surge” situation might affect that
Options for care at home, including palliative care
My recommendations on planning ahead and then hoping for the best.

Also, in the video, I forgot to mention that one of my favorite clinical sources is currently making its coronavirus topic free to the public: Uptodate.com: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The video is below, or get the audio-only through the podcast here.
(For those who have asked about transcripts: I wish I could but right now we are too short on funding; transcripts cost $1.25/minute to produce plus more time to format and finalize.)

Please stay as safe as you can, and take care!

Related resources:

[Read more…]

Coronavirus Update & Suggestions (3.20.20 Edition)

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 20 Comments

Like many of you, I’ve been following the recent coronavirus developments closely.

Last week, I devoted my twice-monthly Helping Older Parents members call to this topic, and took the unusual step of posting it to the BHWA podcast. (Find it here, now with video included.)

And of course, a lot has changed since then and now. So I have recorded another video commentary today, with updates and also suggestions on discussing safety and social distancing with aging parents. The video is below, or get the audio-only through the podcast here.

Please stay as safe as you can, and take care!

Related resources:

[Read more…]

13 Recommended Resources for National Family Caregivers Month

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 11 Comments

This month — November — is National Family Caregivers Month.

If you’ve been in any way assisting another adult with managing health concerns or life tasks, you qualify as one of the estimated 40 million family caregivers in the US.

Such help often starts out with small things, such as helping an older relative get to appointments or assisting with grocery shopping.

But it’s also fairly common for families to end up providing quite a lot of care. A 2015 report found that on average, family caregivers provided 24.4 hours of assistance per week, and 23% of caregivers were clocking 41 hours or more.

Many people find themselves eventually struggling with the caregiving. Most of us haven’t prepared or been trained to do this, and many people are unsure of where to get information, help, or support.

So in this article, I’ll share some of my favorite resources to make family caregiving a little easier. [Read more…]

3 Guides to Help With “The Talk” With Aging Parents, & More Useful Resources

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 6 Comments

It’s that time of the year again: first Thanksgiving, and then winter holidays. Which means this is the time of the year when families are most likely to get together with older parents.

Ideally, this means a time for families to bond and spend joyful times together. And no matter what is going on in your older relative’s life, bonding and joy are always possible. So I hope this holiday season brings you many opportunities to enjoy your aging relatives.

But there are two more challenging things that tend to happen during the holidays:

Families — especially adult children who don’t see their parents often — may find themselves concerned about an older relative’s health or safety or well-being.

Families often use the holidays as a time to get together and have “the talk.” Or otherwise try to plan and “get things in order.”

Nobody likes addressing these two situations. But they do come up a lot at this time of year.

In case any concerns or planning needs come up for you during the holidays, here’s what I’ll be sharing in this post:

3 useful guides, to help you address common aging and caregiving concerns
Tips on what to do if you’re worried about an older relative
6 common problems that worry families, with resources on addressing them

3 Guides to Help You Have “The Talk” With Aging Relatives

Here are three online guides that can help you. They all include a printable PDF version. [Read more…]

How to Check an Older Adult for Common Health & Safety Problems

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 3 Comments

Worried about an older relative, but not quite sure what to do?

Common concerns I hear include:

Are my parents safe living on their own?
Could my mom be getting Alzheimer’s disease?
How can I find help for my father who lives alone?
I’m worried my mom might fall at home and get hurt.
I’m worried that my dad isn’t taking good care of himself.
Is it time to move to assisted living?

To help people turn their worries into a practical action plan, I’ve created a special new resource. You can download it here:

Helping Older Parents Quick Start Guide: Check Your Parents in 5 Key Areas

This guide is modeled on the mental checklists that I use when I first assess an older adult who lives at home.

Specifically, this is a quick version of how I initially check for the most common “don’t miss” health and safety red flags. It includes practical tips, such as who to ask for help, as well as a list of useful online resources.

If you’ve been concerned about an older adult who lives at home or in assisted-living, I hope you’ll take a look!

Related resources:

Related resources:

3 Guides to Help You Have “The Talk” With Aging Relatives

Disclaimer