Crystal Jo

It is often assumed that dementia is an inevitable part of aging, as the disease currently affects over 50 million people worldwide. What you need to know, however, is that dementia symptoms can have a variety of causes.
Learn which causes of dementia may be preventable, reversible or treatable.
Maybe It Isn’t Dementia: Symptoms to Investigate
It may seem obvious to you that your parent or senior loved one has dementia.
The signs are all there:
Impaired thinking
Increased confusion
Loss of sh...

According to the World Health Organization, there are over 50 million people living with dementia. It is the leading cause of a loss of independence in seniors and one of the hardest diseases to accept.
So what do you do when your aging parent refuses to admit there is a problem?
Dealing With a Parent Who Denies Dementia Symptoms
Is Dad or Mom having difficulty remembering appointments or names? Or getting lost coming home from the grocery store? You may notice it is becoming more difficult t...

In a review of four studies that looked at over 40,000 participants, researchers found a positive connection between moderate to severe anxiety and the likelihood of developing dementia within 10 years.
Learn more about the four ways that anxiety can increase your risk of dementia and the steps that you can take to keep your brain healthier.
How Anxiety Increases Your Risk of Dementia
Does anxiety increase your risk of dementia? Or is anxiety an early sign of dementia? A recent study by Amy G...

Many adult children will struggle with their relationship with their aging parent. Learning what a personality disorder is and common symptoms can help you see how to set appropriate boundaries and how to free yourself from guilt and obligation.
Read more about what to do if your senior parent has a personality disorder.
A Parent’s Personality Disorder
Have you always struggled in your relationship with your parent? Maybe your relationship has been stormy, but you never could figure out why.
...

Colonoscopies are one of the most dreaded medical procedures and understandably so. They have a risk of bowel perforation, are invasive and require sedation. Nobody wants to get a colonoscopy, yet there are over 40,000 done each day.
Is a colonoscopy always necessary? Here is what you need to know before scheduling one for an elderly loved one.
Colonoscopies in the Elderly
A colonoscopy is a procedure that allows a doctor to look inside the entire colon and rectum.
During a colonoscopy, the d...

Hip replacement surgery is one of the most common orthopedic procedures with over 300,000 surgeries done each year. The best piece of advice we can give you before your surgery is to be prepared. If you know what to do and what to not do, you can speed up your healing time and will soon be lacing up your running shoes once again.
Hip Replacement Surgery Dos and Don’ts
Learn more about what you need to do to have a successful recovery from your hip replacement surgery:
DON’T: Do It Alone
It is...

Who would be the ideal companion for your loved one with dementia? Would you want someone with an unlimited supply of love and affection? Someone who could listen to the same story 20 times and never get frustrated or bored?
Ideally, this would be a friend who never showed judgment over your loved one’s declining abilities or loss of words. Someone who provides comforting physical affection and never hesitates at watery eyes, shaky hands or contracted limbs. A calm and gentle presence that co...

Caring for a loved one with dementia can feel like a daily battle. You are dealing with the loss of the person you once knew but at the same time you still love them despite this change and new episodes of agitation and aggression. And you may find it difficult to predict which behaviors will arise.
The challenges of dementia caregiving can break your heart on a regular basis. Executing simple tasks and scheduling events for a loved one can turn into a disaster. Dementia is cruel to both the ...

Have you been thinking that you need to exercise more but you don’t know where to start?
Participating in regular physical activity will help you:
– maintain your muscle mass
– increase your bone density
– improve your balance, posture and flexibility
– have better control of chronic disease symptoms
– decrease pain and depression
– prevent falls
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states 28% of the population over the age of 50 are physically inactive. This is a sad fact cons...

Have you noticed small but frequent changes in the way that your mom or dad are acting? Mom is famous for her cooking but lately you notice that she is mixing up ingredients and can’t follow a recipe. Dad jokingly mentions to you that he got lost coming home from the grocery store, but you can see the real worry in his eyes. Or, have you noticed that in the middle of a conversation Mom can’t find the word she is looking for and loses track of what you were talking about?
Do you notice signs s...

Caregiver tips for interacting with someone with Autism
Interacting with someone with autism can feel frustrating for both of you. Autism can present communication, socialization, and behavioral challenges that can make you feel like you don’t know what to say or how to respond.
The secret is to always try to understand, to aim for kindness, and to learn as much as you can about how to interact more effectively with someone with autism.
Autism spectrum disorder is defined as a neurological an...

Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the nervous system that typically causes slowed movement, muscle stiffness and tremors. These three symptoms will continue to worsen and present the biggest challenges to caregivers.
Caring for a loved one with Parkinson’s disease can feel overwhelming, exhausting and frightening. The symptoms can change from day to day and it can be hard to know how to cope. Knowing what to expect and how you can best help someone with Parkinson’s disease can help you fee...

The nursing bag is like a portable hospital supply room. Everything you need to provide effective client care is carried inside. But did you know that your nursing bag could be one of the dirtiest things you carry into a client’s home?
Irena Bakunas-Kenneley PhD, APRN-BC, CIC and Elizabeth A. Madigan PhD, RN, FAAN conducted a study (2009) that tested nursing bags from four different home care agencies. On the outside, a surprising 84 percent of the nursing bags tested positive for human patho...