Archive for category: Caregivers

(This article is a special guest post by geriatrician Dr. Nicole Didyk, founder of the blog and YouTube channel The Wrinkle. Like me, Dr. Didyk has a particular interest in informing and empowering ol...

Have you ever wondered whether you — or your older relative — might be taking too many medications? You’re certainly right to ask yourself this. I consider this for all my own patients, and wish every...

The human heart is often described as a pump, but there’s much more to it: it also has a special electrical system that regulates and coordinates heartbeats. Abnormal heartbeats are called arrhythmias...

“I know where every bathroom is at the mall, and my wife rolls her eyes every time I have to visit one when we just arrived – even after I went before leaving the house!  What can I expect?  Most old ...

Are you dealing with a diagnosis of dementia? If so, you might be wondering what type of dementia you are dealing with. Or, perhaps you’ve heard someone say it’s important to find out what type of dem...

Do you find yourself taking stock and setting goals around the time of New Year’s? It is indeed an excellent time to reflect on the past year.  And although one can set goals at any time of year, the ...

Most older adults don’t need much help from others. In fact, many of them are quite busy assisting others and otherwise contributing to their families, communities, and/or workplaces. But of course, m...

A while back, I wrote an article on cerebral small vessel disease, a very common condition in which the small blood vessels of the brain develop signs of damage. If you’re an older adult and you’ve ha...

Signs of cerebral small vessel disease. From Inzitari et al, BMJ. 2009 Jul 6;339:b2477. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b2477 This article is about the most common aging brain problem that you may have never heard o...

Q: My 87-year-old father lives alone. His house has become increasingly dirty, but he refuses to get help, even though I’m sure he needs it. I’m worried that he’s becoming incompetent and in need of e...