Author: Eileen Phillips, RN, Attention Plus Care

  • What Does Aging Mean?

    After gaining years of experience working and caring for the elderly, I can imagine many ways to describe what “aging” means. There are multiple factors that determine if one is considered old. In other words, a high number of years someone has been on this Earth does not define them as being old. In today’s…

  • Does Mom Need More Help?

    How do family members prepare for the day their senior needs more help? The kind of help that requires loved ones to re-prioritize their lives. If only there were a date set aside for this change in everybody’s life. Planning on change at this level has never been easy because a plan may not be…

  • Memory Loss & Aging

    At some point we’ve all had times of forgetfulness or misplacing things. Our keys get lost or we draw a blank trying to remember where the car is parked or what we just ate for breakfast. We can usually sort it out and remember things with some time and patience. But when is forgetfulness or…

  • About Transitional Care

    Today, more seniors are receiving care in their homes for medical conditions. Many receive it following a hospitalization or discharge from a rehabilitation center and have complex needs. Seniors who require them may have difficulties adjusting to their care and can benefit from transitional care during this period.

  • Being a Better Caregiver

    Home healthcare providers are often asked what makes a better caregiver. The answer is that, while many factors come to mind, an interest in learning is high on the list, and essential to a caregiver’s progress. For example, an important role caregivers have is recognizing when an individual’s health condition is changing. Those who can…

  • Repetitive Questioning in Alzheimer’s

    In home care, a question I often get is how to care for someone with Alzheimer’s who asks the same questions over and over again. To better understand and manage what’s going on, it helps to first know a bit on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

  • Seniors and Technology

    Technology is ever-advancing these days with information on new devices everywhere. For early adopters this is seen as helpful and even normal. However, for some seniors, adapting to new devices can be challenging due to physical limitations. Vision loss is one of the more common problems experienced, as is Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) that…

  • Aging and Muscle Loss

    Throughout our youth, most of us will experience muscle growth up until the age of 30. Thereafter, we begin to lose some muscle mass, strength and performance. This steady decline is called sarcopenia and is the “use it or lose” part of the natural aging process. It often goes unnoticed in our earlier years, as…

  • Ruby: A True Gem

    As a handpicked Labradoodle, Ruby is highly trained and recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) as a certified therapy dog. She loves her time visiting children and adults in hospitals or in their homes, and she enjoys the special relationships she has meeting and greeting everyone.

  • Coping with Holiday Sibling Strife

    The search for holiday perfection can set the bar high for caregivers. Starting as early as Thanksgiving, they’re flooded by images of families happily enjoying one another. And why not? As a home healthcare provider, we know family support goes a long way for parents aging in place. But when adult siblings are involved, they…