Alzheimer's Expert Carol Bradley Bursack shares Alzheimer's management news and commentary at OurAlzheimers.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62 http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62 http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/103099/generations Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:05:42 -0500 Carol Bradley Bursack When I was at my caregiving peak, with multiple elders who needed me plus two children - one with chronic health issues - there wasn't a term for people like me. Or, if there was, I didn't have time to read about it. Later, I became aware of the then emerging term "the sandwich generation." Generally speaking, this now popular and descriptive term refers to situations like mine, where adult children who have... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/103099/generations http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/102396/offers-excellent Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:26:18 -0500 Carol Bradley Bursack Few siblings with aging parents haven't had some disagreements over the care of their aging parents. So, when the public relations folks for the book They're Your Parents, Too! How Siblings Can Survive Their Parents' Aging Without Driving Each Other Crazy, contacted me and suggested sending me a review copy, I gave them my mailing address. This seemed like a book many readers would be interested in, since the majority of family... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/102396/offers-excellent http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/101746/caregiver Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:34:23 -0500 Carol Bradley Bursack Caregiving can be tough work. Caring for a person with Alzheimer's or a similar dementia, particularly in the later stages, can be particularly tough work. I often write about caregivers taking a break and about realizing that we, as caregivers, will never be perfect.   The flip side of that, however, is that caregiver's behavior can bring out the worst in a care receiver. Therefore, not only is it good for the caregiver to get breaks in... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/101746/caregiver http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/101047/2010-resolutions Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:17:03 -0500 Carol Bradley Bursack Not everyone reading this post is a caregiver. Some of you have Alzheimer's, some of you have vascular dementia and some of you have other illnesses leading to dementia. If you are a caregiver, you aren't necessarily all the same type of caregiver.  Some of you have a loved one at home and others have a loved one in a care facility. Some of you care for one person, some of your care for several.     There are even more... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/101047/2010-resolutions http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/100425/psychological Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:14:29 -0500 Carol Bradley Bursack The very word "caregiver" implies that someone is looking out for another person. We caregivers are doing just that. However, within this process we have many gray areas to face. What, exactly, is the best way to care for our loved ones at any given moment?    Even professional caregivers face these challenges, but they generally have a "best practices" guideline to follow, if not an actual law. For family caregivers, it's not quite... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/100425/psychological http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/99771/caregivers-dignity Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:29:50 -0500 Carol Bradley Bursack My friend and neighbor, Joe, was in his 80s. His wife, who had been his ears since he lost his hearing in his 30s, had died. The natural thing for me was to basically adopt Joe. I became his ears and his helper. My young sons joined me in helping out. Now grown, they've got many "Joe stories" that pop up during our casual conversations.   The fact that Joe needed help was obvious. However, he was my first care receiver, other than my... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/99771/caregivers-dignity http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/99189/approaching-smudge Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:00:19 -0500 Carol Bradley Bursack One of the many things caregivers have in common guilt. Generally, it's unearned guilt. We haven't done enough. We could do something better. We are imperfect caregivers. So? We are human.   There isn't a person on earth who can guess another person's needs and respond exactly right every time. If you add physical ailments and mental issues such as Alzheimer's or other dementias to our messy lives, well, our best intentions will often be... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/99189/approaching-smudge http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/98861/woman-expectations Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:21:43 -0500 Carol Bradley Bursack Bob, a gentleman I've known only through correspondence as he's a faithful reader of my newspaper column and blog, invited me to visit and meet his wife, Jane. Jane has Alzheimer's disease, probably stage five, on the seven stage scale.  They live near me so we thought this Christmas season was a good time to get together.   I had a pretty good idea of what Bob would be like. He's an 81-year-old retired professor, very active... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/98861/woman-expectations http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/98204/visit-conversation Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:29:24 -0500 Carol Bradley Bursack I know it can be hard. Your siblings are in town. You visit the nursing home with them so you can all be together with your mom who is living in a care center. The adult children are all jabbering, trying to catch up on each other's lives. Sure, you are physically in the room with your parent. But there's a good chance that your mom is completely left out of the conversation.   Her hearing isn't bad, but the noise of several voices at... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/98204/visit-conversation http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/97547/dementia-diagnosis Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:46:31 -0500 Carol Bradley Bursack   I see the question way too often: "How can I get Power Of Attorney for my dad? He's got advanced Alzheimer's disease and I need to make financial decisions for him. There will be health decisions as well. I can't get him to understand what needs to be done."   The sad part of this question is that this family could have difficulty getting the very documents they need. Once a person is diagnosed with dementia, by definition this... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/97547/dementia-diagnosis