Alzheimer's Homes By City

A group of older adults are gathered for their weekly computer class. They are learning to use the Internet to find health information. Maria's husband, who is 75, had a stroke the month before so she's searching the web for some basic facts about stroke rehabilitation. Walter, who is 68, has questions about what causes Alzheimer's disease because he thinks that's what his mother had. Shirley and Howard, married for 48 years, are trying to find out if the cataract surgery their eye doctor suggests really is as safe as he says. The whole group has one big worry-"How can we trust the health information we get on the Internet?"

John and Edith were playing cards one night when John asked Edith a question. She tried to answer but couldn't speak. John knew something was very wrong. Could it be a stroke? Without waiting, he called 911. The ambulance took Edith to the hospital. Emergency doctors said it was a stroke - John was right. Because John called for help quickly, Edith got the medical care she needed without delay. She started getting well, her speech came back, and once again she's having long talks with John.

Irene is retired, she loves to work in her garden. Because she has always spent hours outside, she thinks the heat and humidity of Midwestern summers don't bother her. Then last year an unusual heat wave hit her area. Every day the temperature was over 100° F, and the humidity was at least 90%. Five days into the heat wave, her daughter Kim came over because Irene sounded confused on the phone. Kim found her mom passed out on the kitchen floor. The ambulance came quickly when called, but Irene almost died. She had heat stroke, the most serious form of hyperthermia.

Amy had always been proud of her skin, especially her summer tan. But as she grew older, she saw she was getting more fine lines and wrinkles. She began to worry about what other skin problems she may have. What were those brown spots on her hands and arms?
Your skin changes with age. It becomes thinner, loses fat, and no longer looks as plump and smooth as it once did. Your veins and bones can be seen more easily. Scratches, cuts, or bumps can take longer to heal. Years of sun tanning or being out in the sunlight for a long time can lead to wrinkles, dryness, age spots, and even cancer. But there are things you can do to help your skin.

Agencies will typically be the most expensive; independent providers will be the least expensive. However, home care agencies are also easier to use, since the agency finds and places the provider, handles payroll and any problems that may arise, and usually provides coverage for sick or absent providers. Agencies that are licensed and bonded are generally a good choice, although there are always exceptions. You have avenues of recourse (complaints, legal action) when dealing with agencies that are liable for problems. There is no real recourse (except firing) when dealing with independent providers or ones found through registries.

Emma's family didn't know what to do. Her son put grab bars in the shower. Her daughter brought lunch over every day. The neighbors checked in often. But at 82 Emma needed more help. She wasn't able to manage her medicines, and she was having a regular problem with incontinence. Then she forgot to take her key out of the front door, and she left the water running in the kitchen sink all night. Staying home alone just wasn't working for Emma.

When Jerry, age 71, came home from the drug store with his latest medication, he placed all his pill bottles on the kitchen counter and counted them. "I take seven different medications," he said to his wife. "We need a system. We need to know what medicines we have, what they're for, and when we should take them."