Medications

Try these Parkinson’s communication tips to enhance your ability to connect with someone you love.

Imagine trying to share your thoughts, feelings, or even a simple idea with someone you love, only to feel as though your words are getting lost. Now, consider how isolating it must be if this were an everyday struggle. For someone living with Parkinson’s disease, this is often the reality. Communication becomes increasingly difficult as the disease progresses, creating frustration and emotional strain for both the person with Parkinson’s and their loved ones, making it crucial to know effective Parkinson’s communication tips. It begins with understanding how communication can be affected by the disease.

Taking too much or too little of a medication or taking it the wrong way can lead to adverse medication reactions in seniors.

The days of “take two aspirin and call me in the morning” have morphed into “take two of these…and two of these…and maybe one of those, too!” Nearly forty percent of seniors are taking at least five different prescription medications each day – not to mention vitamins, supplements, and OTC meds. It is easy to understand why overmedication and adverse medication reactions in seniors are extremely common.

Take these actions to avoid medication problems for someone you love:

Make a list, and check it twice. Create a list of every one of the medications – both over-the-counter and prescription – that the person is currently taking. Share the list with all of their healthcare providers, and … Read More »

Chemo brain can last for months or even years after treatment has ended.

Memory lapses, confusion, and difficulty concentrating—these symptoms could easily be attributed to Alzheimer’s, but for cancer survivors, there’s another likely culprit: chemotherapy. Referred to as chemotherapy induced cognitive impairment (CICI) or “chemo brain,” these effects can linger for months or even years after treatment concludes. It’s not exclusive to chemotherapy recipients, either; radiation, surgery, hormonal treatments, and even the cancer itself can contribute to cognitive challenges, complicating effective treatment.

Exploring the Complexity:

Dr. Kevin Liou from the Bendhaim Integrative Medicine Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center emphasizes that cancer-related cognitive impairment is a multifaceted issue with various contributing factors. This complexity means that chemo brain can manifest at any point during or after cancer treatment, presenting symptoms like difficulty multitasking, reading comprehension issues, word-finding … Read More »

Try these tips to help someone experiencing sleeping problems in dementia get a better night’s rest.

If it seems like a senior with dementia has completely rewritten the rules on when and how to sleep, you’re not dreaming. For reasons that aren’t yet fully understood, sleeping problems in dementia are quite common. Changes to the senior’s circadian rhythm lead to drowsy days and sleepless nights.

The development of the disease is one contributing factor. Damage to brain cells causes increased weakness, making everyday tasks and activities exhausting. Medication side effects from commonly-prescribed dementia treatments can further exacerbate the issue.

Why Is a Good Night’s Sleep Crucial for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s?

Decreased sleep quality in dementia may bring about an increase in restlessness and delusions, and can cause serious safety concerns, such as the potential for an … Read More »

Learn about the best flu vaccine for older adults and make sure the seniors you love are protected.

While COVID-19 continues to dominate our overall health concerns, it’s important to keep in mind that other illnesses can be equally as dangerous, especially for older adults. Flu season is upon us, and it’s time to make sure that the seniors you love are protected. This starts with knowing the best flu vaccine for older adults.

With so many similarities, can you tell the difference between dementia and medication side effects?

Disorientation. Confusion. Memory loss. While these are certainly hallmark symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, they may also come about from taking certain medications. Before automatically assuming an inevitable diagnosis of dementia, review the following list of prescribed medicines that can cause similar adverse effects in order to help tell the difference between dementia and medication side effects.

Studies are showing an increase in senior falls from medications, making it imperative to know what to do to reduce fall risk.

We’ve known for a while that there are certain medications that raise the likelihood of falls for seniors. Twenty years ago, a little over half of seniors were impacted by that risk; yet today, that number has increased dramatically – to a staggering 94% of older adults who are now in danger of senior falls from medications. Additionally, deaths from such falls are happening at more than twice the earlier rate.

Researchers who observed this growing concern also discovered that between 1999 and 2017, senior prescriptions for medications that escalate fall risk were filled more than 7.8 billion times. This consists of a spike from 12 million antidepressants in 1999 to greater than 52 million in … Read More »

Certain medications may now be linked to an increased dementia risk.

They are currently recognized to cause various short-term side-effects, for example, memory issues and confusion, but new research links some of the stronger anticholinergic drugs (like those prescribed for Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, depression, and overactive bladder) to a markedly higher dementia risk. 

The research involved two groups of seniors: 59,000 patients with dementia, and 225,000 without. Approximately 57% of those with dementia, and 51% without, were supplied a minimum of one (and up to six) potent anticholinergic medications. Considering other established dementia risk factors, the outcomes were an astounding 50% increased risk of dementia in individuals who were taking strong anticholinergics daily for three or more years, with the highest risk to people who received a dementia diagnosis before age 80.

It is critical to note that … Read More »

Seniors know best what they’re dealing with; empower them to take control of their chronic health care needs.

When it comes to chronic health care, seniors are the experts, hands down, with up to three out of four seniors affected by a number of conditions that are ongoing, necessitate long-term medical treatment, and place restrictions on activities. With the never-ending barrage of bloodwork as well as other tests, physicians’ appointments and procedures, and medications, managing chronic diseases usually takes both a physical and emotional toll, and may quickly become daunting.

Dr. Mary Tinetti, chief of geriatrics and internist at Yale School of Medicine, said, “Once you get three, four, or five and six diseases, several things happen: Number one, almost guaranteed, trying to get one of these diseases under control is going to make one of the other … Read More »

Learn how to help a reluctant senior follow through with doctors’ visits.

Let’s face it: a lot of us delay going to the doctor’s office. It could be somewhat uncomfortable, and downright distressing when something is wrong and we’re looking at the prospect of an unwanted diagnosis. Even so, we understand it’s wise to complete what’s best for our health and wellbeing and to be diligent about receiving necessary medical care.