Millennials, the New Generation of Caregivers For years, millennials have been regulars on the news for supposedly “killing off” mainstays of industry and culture, from homeownership to buying once standard items like napkins, breakfast cereal and diamonds. But one thing that millennials can’t be accused of killing off? Unpaid caregiving. Every year, more and more millennials step up to take charge of caring for a loved one, providing physical, personal and emotional care and support, often while attending school, working one or more jobs, taking care of young families and navigating student loan debt. Read more
Using Resources to Help Choose Home Care Home health care agencies can provide care to a loved one right in his or her own home. They offer a wide range of services such as physical therapy, occupational therapy and skilled nursing care. Receiving care in the home still offers the same effective care one would receive in a hospital or nursing facility, while typically being more cost-effective and convenient. Finding which home health agency to use for a loved one can be a daunting task. However, there are resources out there that can help ease the stress of finding the best home health care for a loved one. Read more
Budgeting Tips for Older Adults We all know how important it is to save money, but sometimes that’s easier said than done. Everywhere we go, there are different demands on our wallet, from weekly grocery trips to exciting new films at the movie theater to self-care treats at the hair salon. Add those expenses to monthly bills, medication costs and gas fill-ups, and it’s no wonder our wallets can end up stretched thin. Read more
Reducing the Stress of a Transition to Assisted Living The decision to move a loved one to assisted living can be one of the hardest a caregiver can make. However, if we are caring for a loved one with a chronic disease, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease or another form of dementia, it may become necessary to consider assisted living placement if we lack the time, resources or support to continue caring for a loved one at home. Shifting a loved one’s care to an assisted living facility may seem as if it will relieve many of the stresses of caregiving such as anxiety, depression or feeling overburdened. However, studies show that assisted living placement can instead change the type of stressors a caregiver experiences rather than eliminate them. Read more
Home Buying in a Retirement Community: Downsizing the Family Home When it comes to senior living options, there are a number of housing options available for today's older adult population. While some older adults will require the care and attention of nursing homes or assisted living communities, there are others who don't require as much, or any, care, but who instead want to be in a community of their peers. These retirement communities can provide us with a great opportunity to meet and participate in activities with others that we need to live the healthy and balanced lives we deserve well into our golden years. Read more
Advice for Overcoming Everyday Challenges Small, everyday challenges can impact us all as we age. The resources and programming offered at senior centers such as the Rose Centers for Aging Well can assist with overcoming these challenges by providing us with opportunities to receive guidance from both professionals and our own peers. Programs like the Aging Mastery Program can help us make small and impactful changes to overcome challenges we may face and improve our overall wellness. Read more
Helping a Loved One Maintain Good Credit While it’s important for all of us, at any age, to keep our finances in good condition, issues of credit card debt are growing among older adults. If we are caring for a loved one struggling with debt and maintaining good credit, it is important for us to understand credit scoring and how to help a loved one improve their credit so they can better manage debt. Read more
Why the Fair Housing Act Matters Many people have heard of fair housing, but don’t truly understand their rights under the Fair Housing Act. Whether we are renters or buyers, we should familiarize ourselves with and know the Fair Housing Act so we can better understand federal fair housing policies and laws, and what our rights are. Read more
I’m the Man (and the Caregiver) All of us caring for aging loved ones face unique challenges. Societal expectations about who handles these responsibilities – and how they should be handled – make some of these challenges ever more difficult for male caregivers. After all, when we think and talk about family caregivers, most of us immediately envision a woman, usually a wife or a daughter, and it is with this image in mind that most caregiver support programs have been created. And yet, according to a recent AARP study, 44 percent of family caregivers for older adults—or six million caregivers—are actually men, and 28 percent of these men are millennials Read more
Benefits of Exercise for Older Adults We’ve all heard it a hundred times: exercise is important! When we hear this, many of us automatically think of the role of exercise in weight management, but do we think about the other benefits of exercising? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlight many of these benefits such as reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression; improving our moods; reducing our blood pressure and the risk of falls; and maintaining healthy bones, muscles and joints. Read more
