It happens a few times each week. I walk through the house looking for my wife and find her hanging upside down on her “stretcher” or Teeter Hang Ups. She swears by it. For me it’s reminiscent of a scene out of a Batman movie. As Michael Keaton is quoted as saying about bats, “They’re great survivors”. Nevertheless, my wife …

We were recently contacted by a daughter of a client who told us the following: “Knowing that my grandfather is nearing the end, Home by Choice gives me the opportunity to spend quality time with him. Instead of cleaning, fixing meals, or running errands, I get to spend quality time with him listening to stories from his childhood, telling him …

By definition, home and community-based services allow people of all ages who have physical limitations to remain independent in the least restrictive settings possible and to be connected with their communities. Although there are government funded services such as Medicaid Waivers for people with disabilities or income-based homemaker and attendant care services for the elderly, services usually work in conjunction …

It’s an act of love that’s often brought upon quickly, without warning. It’s emotionally, physically and financially stressful. Often it entails a years-long commitment. What is it? It’s caregiving. The AARP Public Policy Institute stated that over a 12-month period more than 43 million adults provided care to a family member or friend. It is estimated that the annual cost …

Many people believe that dementia is a normal part of aging – that loss of mental capacity is an inevitable part of late life. This is a fallacy that, unfortunately, contributes to a great deal of negative stereotyping of seniors in American culture. While some cultures revere the elderly and look to them as the possessors of wisdom, many Americans …

How do you prevent a cognitively impaired person from wandering? In facilities, they have protocols, plans, policies and education. But what do you do in the privacy of someone’s home? It only takes once for you to turn your back for just a second, and the person with dementia can be out the front door. Wandering is the term used …

Not many years ago my aunt died. I watched over a series of years her health decline. She went from a vibrant, laughing person to being constantly in pain, then suffering immobility to being bed-ridden. For my uncle, this meant being a caregiver. Caring for an older parent, friend, or relative can be joyous and enriching. Some view their caregiving …

I tell people who inquire about services offered by Home by Choice that older adults try to avoid two things. First, moving out of the home they’ve grown to love and secondly, someone taking away their ability to drive an automobile. At Home by Choice, we provide services that allow older adults to remain in their homes and we are …

This is the first of a series of articles pertaining to issues important to seniors. Harry, age eighty-seven, was an avid gardener, and his tomatoes were always his pride and joy. He had suffered a stroke, and had been placed in a long-term care facility. He was withdrawn, refused to participate in physical therapy and had been diagnosed as depressed. …