Adult Day Care Centers are designed to provide care and companionship for seniors who need assistance or supervision during the day. The program offers relief to family members or caregivers and allows them the freedom to go to work, handle personal business or just relax while knowing their relative is well cared for and safe.

The goals of the programs are to delay or prevent institutionalization by providing alternative care, to enhance self-esteem and to encourage socialization. There are two types...

Dementia (meaning "deprived of mind") is the progressive and long-term decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the body beyond what might be expected from normal aging.

Dementia is a non-specific illness syndrome (set of signs and symptoms) in which affected areas of cognition may be memory, attention, language, and problem solving. Symptoms of dementia can be classified as either reversible or irreversible with less than 10 percent of cases of dementia are due to causes which may presently...

Assisted living facilities offer a housing alternatives for older adults who may need help with dressing, bathing, eating, and toileting, but do not require the intensive medical and nursing care provided in nursing homes.

Assisted living facilities may be part of a retirement community, nursing home, senior housing complex, or may stand-alone. Licensing requirements for assisted living facilities vary by state and can be known by as many as 26 different names including: residential care, board and care,...

Two medications may help stop Alzheimer's disease before it begins, and millions of people are already taking them, including Serge Kogan.

"I take statins to reduce my cholesterol and I take it every night."

That can help the heart, but now we're discovering the drugs may also protect the brain. While research has shown statins are 'not' effective in people who already have Alzheimer's, a new study finds the pills might help prevent it from starting, especially in patients at risk for a related...

Alzheimer's Curbed By Promising New Drug

A new drug that has completed phase 2 trials in the UK and Singapore is being hailed as a major breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer's, as it appeared to slow the progress of the disease by as much as 81 per cent over a year, compared to placebo. Methylthioninium chloride (MTC) blocks the accumulation of tau protein tangles inside brain cells, one of the principal characteristics of the disease that was originally discovered by Alois Alzheimer 100 years ago.

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What is Home Health Care?

Home health care helps seniors live independently for as long as possible, given the limits of their medical condition. It covers a wide range of services and can often delay the need for long-term nursing home care.

More specifically, home health care may include occupational and physical therapy, speech therapy, and even skilled nursing. It may involve helping the elderly with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and eating. Or it may include assistance...

By Carole Moore, Scripps Howard News Service

Cash-challenged seniors who want to stay in their own homes have kept reverse mortgages high on the public radar. But not everyone thinks they're such a good idea.

In general, a reverse mortgage converts home equity into cash in several different ways, ranging from monthly payments to an equity line to one-time payouts -- or a combination. The amount you can borrow varies according to your age, the value of the home, current interest rates and loan fees.

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The Medicare program is part of the Social Security Act. It was created in 1965 and is currently a $300 billion program. It is administered by the Social Security Administration and the Health Care Financing Administration. Individuals who are 65 years of age and who are eligible for Social Security benefits are automatically eligible for Medicare.

Medicare is a national entitlement program that provides health insurance for approximately 31.5 million people age 65 and over. Medicare is divided into two...

BE VERY CAREFUL.

Five Reasons You Should Think Twice Before Getting a Reverse Mortgage:

A reverse of a mortgage loan is secured by a house, but unlike a conventional mortgage that decreases over time, a reverse mortgage increases over time. Reverse mortgages are designed for older buildings that have a home with equity, and they want to unlock equity and turn it into money so they can use it for other purposes such as home repairs or to pay off other debts. With a reverse mortgage the...

WHAT IS HOSPICE CARE?

Hospice programs are available to help terminally ill individuals live their remaining days with dignity. These programs can assist the family (or other designated caregiver) in making the patient as comfortable as possible, and assistance is available around the clock, seven days a week.

Hospice is primarily a concept of care, not a specific place of care. Hospice care usually is provided in the patient's home. It also can be made available at a special hospice residence....