Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Aging Parents: Stark Reality–When Eyesight Fails

Letting Go–Preparing The Last Income Tax at 100

This is the last time Sr. Advisor R is doing her income tax preparation for the accountants. Yes, she’s 100. Yes, she still lives independently, alone in her home of over 60 years. Yes, she has a blood clot that has greatly diminished vision in one eye. Yes, she uses not 1, but 2 magnifying glasses when the normal print is too small. And yes, all of this is pretty amazing, but it has been extremely arduous and overly time-consuming this winter and has been a source of stress.

That said, R has worked at simplifying everything in her life as age has slowed her down. Giving up income tax preparation  (still using legal pad and adding machine), is a big concession. As Julia, another independent elder referred to in past posts, said many years ago “No one likes to see a lessening of themself.”

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Aging Parents: Older Women’s Hair Revisited

We’ve written about aging women’s hair care, hair loss, hair styles, and hair enhancement quoting tricologists, MD’s and other hair experts and stylists (see RELATED below). As Time Goes By has a series of very good posts (below). In September Grandparents.com offered “7 Secrets to the Haircut that Will Make You Look Younger.”


To view entire post, please go to my other site.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Help Aging Parents: Wireless Medicine–A Boon for Aging Parents, Caregivers, and Us

 “If my 90-year-old father is released from the hospital 
could this technology monitor his progress at home?”

I know  you can guess the answer; you just didn’t know the seeming simplicity of getting the information from a smart phone, using apps and sensors. In the You Tube TV clip you’ll see a modified iPhone produce a cardiogram for a patient; a tiny senor used for glucose monitoring; and understand how the iPhone can become a “lab on a chip” (for  doing blood tests etc.). Wireless technology can predict a heart attack about 2 weeks before it happens by monitoring one’s blood.

While this sounds like–and is– wonderful news medically, it can also be wonderful news, in a different way, for us–the caregivers, chauffeurs and devoted adult children because of the time it saves. For example,  I’m wondering how many, like me, are on fast forward and can get a bit cranky waiting for aging parents to get ready to go to a doctor’s appointment, not to mention time spent waiting in a waiting room for the doctor. And  then think of the time it takes to get test results and lab reports. Wireless medicine  changes that.


Please go to my other site to view entire post.