Resource Library
Content with Topic Health and Wellness Services .
Resources
Helping Older Loved Ones Face Changes in Mental Health
For older adults, mental illness is a conversation made difficult by stereotypes. Assumptions like “Old people are just stubborn” or “He’s become mean as he’s aged” cause many to dismiss mental illness in older adults. For caregivers, messages like these can make it difficult to differentiate mental illness from what are considered “normal parts of aging.”
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Taking ACTION to Manage Dementia Care
Caring for a loved one with dementia can oftentimes go hand-in-hand with challenging situations that may lead us to feel stress and uncertainty about how to manage our loved one’s care. It can become overwhelming, especially for one person, but there are steps we can take to minimize the burden and make progress. Action planning gives us guidance and support to meet our caregiving needs and manage our loved one’s care by breaking down larger goals into small, manageable steps towards solutions to potential challenges.
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Parkinson’s Disease: Recognizing Your Loved One’s Symptoms and Receiving a Diagnosis
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, more than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s Disease, and around 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease each year. Although it is the second most common degenerative neurological disorder after Alzheimer’s, many people are unfamiliar with the signs and symptoms, or confuse them for parts of the natural aging process. If we are caring for an older loved one, it’s important to recognize and understand Parkinson’s so we know when to begin seeking a diagnosis and how to better manage a loved one’s symptoms and care.
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Preparing for Your Future After an Early Onset Dementia Diagnosis
A diagnosis of dementia can be devastating no matter your age. However, older adults, especially those over the age of 65, tend to be more aware of the possibility of dementia, and know that their risk statistically increases each year. But for younger adults, being diagnosed with dementia between the ages of 30 and 60 is not only upsetting—it can be outright shocking.
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What to Know About Dementia Screening and Assessment Tools
If you’re a family member, friend or caregiver who suspects a loved one might have dementia, it’s important to know about cognitive screening and assessment tools. Since there is no one biological marker or blood test to pinpoint dementia, cognitive tests help doctors evaluate the state of your loved one’s memory, recall, language recognition and ability to follow instructions. If you plan to bring your loved one to a doctor, a combination of tests may be used to screen your loved one for dementia. And, if you are hesitant to consult a doctor just yet, many of these tests include questions that you can try asking your loved one yourself to help you confirm your suspicions.
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