If your relative needs medical oxygen, it's crucial that you plan ahead for plane travel. From oxygen requirements to battery power, you need to be sure they have enough to cover the whole trip. (You don't want to run out midair!) You'll need to cover not only the...

If you are a perfectionist, you may have noticed that your high standards often backfire. Despite your best intentions, you actually accomplish less. Research confirms this. Studies also show that perfectionism frequently leads to anxiety, depression, and difficult...

We are all vulnerable to an upsell when we want to honor a deceased family member. Fortunately, the Federal Trade Commission offers some protection in the form of standards all funeral homes must follow. This enables you to make apples-to-apples comparisons. For...

Pain is no fun, whether in a knee, a neck, or elsewhere in the body. There are drugs that dull pain. But they don't cure the problem. Plus, prescription drugs usually have side effects or are addictive. Physical therapy (PT) is a proven treatment that can relieve pain...

Perhaps you wonder if your family member is a "hoarder." (You may even harbor secret fears about yourself!) We all have cherished possessions. From trophies to teacups. Spare buttons to cans of half-used paint. But hoarding is different. Most of us can determine when...

Does your loved one need to downsize? Move? Does the prospect seem overwhelming? Perhaps not just physically, but emotionally too? Enter the senior move manager: Part mover, part interior decorator, part compassionate friend. These professionals take a holistic...

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is an umbrella term for a cluster of conditions that makes up about 10 percent of dementia cases. It's the most common form when dementia occurs before age 65. What sets FTD apart is a sudden and dramatic change. Often in a person's...

The majority of us feel obliged to help an ailing parent (77 percent, according to Pew Research Center). But if your parent is okay and your stepparent is ill, then what? Should you help with caregiving? (Pew data indicate 56 percent of us feel obliged.) What if your...

Here's a prescription for pain relief: the sound of music. Pain is very real. It is also a perception. How strongly we feel pain at any given time depends a good deal on our thoughts and mood. Music has a profound influence on both. Indeed, research shows that using...

If you are caring for a parent or parents who abused or neglected you in childhood, your situation is especially challenging. You may feel on an emotional tightrope, trying to keep your balance, with many conflicting feelings. For example, guilt, that you "should"...

The bathroom is often the most challenging (and least safe) room in the house for someone who is visually impaired: Poor lighting, or lighting that's too bright. Lots of white-on-white furnishings and shiny fixtures. Hard-to-read settings on faucets. Tiny caps and...

The U.S. Surgeon General reports we have a loneliness epidemic. Like smoking and obesity, social isolation creates a greater risk for poor health. It's been associated with a 48 percent increase in "premature death" (a death where a change in lifestyle could have...