Elder Care Cafe on the 'Net

The Elder Care Cafe dot net version just received a much needed upgrade, and is ready to roll. Click here to see the results, and to subscribe to the newsletter (sent monthly or weekly) that will begin after the first of the year.

I am very excited about the potential this site has to be a positive force in the world of senior citizens and those who love and care for them. Let me know, in the comments or by email, what you think of the changes. Most are not visible, but you will see a few additions.

If you have a website or blog concerning elder care, baby boomers, caregivers, or anything related to health care and the elderly, feel free to leave the url in the comment section. We would love to check out your site.

Women and Bone Density

This morning I posted a comprehensive article at the ElderCareCafe site about women and the importance of having a bone density test.

Because nearly 80 percent of those who develop osteoporosis are women, it is important that all women are aware of the steps necessary to slow or halt bone loss.

Please check out this important article by clicking on the title above. While you are there, take a look at the nifty additions to the site. Joel at TheBlogTechGuy did a marvelous job repairing and updating the site.

The Elder Care Cafe on the net is a more formal blog for caregivers and those who love them. This blog on Blogger is less formal, with personal stories about my family mixed in with information about elder care and caregiving.

Two sites with similar names, but very different in focus and atmosphere. I hope you subscribe to both.

Please let me know what topics you would like to hear about, and please comment on what you read. I love to hear what you think. Thanks for visiting the Elder Care Cafes.

Book Review: The 36-Hour Day

When we placed our mother in a nursing home, a friend of mine gave me a book that turned out to be the best resource I have yet seen. My friend was the Director of Nursing at that home and a friend from church.

The book was The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life, by Nancy L. Mace, M.A., and Peter V. Rabins, M.D., M.P.H.

The content turned out to be timely and exactly what my family needed as we made decisions that would affect Mom’s care. As difficult as it was to leave her at the nursing home, we knew we had her best interests at heart.

The 36-Hour Day turned out to be a goldmine of information beginning with a clear and detailed explanation of dementia to recent research outcomes and recommended reference tools for further study.

Chapters include discussion regarding medical and behavioral problems, obtaining outside help, caring for the caregiver, and locating nursing homes and other outside help. The thorough index listing was easy to use and additional information given regarding related national organizations and nursing home residents’ rights.

This book answered every question we had and was a great source of comfort to all of us as we traveled through the maze of choices and decisions necessary in the last years of Mom’s life.

I strongly recommend The 36-Hour Day to anyone whose family member shows signs of Alzheimer’s or dementia. It will be an invaluable resource to guide one through the difficulty of caring for someone with this devastating disease.

Do you have a favorite book or article that has helped you with elder care? How about an inspirational book, article or poem? Feel free to share in the comment section.