Dear Allegra: I have been caring for my great aunt for over 7 years now. Her health has been gradually declining. After her recent physical, the doctor suggested I should begin to consider palliative care or hospice for her. It is all feeling a little overwhelming. Do you have any advice on making end-of-life choices […]
Dear Allegra, I am a nurse practitioner for a large primary care physician practice. An increasing number of our patients have Alzheimer’s disease or a similar form of dementia. Their families often struggle to find ways to keep them safe at home. We receive a few phone calls every week from adult children asking us […]
Dear Allegra: My aunt recently lost her husband of over 50 years. She is someone I have always been close to and enjoyed spending time with. I am considering inviting her to move in with me. I am a retiree living alone, and my house has more than enough space. I think my aunt would […]
Dear Allegra: I am a new caregiver having recently finished my training. While the responsibilities of a caregiver are very clear to me, I am struggling a little bit with how to convey the roles and responsibilities of caregiving with some of my clients and their families. Most often it is because clients ask me […]
Dear Allegra: I have worked with older adults for many years in many capacities ranging from a receptionist in a senior living community to an activities aide in a nursing home. Two years ago I finished training to be a professional caregiver for a home care agency. It really is the perfect fit for me! […]
Dear Allegra: I am the primary caregiver for my 91-year-old father. He suffered several strokes that left him with a variety of health problems, and now he is unable to live alone. My husband and I moved my dad in to our home after he was discharged from a rehabilitation center, and we are managing […]
Dear Allegra: For almost 6 years, I was the primary caregiver for my mother who had Alzheimer’s disease. Initially, I only provided a few hours of support for her each week, largely helping with errands and finances. As her illness progressed, however, she became totally dependent on me for care. We eventually moved her to […]
Dear Allegra, I am a nurse practitioner for a very busy group of primary care physicians. The majority of our patients have been with us for many years, and an increasing number of them are older retirees. We find ourselves caught in the middle of conflict between their family members quite often these days. Most […]
Dear Allegra: I am my father’s oldest daughter and his primary caregiver. He’s been in and out of the hospital this year for a variety of health concerns. So far, we’ve been able to help him complete a rehabilitation program and return to living alone in his own home. A hurdle I can’t seem to […]
Dear Allegra: I am a Patient Advocate at a large regional hospital and fairly new to the position. Since my job requirement is to essentially make sure patients and families are receiving great care and customer service, I want to learn all that I can. One area where I see opportunity for improvement is to […]