Archive for 'Caring & Coping'

The Times reports on Tuesday morning on five new studies suggesting that changes in the way an older person walks may be among the earliest indicators of cognitive decline, including Alzheimer’s disease.

“Changes in walking may predate actually observable cognitive changes in people who are on their way to developing dementia,” said Molly Wagster, chief of the National Institute on Aging’s behavioral and systems neuroscience branch. Experts said the studies could lead to developing a relatively simple tool that doctors could ...

Veterans Wesley Ottis Furr, 95, left, and Booker Lovett, 79, share a room in a medical foster home in Pennsylvania.Alyson MartinWesley Ottis Furr, 95, left, and Booker Lovett, 79, share a room in a medical foster home in Pennsylvania.

Paulia and Bienne Bastia set two dinner tables in their house in Mount Airy, Pa., each night, one for their three children, and another for themselves and the two older men the children call “Grampa.”

The Army veterans Booker Lovett, 79, and Wesley ...

My mom, who had multiple sclerosis, depended on private duty companions at home — first part-time, then full-time — for nearly 30 years.

Some of these women stole from her. Some ordered groceries on her dime and carried them away at the end of a shift.

Some ignored her cries for assistance when they didn’t feel like getting out of a chair. (How did we know? The phone was next to the bed. There would be a call.) Some were disrespectful and ...