Posts tagged: senior living

Making the transition to some sort of assisted living—whether for general support, memory care, or hospice—can be a complex and challenging process. For those open to relocating abroad, Mexico has become an increasingly attractive choice due to its vibrant culture, welcoming communities, favorable climate, and significantly lower costs compared to the U.S. or Canada. This guide provides a comprehensive checklist to help you assess and compare facilities in Mexico, ensuring that your chosen option meets not only practical needs but also the specific personal, medical, and lifestyle requirements of you or your loved one. From first impressions and staff expertise to legal protections and financial transparency, this guide is designed to equip you with the insights needed for a confident, informed choice.

With empathy, compassion, and a sense of urgency, we must delicately navigate the complex question of whether individuals aged 65 and above might experience a gradual decline in their ability to drive safely. Aging can subtly usher in challenges like deteriorated night vision, slower reaction times, and potential cognitive impairments. As their years advance, is there a risk that they could unwittingly represent a danger to their own well-being, as well as that of others?

The rapid progress of science and technology in the 21st century has catalyzed significant changes across all sectors, including healthcare. From gene editing to AI-powered diagnostics, medical science is on the brink of a revolution. However, these promising advances sometimes face unexpected resistance, not from regulatory barriers or technological limitations but from entrenched perspectives within the medical profession itself. This article concludes with an illustration by discussing the Amyloid Hypothesis and how advances in Alzheimer’s research were stymied for decades as a result of a widespread and staunch parochial perspective in the field of medical research.

Humans have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years with a deeply ingrained survival instinct. This primal drive is evident in our everyday lives and becomes particularly pronounced when we are faced with life-threatening situations. My experiences in hospitals and hospice facilities have often left me with mixed feelings. I have witnessed individuals clinging to life with a tenacity stemming from sheer will and stubbornness. It raises the question: to what extent do we project our innate, unwavering drive to stay alive onto others? This leads me to the concept of Death with Dignity, as a choice, but only for some individuals and in some states.

Death with Dignity, also known as Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS), is a topic that has sparked intense debate in the United States. It refers to the practice of allowing terminally ill patients to voluntarily end their lives through the use of lethal medications prescribed by a physician. Several states have enacted laws to permit this practice under specific circumstances. In this article, we will explore the states that support Death with Dignity and delve into the compelling arguments for and against this controversial issue.

Dementia eventually erodes one’s concept of time. Linear time is neither perceived nor understood, and the individual can’t imagine the future as memory deteriorates; only the present moment becomes relevant. The passing of a minute is no different from an hour, the rest of today or tomorrow. Most cognitive tests include drawing the face of a clock. When dementia is present, the numbers get placed in the wrong order. Showing the person the time on a numbered clock might work initially but not during later progression.

When an individual or their family has concerns about diminished memory and cognitive function that may indicate the beginnings of some sort of dementia, doctors typically begin with a clinical and possibly neurological examination followed by an array of cognitive tests. The current methods are as unsatisfactory in terms of accuracy as how and when they are employed. Most commonly, it takes a long time to get a diagnosis, and it only comes after the patient’s symptoms are pronounced, which is way too late.

This article lays out a comprehensive collection of progressive tests that are performed and concludes with some of the technological advancements that can provide earlier detection using non-invasive and low-cost methods.