Care Management Blog

Detailed black-and-white line drawing of a warrior in ancient armor and helmet driving a chariot pulled by two vigorous horses. The chariot has ornate decorations, including a lion's head on the front. The scene conveys a sense of dynamic movement.

Harnessing stress

May 4, 2020

Stress has gained a dirty name during the past decades. It’s something we talk about needing to getting rid of, as if it were wholly bad. While chronic stress can be damaging to our health, recent research demonstrates that stress isn’t always a threat to our well-being. In fact, the very things that bring greatest…

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An elderly couple is lying in bed, seemingly asleep. The woman in the foreground is facing the camera with her eyes closed, while the man in the background is facing away and appears to be sleeping on his side. Both are in a well-lit bedroom with white bedding.

Return to a good night’s sleep

April 27, 2020

If your older loved one snores loudly, he or she likely has sleep apnea: A collapsing of the airways while sleeping that results in mini-suffocations 5–30 times an hour. And, left untreated, this serious condition is a strong contributor to heart-related deaths, type 2 diabetes, dementia, depression, and car accidents. It’s also a huge problem…

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A surreal scene of a room with walls and ceiling painted to look like the sky with clouds. A closed green window with shutters appears to float in the middle. The grass-covered floor has small white flowers scattered around.

Hallucinations in later life

April 20, 2020

“I don’t like that bear on my bed!” A visual hallucination such as this can occur in the later stages of dementia or near the end of life. Some people also have auditory hallucinations—hearing things that others don’t—or feel things that aren’t there, such as string in their mouth or ants on their arm. These…

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A doctor in a white coat sits at his desk, attentively listening to an older male patient. The doctor holds a pen and a notepad, while the patient, dressed in a suit, sits opposite. A glass of water and some paperwork are on the desk, with a green plant in the background.

Doctors and advance directives

April 13, 2020

If your loved one and family have had the conversation about end-of-life wishes, kudos to you! In addition to writing down those wishes in an advance directive, your relative should also share them with his or her health care team. Even if your family member is in perfect health now, that could change at a…

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A figure resembling a wooden mannequin struggles to push a large, round boulder up a steep hill at sunset. The sky is painted with hues of orange, pink, and purple, casting a dramatic light over the scene.

Are you pushing against reality?

April 6, 2020

We all quarrel with reality from time to time and wish things were different than they are. Especially now, when life seems unfair. All flights have been cancelled due to the coronavirus and you won’t be able to be with your Dad on his 80th birthday…. Your mom is in an assisted living facility that…

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Blister packs of various colored pills and capsules, including brown, yellow, and red, are displayed. The medicine packaging is shiny and reflective, indicating they are unused and sealed. The image gives an impression of variety in medication types.

Are generic drugs inferior?

March 30, 2020

If your relative is taking brand-name prescription drugs, a switch to generic could provide significant savings. Why are brand-name drugs so expensive? It takes a lot of money and time to develop a new drug. In particular, it must be tested to show it works and is safe for humans. Patent laws give an innovator…

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Keep calm and stay in balance

March 23, 2020

This is a time of great uncertainty. It’s natural to feel a wide range of emotions, including fear, anxiety, confusion, or loneliness. It is also a time to take extra care to address your feelings and keep them from paralyzing or overwhelming you. Get the facts. Our emotional responses come from the part of our…

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A large stack of cut logs piled closely together. The logs are of various lengths and display the cross-sections where they were cut. The bark remains on most of the logs, giving them a rough texture and a dark brown color.

Does Dad “saw logs” all night?

March 16, 2020

If your loved one snores, this may be a sign of “sleep apnea.” All snoring jokes aside, sleep apnea is a serious condition that deprives the brain of oxygen. A person with sleep apnea goes without oxygen for at least 10 seconds, five to 30 (or more) times an hour. It happens because the soft…

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An elderly person with gray hair and glasses sits on a green armchair, holding a tissue to their nose, appearing to sneeze. The person is wearing a patterned cardigan and is framed by a bright, light-filled window in the background.

Caring for a loved one with COVID-19?

March 6, 2020

What we know so far is that COVID-19 is spread much like the regular flu—through coughs and sneezes that put droplets in the air and on surfaces. It may be 2–14 days after exposure before a person has symptoms. That means people can spread the virus without knowing it. And many have symptoms that seem…

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