Kay Paggi, Geriatric Care Manager
Caring.com Expert
As a licensed professional counselor, certified gerontological counselor, and certified geriatric care manager, Kay Paggi has provided empathetic and experienced assistance to older adults and their families for nearly 20 years. Her background includes facilitating support groups and educational seminars for adults providing care for their aging parents. She is the originator of a brain-stimulating group activity for older adults called Mental Aerobics that has been studied by researchers at the University of North Texas on two occasions.
A professional geriatric care manager in private practice, Paggi is also an adviser for Trinity Learning Center productions, which creates educational videos for staff of long-term care facilities. She has also been on the advisory board of the Emeritus Program at Richland College since 1963. She has a master's degree in counseling from the University of North Texas.
Recently Published on Caring.com
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Independent Living -- or Assisted Living? — Mar 22, 2013Your grandmother is to be commended for recognizing that she may need more assistance in the future than she does now. The best solution is to find a retirement community ...
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This is so sad for your husband and his siblings. I'm sorry that he has not had a supportive relationship with his father. Shutting a door and completely cutting off con... -
What are shift options for 24/7 caregiving for mom? — Jan 31, 2013Your mother is fortunate to have a supportive extended family. Good for you! Mom may need only a few shifts to help her through the more difficult times of day. Most com... -
Knowing loved ones will be without family on holidays is difficult. It is easier for you because your mother has some memory deficits - she may not realize that particular ... -
Communication With Elderly — Sep 22, 2012Effective communication is essential to every relationship, particularly so in a caregiving situation. Often it is not what you say, but how you say it that determines how ... -
What kind of care should we expect for my grandmother with Alzheimer's in her rehab facility? — Sep 18, 2011Hopefully others will read your question and get the message: GET PERMISSION FROM THE PERSON WITH ALZHEIMERS TO SPEAK TO MEDICAL PROVIDERS BEFORE YOU NEED IT. If your moth... -
Legally, unless you are his Power of Attorney, you cannot prevent him from cancelling in home care. For him, companions in his home probably represent reminders that he is ... -
The transition into long term care is difficult for both the patient and her family, perhaps more so with a dementia patient because they can't understand what is happening... -
You are right. Limit your visits and calls. It's important for you to remember that YOU did not cause your mother to go to this facility. OK, you chose this particular com... -
Your decision is actually more complex than it appears. Dementia is always a downward progression, so your mother is going to get worse. You therefore need to find a facili... -
It is difficult when someone you love appears to be making poor decisions. This is the time for you to step back and re-evaluate your place in their lives. Do you see your... -
My husband and I need to move, but with Mom's Alzheimer's it seems impossible; is it wrong to put her in a nursing home? — Aug 13, 2011I do not have a foolproof crystal ball that predicts future care needs of the people I love. I suspect you do not, either. Therefore any "promises" you made to keep mom hom... -
Coming to an older person's home and doing an assessment of potential problems there makes the most sense - and the likelihood of having such an in-home assessment funded b... -
What should I do about my sibling complains about caregiving but doesn't let me help? — Aug 08, 2011Sounds like you are really frustrated! I think your sibling cannot 'let go' of caregiving enough to share tasks with you. Here is what you can do to help: LISTEN. Just lis... -
Your mother has dementia, so she is going to be upset when you sell her house, whenever that is. Best to move her now, then tell her it is temporary, just until the plumbin... -
Should I Mom remain home with a caregiver, or move to a newer place with a caregiver? — Aug 07, 2011It sounds like your mother has a mild dementia. If so, she will feel safer in her familiar environment, no matter its condition. It is then up to you to determine whether s... -
Your mother is more than ready to go into some form of assisted living, where the effects of her disease on her physical health will be minimized. Most 'memory units' are l... -
I don't now if I trust my brother to care for my mom with dementia, but should I let him anyway? — Jul 02, 2011You do not have many options at this time. It may help you to understand that people with dementia do not make reasonable decisions based on logic and the information they ... -
What 'stage' of the disease your mother is in is not the issue; your question is, How long will this go on? How long will she live? Researchers believe that the average len... -
How can get get care for my grandmother that we can afford? — Jun 26, 2011YES, you do have a choice. It is illegal for a nursing home to throw granny under a bridge. They can transfer her to a place that can care for her but they cannot simply es... -
From my professional perspective, I believe that what older adults want most of all is for their lives to continue as they have lived them. Using that as a frame of refere... -
How do I know when my mother needs full time care? — Jun 14, 2011As long as your can call you on the phone, she is not dying. She has a long way to go before dying of dementia. People in the late stages do not know who they are or what a... -
We are very unhappy with the level of care at dad's current nursing home, what should our next steps be? — Jun 14, 2011Call you local Ombudsman, every county in the U.S. has an Ombudsman. These are the liaison between nursing homes and their residents. A bad report from the Ombudsman can hu... -
How do I go about getting the right care for my father? — Jun 14, 2011I am not a doctor or nurse; I am a geriatric care manager with almost 20 years of experience assisting families with older relatives improve their lives. My advice is to ha... -
Both of your parents would do better in an assisted living community than in their house, or an apartment. Both of them need nursing supervision. Ask the insurance company ...
