Food And Nutrition

• Article - How to Help Your Parent Make Dietary Changes

  Advice on how to help your parent with chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease make dietary changes for the better.

• Article - 9 Things to Do When Your Parent Is Diagnosed With Diabetes

  A handy checklist of things you can do to help your parent when she's newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

• Article - How to Get the Help You'll Need to Care for Your Parent With Cancer

  Comprehensive information on getting help when caring for a parent with cancer. Related information is available in the cancer section of Caring.com.

• Article - Nausea: Helping Your Parent Keep Up His Appetite

  An action plan for helping your parent with cancer boost his appetite so he can get the nutrition he needs.

• Article - Monitoring Blood Glucose: What You Should Know to Help a Parent with Diabetes

  Monitoring the blood glucose of a parent with diabetes helps identify which treatments work best. Here are the basics of blood glucose monitoring.

• Article - Parkinson's Disease: A Beginner's Guide

  This beginner's guide to Parkinson's disease helps you understand your parent's diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options.

• Article - 8 Ways to Help Your Parent With Diabetes Handle Sick Days

  Eight tips to help your parent with type 2 diabetes deal with illnesses.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - Going For Broke? Seniors Turn to Newer Loans To Avoid Cash Crunch

  Seniors hurt by the tough economy are raising money using reverse mortgages, life insurance settlements and 401k loans. In exchange for up-front cash, your parent may lose future equity or investment gains, so help them make smart money choices.

• Blog Post - Cancer Patients Tell It Like It Is

  Cancer patients beg doctors to speak plainly about cancer prognosis and treatment.

• Blog Post - Are You Worried Sick About Your Parent's Heart Disease?

  Caring for someone with heart disease may increase your risk of heart disease and depression. Consider these tips for better heart health.

• Blog Post - With Diabetes, Diet and Dumbbells Make a Difference

  Making lifestyle changes can help people at risk for type 2 diabetes prevent or delay the disease, includes diet and exercise tips.

• Blog Post - Should You Put Type 2 Diabetes to the Test?

  Researchers are asking whether daily self-monitoring is worth the effort and expense.

• Blog Post - For Older Gals: Bring on the Meat. And the Fish, Tofu, and Eggs.

  Older women need to end plenty of protein to maintain muscle, which helps prevent falls.

• Blog Post - Know Thy Father: A Guide to Dad's Day

  Knowing your dad well is a good guide to celebrating Father's Day.

• Blog Post - Quick Quiz: Should Your Parents Stay at Home or Move?

  Quiz to help adult children figure out whether aging parents can stay at home or should move to retirement communities.

• Blog Post - To Protect Seniors in Natural Disasters, Talk About It Beforehand

  Communication is key in protecting seniors in natural disasters.

• Blog Post - Can You Keep Type 2 Diabetes at Bay With a Mediterranean Diet?

  Type 2 diabetes may be kept at bay by eating a Mediterranean diet, a new study suggests.

• Blog Post - How to Take a Vacation With Diabetes

  How to help your parent with diabetes eat well -- and keep blood sugar and weight in check -- while on vacation.

• Blog Post - A "Hip" New Sound or a Noisy Nuisance?

  Why some artificial ceramic hips squeak and what people with hip replacements are doing about it.

• Blog Post - Cupboards Bare? Rising Food Prices Affect Seniors

  The rising cost of food is tough for many seniors, but here are some ways you can help.

• Blog Post - My mother, who suffers from dementia and alcoholism, wants my sister and me to be her caregivers, so she keeps sending away the one we've hired.

  My sister and I hired a caregiver to come into our...

• Blog Post - Seven Words of Wisdom for Dealing with Diabetes

  Find seven words of wisdom for dealing with diabetes.

Questions & Answers

• Question - My father needs thickened foods - where can I find recipes?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Answer to hiding medications in food or drinks.

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What's carbohydrate counting and should my dad do it?

  A diabetes expert gives you the scoop on why your parent might want to count carbohydrates and what carb counting means.

• Question - How can I get my parent to eat without nagging?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - what kind of meals should i feed my dad to help him...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What types of foods are healthiest for chemo patients?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I get my father with diabetes to eat appropriately?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My mother is dying and has stopped eating. How long can the body sustain itself without food?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Can a widow's veterans pension be protected from nursing home costs?

  A veterans pension has no protection from nursing home costs. It's difficult to protect some funds by paying for services from an adult child.

• Question - Why does the drug levodopa seem to work well for my father with Parkinson's only at certain times of the day?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Does it matter when my dad takes his diabetes pills?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Which kinds of food and/or vitamins can increase the white blood cell level?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Can a new diabetes drug also help my mother lose weight?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What extra precautions should my dad with diabetes take when he has the flu?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What can I cook for my diabetic husband?

  Find tips on how to help your newly diagnosed partner or parent with diabetes eat well.

• Question - Should my father, who has type 2 diabetes, avoid carbohydrates?

  Explains whether it's okay to cut out carbs completely to quickly lower blood sugar following a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

• Question - My parent’s blood sugar is going up and down from 275 to 43 on metformin and glipizide, what should we do?

  When blood sugar goes up and down on Metaglip, what does it mean? Diabetes patients must see their doctor when blood sugar goes up and down wildly.

• Question - Now that my mom is in a nursing home, how can I make the most of my one-hour visits with her?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What precautions should my dad, who has type 2 diabetes, take when traveling?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Since her stroke, why has my mother been complaining of a metallic taste in her mouth?

  A metallic taste after a stroke can cut a patient's appetite. It's important to find out whether the metallic taste is from the stroke or medications.

• Question - Can low hemoglobin be causing my father's fatigue, and, if so, what can I do to help him feel better?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I address the use of the stove with my mother?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Why do experts say laughter is helpful for those with cancer?

  Some expert commentary on the benefits of laughter for people with cancer.

• Question - Where can I get financial assistance for monthly expenses we...

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Second opinion about swollen, red, shiny ankles and feet.

  Are swollen red ankles normal in an elderly person? The skin is shiny, and the doctor doesn't seem concerned about the swollen red ankles.

• Question - Can my mom try out an assisted-living home before she commits to it?

  Is it possible to try out assisted living before committing to it? Yes, some assisted living homes allow people to live there for a short time first.

• Question - Can you tell me about a drug called Sumitinib?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do I get my grandmother to stop being scammed by psychics?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Should I let my dad, who has diabetes, drive?

  Help your parent with diabetes avoid hypoglycemic episodes while driving, and learn some legalities of driving with type 2 diabetes.

• Question - How can I convince my mother's doctor to keep her out of a rehab facility?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Should I take my 80-something parents with me to check out assisted living facilities for them or go alone?

  This question has been answered by two Community Members

• Question - When someone is incapacitated, how can another person get POA for them?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Is it ok to drink alcohol while getting chemo?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - How can I get my mother, who has dementia, to calm down in her nursing home?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What could be wrong with my mother-in-law who makes irrational decisions and wets herself, yet the hospital says she's competent?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I help my 82-year-old mother overcome her fear of falling?

  If a parent has a fear of falling, it can actually make things more dangerous. Here's expert advice on how to help a parent overcome fear of falling.

• Question - How do we deal with my father-in-law's denial that my mother-in-law is dying?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - What's the best way to control odor from urinary incontinence?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Do you have any healthy recipe suggestions for a stroke patient?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - How can we convince my father, who has cancer and can not live alone but insists, to move in with us?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is there any financial support available for "sitters",...

  You may need financial aid to hire a caregiver for a parent, whether he needs hospice or home care. Do Medicare or Medicaid offer financial aid?

• Question - Should we see an ear, nose and throat specialist for my mother's issues with taste?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do you deal with a parent that is unable to communicate?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - If I do not have guardianship, do I still have any say over my grandmother's place of residence?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - What can I get for my husband to drink , when nothing stays down?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I get help, such as someone to assist with housework, for a relative undergoing cancer treatment that also lives alone?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do I handle my mother's erratic behavior in the hospital after her surgical procedure?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Should my dad, who’s scheduled to have an operation unrelated to his diabetes, keep up his normal diabetes routine?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is one of the side effects of chemo a tendency to fall down?...

  When someone is weak from chemo, is falling a side effect? Do falls from chemo treatment caused by numbness or weakness require medical attention?

• Question - How can I deal with changing eating habits?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What documents does Medicaid ask for from an applicant?

  Medicaid asks applicants about all income and assets of any type, as well as support from others and any transfers of property within five years.

• Question - My parents are 81 & 82, my father was in a bad car accident...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How can I help my parent control nausea while he's on chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Could herbal supplements affect my mother's ability to drive?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My dad eats lots of sweets and doesn't like to drink water--could he have diabetes?

  Find out if a sweet tooth or a lack of thirst are symptoms for type 2 diabetes.

• Question - Where can I get free help with legal questions?

  There are several places to look for free legal help because of poor treatment at a VA hospital.

• Question - Chemotherapy and parrots in the home?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I help my father deal with the "dawn phenomenon," or high blood sugar on awakening?

  Dawn phenomenon, having high blood sugar in the morning, is a common problem for diabetics. Get advice on dawn phenomenon treatment strategies.

• Question - My mom has type 2 diabetes, so does that mean I'll get it?

  Know your risk factors for type 2 diabetes if one or both parents have the disease -- and the steps to take to avoid developing diabetes later on.

• Question - Do I have any legal rights over my sister who is an alcoholic and neglects to eat or take her medicine for her Type 1 diabetes?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How can I help my anxious mother sleep better?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can the new drug Symlin help my overweight dad with diabetes?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

Tips & Reflections

• Tip - Give Liquids Before Meals to Prevent Nausea

  Cancer patients battling nausea often find they start...

• Tip - Stock Your Parents' Freezer With Heart-Healthy Meals

  If your parents have heart problems make it easier for them to eat healthfully and create and freeze enough heart-healthy meals to last a week or two.

• Tip - Time Hospital Visits to Coincide With Meal Times

  If your parent is in the hospital or a skilled nursing...

• Tip - Protect Floors and Carpets From Food Spills

  Mealtimes can be frustrating for both stroke survivors...