Senior Health

my dad has been suffering from type-II diabetes since 25 years he is on insulin 70/30, along with this he has peptic ulcer, depression, suffered two major heart attacks, visually impaired due to diabetic retinopathy , peripheral vascular disease and is bed bound since 5 years. on 5, Jan 2013 he went in diabetic coma (HHNS)he was hospitalized for a month where he contracted bed sores (stage 2), hospital acquired pneumonia, UTI and MRSA, he was treated with antibiotics (vancomycin and meropeneum) and has daily dressing of his pressure ulcer from EUSOL and Magnesium sulphate cream. his infections have been controlled and bed sores have been healed and sugar are stable but now is facing a severe problem. he is Hallucinating (seeing invisible people, face and activities, he complains of stinking smell although there aren't any, and is always complaining of his hands and feets being bound by rings or pins although non of these things are visible to us). the doctor we visited said he is suffering from diabetic neuropathy and bi polar disorder. my dad takes lexotonil and cipralex at bedtime. nobody is really giving us a solution for his disease and many a times his panic attacks aren't easily controllable. i read about Seroquel on the internet and his symptoms Match Charles Burton Syndrome. Plz advice i really need help urgently. I live in Pakistan and the doctors here arent really helping us. his hallucination have increased over the past 3 years.

he is currently taking these medicines Humilin 70/30 (90 units morning , 50 units at night) Risek Tritace xplended (rosuvastatin) lexotonil Zavesca (escitaloprain)

i desperately need advice plz help me

Hi Everyone,

I am a graduate student (finally) completing my Masters degree at Babson College. I have also been a caregiver to my brother and senior father for over 17 years. Both live independently from me, but it still takes a lot of work!

As part of my final project for graduation, I am researching the biggest issues that caregivers face when trying to care for their senior loved ones. I have put together a survey to better understand caregiver needs, and how they might be solved. Will you spend 5-7 minutes answering this brief survey?

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/forumcaregivers

All of your responses will remain confidential and are for academic purposes only. I am open to any of your responses; there may be many impacts and joys that you have experienced through caregiving. I would greatly appreciate your participation if you are a caregiver to a senior:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/forumcaregivers

Thank you in advance for your participation. If you have any feedback, or just want to connect as a senior caregiver, you can find me in this forum, or please feel free to contact me here.

Carol M Lazo Babson College M’13

Thank you so much!

How You Can Make Your Brain Healthier & Slow Potential Memory Loss? Individuals and families across America are invited to ask questions of a leading national expert on brain health, Dr. Paul Nussbaum of Emeritus Senior Living at a live expert chat on Monday, November 26, 2012 at 4pm Eastern: http://www.emeritus.com/how-you-can-make-your-brain-healthier-slow-potential-memory-loss[emeritus.com]

Topics likely to be discussed include: * Lifestyle changes to promote brain health and slow the possible onset of memory loss * The five fundamentals of the brain health lifestyle * Foods that promote cognitive fitness * The latest scientific research on brain health * Signs and symptoms of memory loss and memory-impairing diseases

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Your brain health questions can be submitted online during the live chat or before the event to live.chat AT emeritus.com. Join the chat tomorrow (Monday, 11/26) here: http://www.emeritus.com/how-you-can-make-your-brain-healthier-slow-potential-memory-loss[emeritus.com]

I am a women of caucasian origin. I have a chronic condition with patches of discoloration under/on my skin. It doesn't come off, that's the only way I can explain it. It's not psorisis, to differ it. I have white and splotchy discoloration on my upper arms and shoulders. When I go out into the sun, the discoloration turns very red, like fire and people say, wow, it looks like you've been out in the sun or if I've over exerted my self, it has the same reaction! Sometimes I have this skin reaction on my upper chest area, but it doesn't appear as prominate as on the arms and is not anywhere else. It does not itch! Can anyone out there give me any help or ideas? The doctors here don't seem to know anything! I have had this for approxiamately three to four years. I am 59 years old.

My mom is on Medicare and we are trying to find her decent supplemental coverage. Does anyone have a provider they like/trust? It's so overwhelming trying to make sense of the different coverages and figure out what she actually needs. She has a variety of health problems and is on several medications so we need something... I think. Aaack. Help! Any input appreciated. She's using Humana currently... thanks much. Jen

this is off many topics but I am a nursing asst been in the field since 1999 from atlanta job corps center. Been working as a nursing asst since 2000 always in nursing homes I now work with an agency. I go to peoples homes hospitals and assisted living homes to assist with there daily living showering,bedbathes,feeding, and doctors appts. If by any chance you are worried about your loved one i can become your eyes and ears in a facility or at home. If it can be afforded by the family I would prefer to be able to understand what you would want for your loved one I can not work miracles but things would be better there can be a log of what was done at the facility or at home to make sure that things are fine. what I will charge per hour is $12 to $15 depending on the care that needs to be giving to your family member. I am free lancing myself and would one day work for my self in taking care of the elderly like they shoul be. I my self dont like nursing homes but sometimes family doesnt have a choice and need help and now I am that help so if this catches your eye then please dont hesitate to contact me via email and we can sent up a time and date to discuss what you would like for your loved one. darbybrenda97@yahoo.com or darbybrenda04@yahoo.com Thank you for reading this and your time. Caregiver: BRENDA DARBY

I have recently discovered that my 71 year old mother is inviting strangers she meets online to her apartment for sex. What is even more horrific is she is in to submission and is doing things that sickens me. I am so afraid for her safety. Also, I live 400 miles from her and I am afraid to tell my siblings because I am afraid she might harm herself if she thought anyone knows about her behavior. Please, this is not a joke. This is so not like her. She is not the person I've known all my life. I think she may have some kind of mental disorder. I don't know what to do. Any advise will be appreciated.

I would like to add, she is also letting these men video the acts and giving them money. She lost her husband of 25 years two years ago and had only a few thousand dollars in savings. I'm sure she has went threw all her money and is using credit cards. Her only income is SS.

Just wondering what the other cargivers and their families are doing for the 4th of July? We are just cooking some ribs and making potato salad to keep in low key and avoid all the hoopla. Dad just got Mom a hydraulic lift we just and put together in the triple digit heat, so he over exerted himself a little too much as he is 86-years-old and is now using her cane and walker. We are having a litte problem getting her up in it as she said it hurts her as she has not been out of bed in several months. The depends are a good idea as she was wearing the pull ups until she became totally bedridden and immobile. Now we use the ones with the tape on each side as they are comfortable and very absorbent so there is not much mess. We just refer to them as "panties" as to not hurt anyone's feelings as you know how sensitive out loved ones and these situations can be. : )

my mother in law is 86 she started having accidents and would refuse to wear depends I finaly told her that she is wearing herself out by having to clean herself up and it is a big issue with the rest of the kids ,who are in their 60s now and it is time to start wearing them the depends I went and got them put them on her and she has worn them ever since. I put it in a way that we are all tired and wore out and it would realy help if she would wear them for us and it would help her too.

The thought of taking an older loved one (or yourself) to the emergency room can be disheartening for anyone. However, A new kind of emergency room is popping up around the country -- the "geriatric E.R." -- designed for older adults, to reduce stress and curb repeat visits often associated with emergency hospitalizations. Read more here and feel free to tell us:

• What kind of stress would this new kind of emergency room have saved you and your loved one in past experiences?

• How would it influence your caregiving habits if your local hospital had this new method of emergency care?