Several years ago, the year my father-in-law was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma in late October and moved in with us for treatment, I wondered how we could possibly celebrate Christmas; but, with three kids in the house, I also wondered how we could possibly not celebrate it.
To read the entire article, go to: https://www.wral.com/bringing-light-into-the-dark/17188047/...
When I first became pregnant, I remember rushing to the bookstore. This was new territory. I am someone who likes to feel prepared. Where should I turn? My default has always been books. But there were hundreds to choose from. The one that consistently got the highest marks...
The holidays are a time when anyone can experience “the blues,” but especially seniors. According to the American Medical Resource Institute, over 6 million people over 65 are depressed. There are many reasons, from loneliness or loss of a spouse, to chronic health conditions and having to depend primarily or even solely on...
Not long ago, a client lamented the fact that she didn’t see her grandchildren who lived on the west coast but once a year.
“Now that they’re older, they’re too busy to visit,” she said, adding, “And I’ve had two knee replacements. I can’t manage the airport chaos.”
Travelling can be daunting for anyone, but especially for...
Not long ago, a 95-year-old client of mine who lives in Assisted Living, mentioned that he had recently seen someone using a portable magnifier with a flashlight to read the lunch menus. My client is incredibly well-read, which makes the fact that his eyesight is declining all the more frustrating. We borrowed his neighbor’s magnifier...
Thanksgiving has come and gone. While it was great to see everyone, for some adult children visiting senior parents, it was also suddenly apparent that Mom or Dad needed home help. While this has historically been provided by family living nearby, now with the majority of adult children working fulltime, many with children at home...
The first text came in at 5:04 am. “Call me ASAP,” an old friend wrote, followed by questions she had about which rehab she should go to when she was discharged in two days.
“I’m spinning,” she texted. “Help.”
She was a dear friend. I fixed a quick cup of coffee and went out to call her...
"I sure am learning a lot," a dear friend told me when I opened her door to bring over dinner.
She was sitting in a narrow wheelchair, with her right leg elevated and some major pins and hardware sticking out of it. She had been through two surgeries in the last 10 days after a fluke...
It's the time of year when family return home for the holidays. If a lot of time has passed since the last visit, it can also be a moment when certain worrisome declines become more apparent.
There is a rule of thumb among geriatricians that after the age of 80, one can expect to see a...
Only 25 percent of people older than 65 believe they will need any help in their later years, yet 70 percent do. According to Dr. Atul Gawande, the average senior needs some amount of help for the last eight years of life.
This is the time of year when folks head home for the holidays in...
Each year, from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, the 64 million Americans enrolled in Medicare can change their Part D Drug plans, as well as their Medicare Advantage plans without penalty. While this can save them hundreds or even thousands of dollars, only 10 to 15 percent choose to do so.
To read the entire article,...
“I need a break,” the woman said when Dee Dee Harris picked up the phone. The woman was calling from a rural county in eastern North Carolina.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Harris, who has been answering the Alzheimer's NC Hotline for 18 years, said.
It was one of the 600+ calls per year that Read more
Not long ago, I started working with a client who was becoming increasingly forgetful. Her children, who lived in another state, hired me after a recent trip home to celebrate Mom’s 80th birthday. As often happens when there are long separations, certain changes (or declines) can seem more pronounced. One daughter noticed that Mom was...
“I turn 77 next week, and I’ll be wearing go-go boots and a tiara,” said Sabra Taylor, who was wearing an elegant, diamond-rimmed, blue evening gown.
A curtain rod slid out of Barbara Wishy’s fairy wing and clanged onto Lee Ann Walsh’s brick patio. Wishy, 84, said, “It’s never too late to start.”
I was sitting with...
According to a 2015 survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 34 percent of Americans assumed Medicare would cover ongoing nursing home care, while another 27 percent were unsure. That’s simply not true.
“There’s a big disconnect between what resources people think they will need financially during their last years and what they...
Six weeks ago, our dear 77-year-old neighbor Dee fell while going out to water her yard. It was a fluke accident, simply a misstep, while she was trying to loosen a hose. Her hip hurt, but Dee was more worried about her elbow – until she tried to stand up. The pain was excruciating. An...
Many years ago, when I was in graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I’d drive over to visit my grandmother in Smithfield. I’d plant annuals in her garden. We’d go out to lunch at K&W. I’d take her to the doctor. She always insisted I drive her car, a 1975...
We never could have done this without you. We appreciate all the time, research, and AMAZING report and the wise guidance on moving forward!
Because of Aging Advisors NC, we were able to make an informed, compassionate decision under true crisis. We will not forget Liisa’s caring diligence during stressful times. - P. Barbour
Liisa’s report was so tailored to our family’s specific needs, financial, geographic and health-wise, as well as individual desires. She enabled us to compare Continuing Care Retirement Communities apples-to-apples, revealing a difference in costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of our anticipated stay. In fact, there was a difference of over $600,000 in cost between the options we were most interested in. It’s an invaluable service. – J. Hearn
After another fall, I knew I had to move mom from independent to assisted fast. Liisa made it so much easier by quickly providing a report which compared three great options that met her needs with immediate availability. - R. Landers
Liisa enabled us to strategize ways to reduce private agency care for our dad, while also keeping him safe, saving our family $65,000/year. -MH
The hospital gave us 24 hours to identify which of six rehabs I should move mom to. Within two hours, Liisa identified the top three and outlined pros and cons for each. What a relief! - C. Rheams
Mom’s dementia took a sudden downturn. She was living with me, but I needed to keep working. Liisa identified two affordable options and walked me through what we needed to do to get Mom there. - K. Roche
I was in search of an assisted living facility for my 91-year-old mother, and I did not know where to begin or how I would have any confidence in my findings. Liisa Ogburn listened to my story, did the research, found a number of facilities that fit my parameters, and provided a clearly written multi-page report that answered all of my questions and included her findings, opinions, and recommendations. -P. Jones
