New to Caregiving: How Do I Keep from Going Under?
The less obvious part is what I call “creep up.” That is what happened to me both in the number of people who needed help as well as each person’s increasing needs. In creep up, you handle the little things, and it’s not a huge deal. You add a little more and manage a crisis or two. Okay, you did it. Then, well...
Lose the Stigma About Incontinence: Even Young People Can be Affected
Dear SL: You are entirely right to feel left out of the incontinence discussions. I’m glad that you’ve found some support through groups, but we’d like you to know that we’ll also do our best to support you...
Changing Bedding and Protecting Furniture Challenges Alzheimer’s Caregivers
Dear WW: I’m so sorry! You aren’t alone with this frustration but I’m sure it often seems that you are, particularly when changing your dad’s sheets in the middle of the night. People who live with dementia will nearly always develop incontinence if they live into the last stages. That is because...
November Rocks! Egosan Celebrates Alzheimer’s, Palliative and Hospice Care, and Family Caregivers Awareness
November is a month of awareness and Egosan is eager to be part of these celebrations. So, let’s begin by letting you know just what’s up in health awareness for this month that ends with a focus on gratitude...
Confused About Palliative Care Vs. Hospice Care? You Aren’t Alone
Dear CV: I’m sorry about your mom’s health. We can feel so helpless when we watch a loved one suffer and the doctors to whom we look for advice seem to give up. Let's take a look at both programs to help clarify the differences for you. Then you can talk directly with your mom's physicians to see if one of them can help get her started on the best option for her at this time.
Join Egosan As We Celebrate World Menopause Month
Then there is the stigma, some of which is perpetuated by women themselves. Are they less of a woman because they can no longer bear children? Are the mood changes, night sweats, and even memory problems that some women experience going to be lifelong problems?
Some Risky Behavior Might Be Necessary for Your Elder’s Mental Health
...his freedom to choose were far more valuable to him than his physical health, or even his life. When I’d explain that if he fell, he could lose all independence, he shrugged it off. I learned a lot from Joe, but the most important thing was that with dignity there often comes some risk.
Egosan Celebrates Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
The prostate is a small organ located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It wraps around the urethra (the tube that carries urine and semen out of the body). As men age, the prostate tends to grow larger which can eventually cause any number of health issues including urine retention, but it can become cancerous, as well, particularly as men get older.
Fecal Incontinence Can Be a Side Effect of Various Conditions Including Constipation
Then, there is cognitive impairment. People with advanced dementia, whether Alzheimer’s or another type, often don’t remember how to go to the bathroom. Additionally, their brains may not be processing the correct signals to make them aware of the need even if they could remember what they were to do after they receive the signal.
Urinary Incontinence Not Uncommon Yet Stigma Persists
The thinking goes that once we have been “potty trained,” we’ll be in control of these bodily functions for life. If we slip up, we are shamed. Fast forward a few decades. The reality is that a significant number of adults will see some degree of incontinence in their future.
Embarrassment Over Incontinence Can Be Overcome with Support
Dear CM: I’m sorry about your struggle. Incontinence is a hard thing for any adult to adjust to but knowing that you have an outside interest could be your motivator so I’m glad that you mentioned the cars. Society’s problem, of course, is that we grow up feeling that not being able to manage one’s bladder and/or bowels is babyish. It doesn’t help that many people were punished as children if they wet their pants or had a bowel accident. The reality is that far more adults than you likely rea...