Wendy Johnstone

Plan ahead for smoother travel with seniors

Talking to your transportation company and accommodation provider well in advance is probably the most important thing you can do (and of course reading this column!) to make travel as a senior or with a senior easier.

There are options to help balance eldercare and work

Our third and final column on Work and Eldercare, gives a summary of options to assist in balancing caregiving roles with your work.

If only balancing work and eldercare were as simple as a basic mathematical equation

Assessing work situation + assessing how eldercare activities affect your work = identifying a plan to achieve balance. Our last column talked about the first part of the equation — assessing your work situation; that is the level of impact eldercare is having on your work, your job responsibilities and how much flexibility you have in your workplace and the level of trust with those you work with. The second part of the equation is to better understand your caregiving role in relation to your work life.

Balancing work and eldercare isn’t easy

Balancing eldercare and work situations vary tremendously and no single action plan works for everyone. Developing your own customized strategy can lighten your load and reduce stress. It’s also important to think about caregiving as an important role in your life.

The more you know and the more you talk about it, the less dementia will scare children

Dementia-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s can be difficult for adults to understand, so how can we possibly explain it to our children? As adults, it can be very confusing to know how much to tell children about their grandparent or great-grandparent’s disease and what words to use.

Take steps to prepare for discharge from hospital

Discussing hospital discharge early on is important to a successful and smooth transition back home. Understanding what criteria is used to determine when your aging loved ones are ready for discharge is also valuable in making future plans.

The ins and outs of hospital stays

Today’s hospital stays and discharge experiences for aging loved ones may seem…

The ins and outs of hospital stays

Today’s hospital stays and discharge experiences for aging loved ones may seem…

Help aging loved ones during ER visits

Families or close friends are often called upon to respond when an aging loved one is in the emergency room, and Wendy Johnstone offers some tips to help.

Keep updating medical data

I recently received a late-night phone call from a friend whose mother was in hospital after a fall. Needless to say, there was panic and uncertainty in her voice.

Sorry really not the hardest word

I think it’s safe to say death isn’t easy to deal with at any age.