Caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia can be rewarding but it can also be challenging. Relationships change as spouses become caregivers, and adult children find themselves parenting their parents. Many families struggle with the decision over whether or not to keep their loved ones at home or to move them to a retirement residence or a long-term care home. It’s not an easy decision to make, and knowing when to make it can also be difficult. But when it’s the right decision, moving a loved one into memory care can provide many benefits, including the health ..read more

It is no surprise that 2020 was a challenging year in health care and within long-term facilities across the province. One of the country’s most vulnerable demographics has been hard hit, not only by the pandemic virus itself but by the psychological, emotional, and social toll it has taken on individuals and their families. Many seniors in private care, retirement communities, or Assisted Living facilities struggle to have their basic needs met due to staffing shortages, unhealthy living conditions, or funding concerns. “We saw a need within our own community,” says CEO of Ideal Caregivers 4 ..read more

As a researcher who studies Alzheimer’s disease and a neurologist who cares for people with Alzheimer’s, I share in the frustration, indeed anger, of people and families when I tell them that I have no cure to offer. Over the past year, scientists have tackled COVID-19, a previously unknown disease and within months developed effective new vaccines. Over that same time frame, the list of Alzheimer’s treatment failures got longer. Currently, the only approved drugs for Alzheimer’s merely alleviate some of the symptoms — partially and temporarily — but do not stop the disea ..read more

How much do retirement homes cost in Ottawa? What makes one retirement home more expensive than another? Why does one person pay almost twice as much as her friend, who lives in the same residence? There are many factors that affect the cost of retirement living. The average person spends somewhere between $3,000 and $6,000 per month to live in an Ottawa retirement home. From the location and amenities to the suite size and the care a person needs, it all plays a role in the cost of retirement living. Retirement homes and long-term care Retirement homes are regulated by both the Retiremen ..read more

“Unprecedented” might be the word of the COVID-19 pandemic. But for many, especially older adults, life has taken many abrupt turns. Maybe it’s their first pandemic, but it’s not the first time they’ve pivoted without calling it that and created a new normal. Yet, we persist in treating people over 70 as an undifferentiated blob of neediness and vulnerability. When we do, we once again miss what older adults contribute. As an aging studies scholar, my focus is on the portrayal and treatment of older adults in literature, film and popular culture. During COVID-19, dire fictional portrait ..read more

Every year we pull out our box of receipts, files of documents, a calculator and a bottle of ibuprofen, and we get ready to do our taxes. And every year, it seems just as complicated, if not more, than the last. To make things a little easier, here are a few important items that should be considered when preparing personal tax returns if you’re a senior or someone caring for a dependent. Attendant care expenses Attendant care describes a range of support that a person receives, either from a retirement home, nursing (long-term care) home or in-home care services. You can claim these expen ..read more

Older adults, especially those over 65, have five times the risk of hospitalization and 90 times the risk of death from COVID-19 compared with younger adults. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 78% of the more than 114,000 COVID-19 related deaths between May and August 2020 were people age 65 and older. Many of those individuals had compromised immune systems due, in part, to a variety of other health conditions including obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and hypertension. The CDC suggests these additio ..read more

Are you stressed by your search for the right retirement home? Are you feeling overwhelmed, not sure where to start? You’re not alone. Ottawa has close to one hundred retirement homes, each with its own range of care, services and prices. With so many to choose from and with such important decisions to make, it’s no wonder that so many people feel overwhelmed when they start to look for a retirement home. Thankfully, there is an easier way. Supporting Seniors has twenty years of experience in senior living and services. Whether you’re looking for independent living, assisted living, memory c ..read more

Caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia can be rewarding but it can also be challenging. Relationships change as spouses become caregivers, and adult children find themselves parenting their parents. Many families struggle with the decision over whether or not to keep their loved ones at home or to move them to a retirement residence or a long-term care home. It’s not an easy decision to make, and knowing when to make it can also be difficult. But when it’s the right decision, moving a loved one into memory care can provide many benefits, including the health ..read more

It is no surprise that 2020 was a challenging year in health care and within long-term facilities across the province. One of the country’s most vulnerable demographics has been hard hit, not only by the pandemic virus itself but by the psychological, emotional, and social toll it has taken on individuals and their families. Many seniors in private care, retirement communities, or Assisted Living facilities struggle to have their basic needs met due to staffing shortages, unhealthy living conditions, or funding concerns. “We saw a need within our own community,” says CEO of Ideal Caregivers 4 ..read more