Last week I talked to a woman about her aging parents. They are living in an apartment in the independent-living section of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). Her 89-year-old dad is blind, and her 87-year-old mom has dementia. According to the daughter, they are…
Category: Older Adults
Seeking Professional Guidance--Michelle's Story of Family Caregiving
By: Michelle Allen, LCSW My journey into this field began 15 years ago when I interned with Haven House Hospice. I felt at ease working with folks nearing the end of life and felt drawn to the other professionals engaged in this work. During my…
Depression in Older Adults
Dr. Sarah Yarry, licensed clinical psychologist specializing in gerontology, reports: “Often in older adults, when they’re depressed, you don’t see high levels of crying and sadness you might see in a younger adult; you see it more often as withdrawal – apathy, hopelessness, loss of…
Understanding Guardianships: How long do guardianships take to get? How long do they last?
Each county has a Probate Court that handles their resident’s guardianship hearings. Generally speaking, it can take over a month to complete the entire process of filing, serving, evaluating, and holding the hearing to have a guardian appointed. The length of time really depends on…
Risk Factors for Dementia
Snoring – Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) – Breathing starts and stops, already linked to high blood pressure and heart disease, may also be tied to poorer cognitive performance and an increased risk of dementia. By treating OSA the risk may be lowered. Drinking diet soda…
Understanding Guardianships: There are Risks with Pursuing Guardianship
The decision to pursue guardianship should not be taken lightly. There are real risks with pursuing guardianship: -The guardianship process requires you to say things about your loved one in open court and often in front of your loved one. Telling a judge that you…
Understanding Guardianships: Who is appointed as guardian?
Once a judge has deemed a ward to be incompetent and has agreed that a guardianship should be in place, the judge has to appoint an appropriate guardian. There are some restrictions on who can be appointed as a guardian in Georgia. Only individuals (not…
Understanding Guardianships: What if there is no guardian available? Won’t DFCS be named as the guardian?
We often hear from healthcare professionals and long-term care providers who are concerned about incapacitated individuals needing a guardian and having no family or friends available to help them. What happens when an adult can no longer make his/her own decisions but there is no…
Understanding Guardianships: Who can file for guardianships? Must an attorney be involved?
In most situations, Georgia requires that two people file for guardianship. This can be any two persons who will swear to the facts in the petition, or any one person along with a physician’s, licensed clinical social worker’s, or psychologist’s affidavit stating that he or…
Social Security Increases in 2018
A cost-of-living increase of 2 percent has been announced by the Social Security Administration. Approximately one in five Americans will receive the cost of living benefit in 2018 which is more than 70 million U. S. residents; these include Social Security recipients, disabled veterans and…