Olympia Dukakis and Louis Zorich have been married since 1962 and are both accomplished stage, film and television actors. Olympia is an Academy Award® winner for her role in Moonstruck and Louis is well known for his role as Burt Buchman in the 1990’s situation comedy Mad About You.  They join us to talk about their lives after Louis’ recent diagnoses with Stage 2 diabetes, which was discovered after a regular medical examination. Olympia and Louis sit down with Editor-in-Chief Gary Barg to laugh, share and talk about family caregiving as well as the importance of taking advantage of Medicare’s free Diabetes screening benefit for all caregivers.

Gary: I know you were with both recently screened for diabetes; and you found out that Louis has type II diabetes?

Louis: That is right. When the doctor told me, I did not believe him. All of my brothers and sisters have diabetes and I thought I am free; it is not going to hit me.  But then all of a sudden, he said “Yes, you have it” and there you are; I am dealing with it.

Gary: Well what does it mean that you have it and why is it important to even know your status?...read more

Take Care

Gary Barg
Editor-in-Chief
gary@caregiver.com

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Feature Article

Helping the Mentally Ill By Jude Roberts

The National Alliance for Mental Ilness (NAMI) is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the United States, with self-help, support, and advocacy groups in every state, including Puerto Rico. Created in 1979, NAMI is completely dedicated to the elimination of all mental illness, as well as to the improvement of living standards for caregivers and persons affected by these diseases...read more

Guest Column

Why Do People With Alzheimer’s Wander? By Frena Gray-Davidson

Don't think Alzheimer's experts know any more than you about Alzheimer's behaviors. They don't. So, your guess is as good as theirs. And, speaking as a longtime Alzheimer's dementia caregiver, frankly I think caregiver guesses are better than most other people's. So there! In my workshops, I always encourage family caregivers to guess...read more

Caretips

Diabetes and Heat: Safety Tips If you have diabetes, be extra careful during hot weather. Temperatures of 80°F (about 27°C) or above, especially with humidity, can affect medication, testing supplies, and your health...read more

Carenotes

I take care of my mother, who can be very demanding and verbally mean to me. She has admitted to my younger sister that she is indeed very selfish, but it does not change how her words and behaviors affect me. My sister has also informed me that if I get crabby with my mother in reaction, it could be construed as elderly abuse. Am I supposed to walk on pins and needles and just deal with her meanness? Or can I tell her how I feel crabby at times? Or even just say, "I'm sick and tired of being treated this way when I am trying to help you"? I honestly do so much for her. Sandy Answer This Week's CareNote

Caregiver.com Support Group Directory. Click here for information about any caregiver support groups in your area. Caregivers need your help. Please add information about your local support groups to our Support Group Directory.

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