Hector Elizondo is a Tony Award winning Broadway star and well-renowned television and movie actor, appearing in television programs including Chicago Hope, The Rockford Files and Monk and movies such as American Gigolo and Pretty Woman. He has also been a conga player with a Latin band, a classical guitarist and singer, a weightlifting coach, a ballet dancer, as well as family caregiver.

Gary Barg:  What were the first signs of your mother’s Alzheimer’s disease?

Hector Elizondo:  The first signs of her illness were very subtle; just forgetfulness, the usual stuff, the shopping list, the keys, and then a pattern started to emerge.  Realizing that now in retrospect, back then it was, “Oh Mom, please, you asked that question before, you know, a half hour ago.” But the first real red flag was when she lost her way in her neighborhood.

GB:  They used to call Alzheimer’s pre-senile dementia. 

HE:  That’s what she was diagnosed with.  She was diagnosed with pre-senile dementia...read more

Take Care

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

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Feature Article

Successful Bathroom Transfers By Jennifer Bradley, Staff Writer

Statistics show that many preventable accidents occur in bathrooms. Falls are the top culprit in this category. Wet floors and small spaces are only some of the causes for concern in a bathroom setting. Caregivers must recognize these obstacles before assisting someone they love in the restroom. Ignoring them can be a disaster for both caregiver and the one being cared for...read more

Guest Column

Fighting Resistance From Seniors By Peter Ganther

Uprooting an elderly loved one and moving them into your home is difficult enough, but add to that the resistance you may receive, and the caregiving becomes an all-encompassing activity. Your loved one’s natural tendency is to resist care and assistance, if only because they do not want to think of themselves as “old.”...read more

Caretips

Give Yourself a Break, Right Now Doctor appointments that must be scheduled; the constant care and attention your loved one needs, both physically and emotionally; the back and forth to grocery stores, drug stores, physical therapy sessions and, most of all, the need to know you are doing the "right thing" for loved one in need of your care. We all know the daily challenges we face as caregivers and that we seldom have time for ourselves...read more

Carenotes

What do you do when the person you are caring for treats you badly?  Is this something that happens often?  Are there resources to help deal with this? C. Answer This Week's CareNote

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