While it is a few years old, I urge everyone to watch the PBS documentary on Alzheimer's: The Forgetting. This powerful and touching program follows the lives of several families coping with the disease, and the work of scientists searching for a cure. PBS has been re-airing it recenlty, but you can also order the DVD or watch it online. It ...

I can clearly remember the day, 15 years ago, when I learned that my Grandmother had Alzheimer's Disease.  I was in nursing school, out of state, when my mother called to tell me about the diagnosis.   Prior to the diagnosis my family had suspected that her forgetfulness was not normal.  We knew something was wrong, but we were ...

Fall-induced traumatic brain injuries caused almost 8,000 deaths and 56,000 hospitalizations in 2005 among Americans 65 and older, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the June issue of the Journal of Safety Research. In 2005, TBIs were responsible for 50 percent of unintentional fall deaths and 8 percent of nonfatal ...

Over the summer I made a major purchase at a home improvement retailer. To make a long story short, the vendor: lost my order data due to a computer power failure, delayed product delivery, ordered the wrong size product, forgot to collect payment from me while I was in the store (which meant I had to make an extra trip to the store), allowed the ...

Norovirus, often called the ''stomach flu,'' often shows its face this time of year. Most people realize it's highly contagious but, for the first time, U.S. health officials report it can be spread from contact on computer keyboards and computer mice. With several people sharing computers in long-term care facilities, and the push towards ...

In my last post on Sara Gruen's book ''Water for Elephants,'' I discussed the book's main character, 93-year-old Jacob, who lives in a long-term care facility. In the chapter where Jacob recounts his family's decision to send him to the facility, he says the dialogue between him and his children went like this: ''It's not a nursing home, they ...