Emma Hamilton's blog

If you are caring for a frail older family member it is important to know what to do when someone falls. Not only so you can help an injured person but to avoid injuring yourself. It is not a bad idea to have a strategy in place in case of a fall.

If a loved one falls avoid moving them until it has been established that the fall has not caused serious injury. If a person is seriously injured call 000 for an ambulance. 

Immediately after a fall:

No one likes to think about the possibility that one day a family member may have to enter residential care. It's something we would rather not think about. But many people living with chronic disease and dementia will have to move into care at some point.

Finding the money to fund care in an aged care home can be difficult. Most often families have to organise their finances when a crisis occurs. Figuring out nursing home costs, aged care fees and accommodation bonds at such an emotional time can lead to confusion and bad decisions.

Whilst the majority of our caregivers are women. Male caregivers account for a large part of the caregiver population. In the future the number of male carers looking after a spouse with dementia is predicted to grow.

Many older people consider their relationship with their GP as one of the most critical relationships in their life. Unfortunately if you have a loved one entering residential aged care this relationship could come to an abrupt end. Time constraints, lack of financial incentive and simple geography mean your loved one may have to choose a new GP.

We all want our loved ones to settle comfortably into life in a nursing home. Forming new friendships and finding people you connect with on a deeper level can be difficult at any age. But imagine having to make new friends in an environment where the only thing you have in common with other residents is your need for care.

One of the most common signs of Alzheimer's disease and the one sign that gets the most attention is memory loss. However, memory loss is only one sign that may indicate Alzheimer's disease. There are a bunch of other subtle signs that are often overlooked.

It's not uncommon for people experiencing problems with their memory to postpone seeing a doctor, perhaps out of fear or because it's easy to dismiss changes in memory or behaviour as a problem of 'old age'.