Keystone Blog
Holiday Traditions: A Source of Stability or Tension?
Do holidays bring to mind special memories of past family celebrations and anticipation of upcoming events, or a dread of the same old rituals? Traditions can be observed daily or at any other interval. They often help bond a family together by creating a sense of...
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Respite Care Test Drive
Next week, many of you will be sharing a meal with your extended family. Holiday gatherings are opportunities for families to catch up on recent news and events, as well as highlight future plans. They can also be a time when the changes which an older adult is...
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The Nursing Home Promise
Americans live in a society in which youth is highly valued and many people become uncomfortable when asked to think about or discuss the aging process. News stories about nursing homes generate greater public interest when an unfortunate event related to patient...
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Validation: Human Connections Despite Dementia
Various theories and approaches exist for working with individuals who are experiencing symptoms of dementia. Previous articles have discussed basic techniques which can influence personal interactions. One method which has not yet been considered is called...
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Duties as a Fiduciary for Estate Planning
You may have heard the term “fiduciary” when reading about estate planning. Appointing another as fiduciary in your estate planning documents is a way to plan for future incapacity. However, you may not be aware of what it means to be a fiduciary and the high...
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Keeping an Older Adult At Home
An older loved one is having difficulty managing in the family home. Decisions about finding support for your loved one, either through services which would allow the individual to remain at home or a move to another setting; are often fraught with emotion. This...
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Estate Planning and Divorce
A common issue which arises involves a single person wanting to update his/her Estate Planning documents. He/She wants to update a Last Will and Testament (“Will”) because of a recent divorce. After someone updates the Will to exclude an ex-spouse, a common belief is...
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Updating Estate Plan Beneficiaries
As we have entered the fall season and get ready to set our clocks back in November, here are some insights to motivate you to finish the year strong by making sure your estate plan is secure. The most important thing to consider when reviewing an estate plan is to...
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Five Basic Approaches for Dementia Caregiving
Caring for an individual who is experiencing symptoms of dementia requires patience and ingenuity. Caregivers can easily become overwhelmed when trying to assist their loved ones who may be experiencing changes in memory, personality, judgement, reasoning, motivation,...
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Opioids and Older Persons
Addicts who overdose from injecting opioids such as heroin and fentanyl are not usually older persons. But Medicare-age persons are part of “Dopesick,” Roanoke journalist Beth Macy’s new book about the spread of the opioid epidemic throughout rural areas proximate to...
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