The Official Blog of Episcopal Retirement Services

When you are the child of an aging parent, you face a conundrum. Put yourself in your father’s shoes for a minute. You have dedicated your whole life to caring for family. Now, due to the natural order of things, every day that goes by it seems one more task slips from your fingertips. That is a hard pill to swallow.

Alzheimer’s effects more than 5 million individuals in the United States, and medical experts estimate that this number will increase to 16 million by the year 2050. As more seniors are affected, there has been an increased demand for research into the cause, treatment, and prevention of this and other dementia-type disease.

For all of the advances in senior health care that have allowed older Americans to live happier, healthier lives, we are still faced with a frightening preponderance of disorders— both common and uncommon—that have a dramatic effect on the brain. Alzheimer’s, while one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions, is just one of many such diseases that slowly eat away at the memories, capabilities, abilities, and quality of life.

A 2012 report published by the United States Senate’s Special Committee on Aging is casting doubt on the nation’s preparedness to treat Alzheimer’s and other dementia disorders.

If you’ve been looking into senior living communities, either for yourself or a loved one, you have probably already discovered that there are a wealth of options out there.

It can be confusing to try and unravel the complexities of senior living when you aren’t familiar with the vocabulary, so we just recently started a series of blogs designed to help interpret the senior living jargon that’s used right here in Cincinnati.