January 23, 2024 by Dean Bellefeuille

Everyone understands the feeling of trying every trick in the book to get to sleep after a long day. As we age, it can be even more difficult to get enough sleep. Older adults may experience changes in their sleep architecture, including lighter sleep, more frequent awakenings, and a shift towards earlier bedtimes. Yet maintaining healthy sleep patterns is vitally important for cognitive function, emotional health, and physical vitality. (more…)


 January 9, 2024 by Dean Bellefeuille

The kitchen is a special place in the home. It’s where kids first go when they get home from school, looking for a snack and the chance to share about their day. It’s the place family members gather to prepare holiday meals together. It’s also a place to warm up a cup of milk and find some quiet, reflective solace when sleep is elusive. (more…)


 December 13, 2023 by Dean Bellefeuille

The countdown is on to the new year, which means only one thing: deciding on a resolution that you’ll actually be motivated to keep. How about setting a goal that will help older adults improve health and happiness while simultaneously improving your own?

A regular exercise routine is crucial for all of us, but not always easy to start or maintain. One great way to stay motivated is to find an accountability partner and encourage each other. If you’re providing care for an older family member, you have the perfect opportunity to help each other become more physically fit! But it’s important to first know how much and what types of exercise are best for seniors. (more…)


 December 6, 2023 by Dean Bellefeuille

Did you ever wake up in the middle of a dream and wonder, for just a moment, if what you were dreaming about was real? It can feel so disorienting until you open your eyes and take in your familiar surroundings. Such an experience can give you just a brief glimpse into the ongoing disorientation for someone with dementia. When confusion about time, place, and even identity settle in for someone you love, you have two choices in determining which dementia care approach is best: either stepping into their reality with them, or orienting them to yours. (more…)


 November 14, 2023 by Dean Bellefeuille

It’s safe to say that we all want to spend as little time in the hospital as possible. The aim is to get the necessary treatment or procedure over with as soon as possible and move on to recovering. Unsurprisingly, the growing trend in hospital-at-home services is one being met with open arms. Imagine being able to avoid: (more…)


 August 21, 2023 by Dean Bellefeuille

It’s common for older adults to experience changes in their weight and diet. Dental problems, medication side effects, less physical activity as a result of mobility issues, and other factors should be explored and either addressed or ruled out. But there’s another explanation that you may not have considered: eating disorders in older adults. (more…)


 July 12, 2023 by Dean Bellefeuille

It would be great if Alzheimer’s care came with a manual – a step-by-step guide on what to expect at each stage of the disease. While there are some general commonalities in the progression of dementia, each person’s experience is unique. So, it’s difficult to know what to prepare for on any given day. (more…)


 June 20, 2023 by Dean Bellefeuille

Everyone knows the feeling of not being able to get out of bed in the morning. But for seniors with chronic fatigue, that feeling is intensified a hundred times over. As one chronic fatigue sufferer describes it, “I feel like I have a drained battery pretty much all of the time. It’s sort of like being a wrung-out dish rag.”  

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 May 29, 2023 by Dean Bellefeuille

Losing a loved one is heart wrenching, and the last thing you want to do is complete a list of to-dos. The pain and loss alone are overwhelming enough. Taking the time to work through your grief is extremely important. Yet there are, unfortunately, a number of tasks that have to be taken care of at different intervals following the person’s passing. 

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