New Year’s Day is over, but New Year’s resolutions are just getting started. Surprisingly, only 31 percent of Canadians will make a New Year's resolution, and 73 percent will ultimately break them, according to a poll. 

Falls are the No. 1 cause of injury-related hospitalizations among Canadian seniors. They are also the cause of 95 percent of all hip fractures in older adults. As we enter the winter months with its slippery ice and snow, here are six ways to help protect your loved one from falls. 

When caring for an aging loved one, family members may find they are able to reconnect in more meaningful ways than in the past by sharing family stories and just enjoying the moment together. 

Sometimes, though, family caregivers need a helping hand or respite care. Here are three situations in which ComForCare Home Care can help:

From upstairs, I hear your alarm and the rustling of bed covers as you wake up and begin your day even before the sun has risen. You tiptoe downstairs as to not wake me from my sleep. I smell freshly brewed coffee and an egg frying just for me coming from the kitchen. Slowly, my bedroom door opens and you call out my name softly, “Dad?” I open my eyes and see a weary but smiling woman. You set my breakfast tray down so you can help me sit up in bed, so I can eat my breakfast and take my morning pills. You then guide me to the bathroom so I can get ready for my day. You steady my hand as I shave my face and wash up. You pick out something for me to wear and my favourite hat you know I like. Then, you hurry to get yourself ready for your day: a presentation a work, a bake sale at the kids’ school, etc. 

In an NPR interview early in his career, Jerry Seinfeld talked about how difficult it was to perform stand-up comedy in front of his parents. When his parents were in the audience, he felt off balance: “In front of your parents – you always want them to have the power.”

Many of us go through much of our adult lives feeling as if our parents or older loved ones are still in charge. It can be destabilizing, scary and difficult to admit power relationships have shifted, and we may have a new role to play. Since it is always different when it is your mom, dad or great uncle Felix, we have compiled some small signs that led people to realize they needed to get help for their aging loved ones.

Many Canadians do not fully understand hospice and palliative care. If we do not work in medicine, “hospice” and “palliative care” are terms we only encounter when we are faced with the difficult task of seeing a friend or loved one through a terminal illness. Often, the best place to start is with clear definitions: