Navacare

Hospice and palliative care are often confused, especially when someone is still receiving treatments like chemotherapy or physical therapy.

In this Sacred Seasons conversation, Melanie Callahan explains that when treatment is still focused on managing or treating the condition, that may fall under palliative care rather than hospice.

The important part is that these decisions are individualized and should be discussed with the patient’s physicians and care team.

Understanding the difference can make an already emotional decision feel a little clearer. 💛

This clip is part of Sacred Seasons, a Navacare-produced educational event created to help families better understand the options available throughout the aging journey.

💛 Navigating senior care? Work with Navacare. We help families understand their options, find the right level of care, and navigate what comes next. Visit navacare.org to get started.

Skilled nursing and rehabilitation serve a very different purpose than assisted living or other long-term senior living options.

Skilled nursing may be appropriate when an older adult needs 24/7 skilled medical care or treatment for more complex medical needs.

Rehabilitation, on the other hand, is often part of the recovery process after a surgery or illness when someone needs more intensive support before they can safely return home or transition to their next level of care.

Understanding these differences matters—especially when a hospitalization suddenly leaves your family trying to figure out what comes next.

You don't have to navigate those decisions without guidance. Navacare can help you understand the options available and determine the next steps for your loved one. 💛

Some of the hardest parts of caregiving happen when everything gets quiet.
That’s when the questions creep in. Did I make the right decision? Should I have asked more questions? Could I be doing more?

There may never be a moment when you feel 100% certain about every choice you make for someone you love.

But caregiving was never a test of perfection.

It’s showing up, paying attention, advocating, adjusting when things change, and continuing to care even when you don’t have all the answers. 💛

So if you’ve been questioning yourself lately, give yourself some of the compassion you so freely give to everyone else.

Forgetting something doesn’t automatically mean dementia—and memory changes can have more than one possible cause.

That’s why an evaluation can be so valuable.

In this Sacred Seasons conversation, Kim Saberi from BayCare’s Memory Disorder Center explains that their free memory screenings can help determine whether changes appear consistent with normal aging or whether a more comprehensive evaluation may be appropriate.

And if further evaluation is needed, doctors can look at different factors that may be affecting cognition—including potentially reversible causes such as vitamin deficiencies or thyroid issues, as well as vascular conditions or Alzheimer’s disease.

Kim also shares an important recommendation from the Memory Disorder Center: adults 55+ should consider a memory screening once a year. 🧠💛

Knowing what’s going on can be much more helpful than wondering.

This clip is part of Sacred Seasons, Navacare’s educational series helping families better understand aging, caregiving, and the resources available to them.

Your parent may still be able to travel. The trip just might look different. 💛

As our parents get older, traveling together may require a little more planning—and a little less rushing.

Choose an itinerary with room to rest. Think about walking distances, transportation, medications, accessibility, and what your loved one realistically has the energy to enjoy. And don’t be afraid to trade three activities for one really good one.

A slower trip isn’t a lesser trip.

Sometimes adapting the way you travel is exactly what allows you to keep creating these memories together. ✈️

Save this as a reminder when planning your next family trip.