When my daughter and son-in-law provided this iPad, it was with the knowledge and recognition that I never honed my computer skills to my satisfaction. Nevertheless, I made significant strides using a laptop and writing paragraphs of opinion over the years. The laptop, while useful, could be complex. The iPad is not. I have been … Continue reading
Posted in August 2010 …
Seniors Embrace Social Networking According to Pew
If this post interests you, be sure and read Yes, Grandma is on Facebook, a post from a few days ago. The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project published a new study about seniors and social networking. According to Mary Madden, the report’s author, “Young adults continue to be the heaviest users of … Continue reading
Aging Mothers-Adult Daughters: Dreams of Chocolate
Just about everyone dreams of eating chocolate. Well, not everyone. My husband is someone who really doesn’t care for it that much. But recent research brings some interesting news for the rest of us — a little indulgence may be OK. According to an August 16, 2010 study, Chocolate Intake and Incidence of Heart Failure: … Continue reading
Yes, Grandma is on Facebook
Join Facebook? For three years I avoided the site. I knew that some of my friends from work, church, and other activities were joining, but I just did not feel like it was a fit. My daughter, then in graduate school, used the social networking site, and she occasionally suggested I get started with Facebook. … Continue reading
Palliative Care on the Diane Rehm Show (NPR)
Listen to an amazing episode of The Diane Rehm Show (NPR) that explores the recent study on palliative care in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Diane’s guests include Dr. Jennifer Temel of the Harvard Medical School, a lead author of the study, and Dr. Diane Meier, who leads the Center to Advance Palliative Care at … Continue reading
Cardiac Procedures and Surgeries – Good Descriptions
Last summer my father’s internist referred him to a cardiologist who found an abdominal aneurysm. Dad underwent several cardiac procedures. Understanding an enormous amount of information in a short time was difficult for everyone in our family, and especially for my parents. While the physicians’ explanations were clear and helpful to our family, many questions … Continue reading
Times Are a’Changing: The Beloit College Mindset List
Each year I pass along this Beloit College Mindset list to just about everyone I know. Compiled by Professor Tom McBride and colleague Ron Nief at Beloit College, the list is a set of observations about the entering freshman class — designed to help the Beloit faculty understand a bit more about the thinking and the experiences … Continue reading
Aging Parents, the Greatest Generation, Religious Freedom and Mosques
Periodically a national issue becomes so significant that our elders can address it best — and I mean the elder-elders — the people, now in their 80s and 90s — who fought to stop Hitler and the Holocaust. Elder-elders know what can happen when you demonize a religion, the way some people are demonizing Islam … Continue reading
iPad for Dad #13, Keyboard Update – Next Step Printing
My Dad now uses his iPad keyboard to write on the yellow note pad multiple times each day. Sometimes he just writes, but at other times he taps the letter icon and send his writing off, via e-mail, to a family member or friend. I have received a number of these compositions and get a thrill … Continue reading
Aging Parents: After a Stroke – Taking Prescribed Medications
If you find this post interesting you may want to read Aging Parents and Medications and Thoughts on Medications and Seniors, Part I. Anyone with a stroke survivor in the family knows how many details caregivers attend to immediately after the event. Coordinating many medications and rehabilitation services, as well as trying to surmise the extent … Continue reading
Losing Adult Friends: In Memoriam
Part of growing into the role of adult child is understanding that life, with all its excitement, adventure, and power, is tenuous and eventually ends. I have no fear and do not spend much time thinking about this, but as one loses parents and starts moving toward the a role in the senior generation, these … Continue reading
Aging Parents: Senior Caregivers and iPads
Check out the August 3, 2010 ElderGadget posting on senior caregivers and potential iPad uses. As Our Parents Age has been featuring the iPad for Dad series over the past four months so other iPad information is always interesting. Many people are interested in Dad’s iPad, so it is easy to understand just how much might … Continue reading
Medicare Doughnut (Donut) Hole: $250 Sent Automatically
According to an August 10, 2010 press announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 750,000 rebate checks for $250 have already been mailed to Medicare beneficiaries who have already entered the doughnut hole this year because of prescription costs. Adult children need to be sure that a parent reaching the doughnut … Continue reading
In the Hospital: Does Anyone Know What’s Happening?
When you or a family member has been in the hospital, do you know the names of the physicians who visit or the exact names of prescribed medications? Have you been informed of the side effects that might occur? Apparently a lot of people — physicians and patients — perceive things differently according to interesting … Continue reading
Calcium Supplements? To Take or Not to Take?
Calcium supplements are a part of a daily regimen for many aging parents and for adult children. Most of these adults take calcium supplements to build stronger bones and avoid osteoporosis. However, new peer-reviewed research suggests that the benefits of taking calcium may be outweighed by increased risk of cardiovascular events. The July 29th edition … Continue reading
Bloomberg News Features iPad for Dad!
… and other seniors, too. In an August 5, 2010 article, This Is Your Grandfather’s iPad as Japan Elderly Embrace Apple, two Bloomberg News reporters, Pavel Alpeyev and Yoshinori Eki, mention the As Our Parent Age iPad for Dad series. The piece has an international focus, describing how the iPad is becoming popular with seniors in Japan, … Continue reading
Hospice: More Days to Say “We Love You”
Thank you hospice. Since reading Dr. Atul Gwande’s New Yorker Magazine article, Letting Go, a piece that describes the end of life (see my recent posting about this article), I’ve been thinking a lot about our hospice experience with a program in Northern Virginia. For some time I’ve wanted to write about those four months, … Continue reading
As Our Parents Age So Do We 