Read Prime Targets for Spam Artists, Paula Span’s April 20, 2012 column over at the New Old Age Blog. The fact that victims may not report fraud due to embarrassment is troubling and of special concern to adult children. Span posted her second column on the topic, with fraud fighting suggestions, on Monday, April 23, … Continue reading
Posted by Marti Weston …
Detached Retina: After My First Surgery
My recovery from detached retina surgery seems to be pain-free, but it is arduous, given the need to maintain certain positions for long periods of time. As a person ages, holding these positions must be increasingly difficult. The Sunday morning surgery took place at a local hospital — where the surgery prep and recovery spaces … Continue reading
Detached Retina: The Discovery and Diagnosis
Last Sunday I had retinal eye surgery. Below is the post that I wrote just before leaving for the hospital. I am about to be on my way to the hospital for urgent eye surgery. A few months ago I wrote about eye and retina health after reading an article and remembering my retinal tear … Continue reading
Chronic Conditions of People Living in Residential Care
What are the most common chronic medical conditions of people who live in residential care facilities, including assisted living communities? This graph depicts the 10 most common chronic conditions of residential care residents. The data come from a National Center for Health Statistics survey of United States residential facilities, not including nursing homes. Check out the other … Continue reading
Teens Teach Seniors Tech
Many of us know that our parents are eager to learn a lot about technology. My parents enjoy attending computer classes at Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Virginia — and they learn a lot at these classes. Read Teens Teach Seniors How to Use Computers in the Palm Beach Post News. The student teachers at this … Continue reading
Aging Abundantly Founder Points to New Look at Aging
I am tiring of “the boomers are coming” dire warnings that seem to be everywhere. Boomer bashing is nothing new — it’s been going on since it became clear that the demographic cohort would be a large one. Yes there are problems with so many people growing old in one generation, but it also means … Continue reading
Sample Exercise Routine – National Institute on Aging
Exercising on a regular basis is a challenge for everyone. Older seniors, so busy with lots of daily activities, may need encouragement and support aimed at motivating them to make exercise one of those daily activities. In October 2011 the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published … Continue reading
Time, Time, Time, Time, Time, Time…
Just like many adult children, I am in the habit of worrying about time. Whenever I have a lot of things on my plate, which is quite often, I become frustrated about not having enough — time, that is. Then I get even more frustrated because everyone worries about it and no one — definitely … Continue reading
My Mom Gets an iPhone, #2
When it comes to her iPhone, few learning difficulties have popped up for my mom, age 84. I am delighted at the ease with which she has transferred from her old flip phone to this one — a 3G that I retired when I updated my iPhone. How Mom is Using her iPhone Her first … Continue reading
Tribes of Eden — by Dr. Bill Thomas — Book Launch
Click on the image or visit Changing Aging, the site of Dr. Bill Thomas, to learn about his new book, Tribes of Eden, which comes out this week. Dr. Thomas’ post tells about the activities that will celebrate the book’s launch, but it’s especially easy to take part in the festivities on Wednesday, April, 4, … Continue reading
Green House Construction Update at VMRC – April 3, 2012
A few weeks ago I spent a day with my parents, and I checked out the Green House Homes construction at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community. The earliest part of construction, right now after the groundbreaking, is the most challenging time for everyone to watch, because we want to see more than we are seeing. It’s that … Continue reading
When and Why Seniors Use Technology
I recommend checking out this short piece, Help Seniors Stay Connected Through Technology, published in The Tennessean. Written by Ann Bishop, the article suggests ways to help seniors and I might add, aging parents, engage with technology and take more advantage of communication opportunities. Best Quote Technology should be a two-part gift, where in addition … Continue reading
Effectiveness – A Frustrating Concept in Medical Care
Over the past several years we’ve heard a lot about the effectiveness of medical treatments. It’s frustrating to put together the puzzle parts on this issue, but especially so when a family member is ill with a serious disease. Sometimes going forward with a treatment feels better than seeming to do nothing. When aging issues … Continue reading
Commentary on The Supreme Court Health Care Agruments
Aging children and their aging parents should pay close attention to these arguments. However the Court’s rules, its decision will affect the quality of medical care in the lives of many people. If you are too busy to hunt for and read even a few of the articles on the Supreme Court Health Care legislation arguments, … Continue reading
Green Houses in NY State and How They Work
This interesting article, Nursing Homes Trend Toward More Homey, Less Institutional Settings, in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle describes the quality-of-life changes that residents and families experience when a family member lives in a Green House Project home. Reporter Patti Singer provides a window, allowing readers a glimpse of life in a care community where … Continue reading
Our Chance of Dying in Intensive Care – Peter Saul TED Talk
Australian intensive care physician, Peter Saul, recently presented a TED Talk about the increased chance of dying in intensive care in the 21st Century. He explains that one ten people will die in intensive care, but in the United States it is one in five and in Miami, three out of five. People who are … Continue reading
A Daugher’s Long Goodbye: A Book Review by Mom and Me
When my mom picked up A Daughter’s Long Goodbye: Caring for Mother at the church library, she brought it home and quickly read it cover to cover. Then she suggested that I read it — well actually she instructed me to do so. Caring for Mother, written in 2007, is not easy reading. Virginia Stem … Continue reading
Paul Allen Donates Another $300 Mil to Brain Research
New York Times, March 22, 2012 Paul Allen Gives Millions for Brain Research By Benedict Carey It’s a good day for brain research. Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen is giving millions more to the Allen Institute for Brain Science, which according to a New York Times article, opened as a center for brain research in 2003.Reporter … Continue reading
Stroke Symptoms? Don’t Ruminate! Go to the Hospital!
Adult children should all know the location of the closest stroke certified hospital, and no one should hesitate to get to the hospital if any potential stroke symptom causes concern. Oddly enough, research recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), finds that the rate of people who experience symptoms and call … Continue reading
Removing Racist and Hateful Comments: A Simple Relevancy Test
After the jury announced its verdict in New Jersey I watched Associated Press video statement read by Tyler Clementi’s father. Sad and clearly with a heavy heart, he nevertheless looked to the future in a way that most of us could not have done had we lost a child the way he lost Tyler. Then I … Continue reading
As Our Parents Age So Do We 