Tomorrow I will upload the first in a series of posts featuring a dialogue between my mother and me on a variety of topics that relate to aging, senior parents, and adult children. Mom and I often talk about aging issues, occasionally heatedly. Sometimes our initial perspectives diverge, but the longer we talk, the more … Continue reading
Tagged with aging …
NICHE: Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders
A June 29, 2010 article, Preparing More Care for the Elderly, appeared in the New York Times. Written by Milt Freudenheim, who generally writes about the business aspects of health care, the piece describes how the country and our health care system can go about preparing for the huge number of people who are aging. … Continue reading
iPad for Dad, #9 – Guest Posting from Dad!
If you like this post, read some of the other descriptions of our Father/Daughter iPad adventure. iPad for Dad, #1, iPad for Dad, #2, iPad for Dad, #3, iPad for Dad, #4, iPad for Dad, #5, iPad for Dad, #6, iPad for Dad, #7, iPad for Dad, #8, iPad for Dad, #9, iPad for Dad, #10, iPad for Dad, #11, iPad for Dad, #12, iPad … Continue reading
Aging Research at 11% Tells Only Part of NIH Story
Despite Aging Baby Boomers, N.I.H. Devotes Only 11 Percent to Elderly Studies, appears in the June 28, 2010 New York Times. I tend to agree with Dr. Francis Collins, NIH head, who points out that the 11 percent does not take into consideration research conducted on the conditions such as diabetes and heart disease — health problems … Continue reading
Interesting Senior Tech Training Advertisement
This unusual advertisement appeared at least twice in the Washington Post recently. The program, sponsored by the Jewish Council for the Aging in the suburban Maryland area, offers technology training to people 55 and older. While the look on the woman’s face was a bit of a turn-off when I first looked at it, people … Continue reading
Aging Parents, Aging Boomers, Geriatric Competencies
Some time ago my father had an uncomfortable experience with a health care professional. A physician, without even a sentence of explanation, began administering the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), a short evaluation that measures cognitive functioning. My father, who knew exactly what was happening, was upset. As people age, assessments are important, but so are explanations. After … Continue reading
Despite Everything We May Be Getting Happier!
All of the chronic health problems, age-related slowdowns, sadness about growing old, caregiving for family members, and generalized fears about Alzheimer’s disease may not be making us that unhappy, according to a May 31, 2010, New York Times article, Happiness May Come With Age, Study Says. The article describes research published in the Proceedings of the … Continue reading
Caring for Aging Parents…Balancing Life… Podcasts
Take a few minutes to read the post Striking a Balance: Eldercare and the Workplace over at Changing Aging, the blog of geriatrician Dr. Bill Thomas (his bio at As Time Goes By). The post discusses how to balance parent caregiving with the rest of life. He was joined in a presentation by Dr. Judah Ronch (both men … Continue reading
Aging Parents: Disposing of Unused Medications
If even one of your parents takes medications for a chronic condition, you know that it is not unusual for a switch or a dose adjustment. Changing medical conditions, drug interactions, and side effects in older adults require physicians to make changes, and each of our parents has experienced the need for a medication adjustment … Continue reading
Aging Parent Technology: American Memory Project
@ the Library of Congress Take parents who like to use the Internet, are interested in history, and have lots of memories from earlier times in their lives, on a visit the American Memory Project. This amazing site at the Library of Congress has digitized exhibits — pictures, postcards, letters and music, and much more. … Continue reading
Baby Boomer Brains: Aging Parent Focus Making Us Worry
Today’s NPR Morning Edition, April 20, 2010, features a story about middle age brain ability and development. Barbara Stauch, author of The Secret Life of the Grown Up Brain (Politics and Prose in Washington, DC, Amazon, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble), discusses what she has learned about the brains of 40-65 year-olds — the age-range of my brain. Stauch … Continue reading
Aging Parents-Untold Stories: Grandma, Why Didn’t You Tell Me?
Sometimes an aging parent unexpectedly shares a story from years ago — in this case nearly 75 years. Long before Mother’s stroke my husband went to Cincinnati on business, staying downtown at the Netherland Hotel, a National Historic Landmark recently restored to its 1930’s grandeur. A few months later we traveled to South Carolina to … Continue reading
Dementia Patients and Inner City Teens: Friendship
People experiencing dementia, even those with loving family members nearby, are often bored, frightened, and agitated. Rarely do they get enough socialization. An April 14, 2010, Chicago Tribune article by Ted Gregory, Elderly Dementia Patients and “At-risk” Students Create Friendships, describes a successful activity in Chicago that builds relationships between teens and elderly people living with … Continue reading
Dementia – Emotions May Continue? PNAS Research
So interesting to read the about the research, Sustained Experience of Emotion After Loss of Memory in Patients with Amnesia (abstract), published in the April 12, 2010 early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The University of Iowa researcher, Justin Feinstein, found that patients, while they could not retrieve memories, were … Continue reading
Aging Parents-Mobility Aids: Thinking About Improved Devices
I’ve written a lot about accidental falls and described my experiences with parents who do not like mobility aids, even when they need to use them. Moreover, I’ve linked to sites that discuss how some mobility devices actually facilitate falls. Some of these posts are linked at the bottom of this page. Now a class … Continue reading
Aging Parents: Bodies Slower but Same World View
Aging parents, we should all understand, have frustratingly aging bodies, yet many are seeing and perceiving the world just as they always have. In fact, I’ve heard them say how curious it is to look in the mirror and see themselves staring back. Some wonder, “Who is that old person looking back at me?” About 25 … Continue reading
Aging Parents, Boomer Children: Advertising Medicines
Resolved: I will ignore prescription medication ads on television and in print. I will try not to ask my physician about a specific medication unless I think I have a problem with my current one and/or have attempted to get some reliable information (ads do not count as reliable information) that will help me have … Continue reading
Aging Parents: Lengthy and Possibly Arduous Caregiving
Take a few minutes to read Long Goodbye of the Elderly Can Create Crisis for Family Caregivers in the April 6, 2010 Washington Post Health section. Abigail Trafford describes what we experienced during three years of aging parent caregiving. She writes, “The long goodbye is a predictable chapter in our lives. Giving care — and receiving … Continue reading
Aging Parents: Recognizing Social Wisdom
Assisting parents with their health and other issues often keeps us focused on difficulties, so it is easy to forget just how much experience older parents have with the game of life. Now research from the University of Michigan’s Culture and Cognition Program published in the April 6, 2010 Proceedings of the National Academy of Science … Continue reading
Aging Parents: Death from Falls, Part II, Observations
Observation about Seniors and Falling (for resources on falling see Senior Adults and Falling and Keeping Our Parents and Ourselves Accident Free) Three out of four of our parents fell while they were living active lives, albeit with certain chronic medical conditions. All four attended classes or workshops on balance assessment and fall prevention. Our … Continue reading
As Our Parents Age So Do We 