June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month. The adult children of aging parents should make vigilant efforts all year to detect signs of abuse. Raising awareness includes learning how to identify those signs. Older adults are often unwilling to share their concerns about abuse. If they have fallen for a financial scam, they might be ashamed […]
“Successful aging” is an umbrella term that describes a process of growing older while maintaining a high level of physical, psychological, and social functioning without major diseases. Similar concepts are embodied in such terms as “aging well,” “healthy aging,” and “active aging.” While people can take steps that maximize the opportunity for successful aging, chronic […]
Caregivers help people who have disabling impairments with their activities of daily living. The nation’s shortage of caregivers is tied to rising demand as the population ages. The shortage is exacerbated by the low pay that caregivers have traditionally earned. Most caregivers are unpaid family members. They provide transportation to medical appointments, monitor medications, administer […]
Awe is an overwhelming emotional response to something that a person perceives. The earliest appearances of the word “awe” were rooted in fear or dread, often associated with the divine. In a more modern sense, awe is a feeling of reverential respect, admiration, and wonder. Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of […]
Adult children face difficult decisions when their parents are approaching the end of their lives. An advancing cancer that no longer responds to treatment is one example of a health condition that leaves parents and their children with few options. The family’s primary goal is usually to make the parents’ last days as comfortable as […]
A recent study concludes that moving into a senior living community promotes longevity. Research conducted by the nonpartisan organization NORC at the University of Chicago found that older adults who move into senior living communities — including independent living communities, assisted-living facilities, and memory care facilities — live longer than comparable adults who live in […]
Dementia is both a growing and declining medical condition in the United States. The number of people with dementia is growing because the population of older Americans is increasing. There is evidence, however, that the incidence rate of dementia is declining. About 10% of American adults who are 65 or older suffer from dementia, while […]
In the year before the pandemic began, about one in ten older adults in the United States experienced elder abuse. A study found that one in five older adults experienced abuse during the pandemic. Based on calls to an elder abuse hotline, another study found that pandemic lockdowns may have reduced the opportunity to report […]
Most people don’t need scientists to tell them that loving relationships have a positive impact on life. Research nevertheless confirms that married people are less likely than unmarried people to suffer from cardiovascular diseases and to develop dementia. People in relationships are more satisfied with their life and have fewer negative emotions (including loneliness and […]
Americans in their 80s probably grew up listening to Elvis Presley. If they are a bit younger, they may have danced to the Beatles during their teen years. Seniors who recently reached retirement age may have listened to record albums of musicians who played at Woodstock. Musical tastes tend to evolve as we age. A […]