My friend Jack said it all happened in five minutes. He went upstairs to look for something in a file cabinet, and when he came back down, his wife was gone. Carol, 77, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s three years earlier, but the two of them seemed to be coping fairly well together at home. […]

Not all people afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease seem to need to wander, but according to the Alzheimer’s Association six out of ten of them will do so at some point. And most of those wanderers will do it repeatedly before family members or caregivers recognize the behavior as the problem it poses. Those who wander […]

Spending time in a garden with an older loved one can be so rewarding! You’ll both come away with new memories and perhaps eventually some good things to eat! There’s still a real chill in the air even though it’s February and I live in the Sacramento Valley. It’s been months since I’ve been able […]

This is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve got to let go of my daddy. He’s lived through the Great Depression. He’s survived tuberculosis, appendicitis, bladder cancer, raising me and also lived to see 10 great grandchildren. But it looks like he’s done. Every day is a rollercoaster of emotions. My momma […]

It’s just a fact that people need people. Without those flesh and blood connections we all lose both quantity and quality of life. For older people who live alone this can be more serious than a heart attack. The #1 indicator of morbidity in an elder is isolation. That’s a fact, not a theory. Not […]

Updated May 2025 When questioned about what loss in life they feared or found most devastating, most seniors give the selfsame answer. It’s not what you might expect: the loss of a job or the death of a parent, spouse, partner, or sibling. It’s the loss of their own independence. Exploring the Issue Several years […]

My great-granny’s family Bible is old — really old. Somehow it has survived and found its way to my mother. For many families their Bible was where treasures were kept. My mother discovered this while carefully turning the faded fragile pages that date back to the 1800’s. In the pages of that Bible was a […]

A nonprofit that began with the dream of helping Holocaust survivors has expanded its sights to help stamp out the growing epidemic of social isolation. Selfhelp Community Services originated in 1936 with one goal in mind: to help people who were fleeing Nazi Germany forge new lives in their new homes in America. The group’s […]

Last September we decided to get a new heating and air system installed. That was just the beginning of this story! I found out rolling with the punches was a lot easier when I was younger. While we contracted to have the heating and air put in September, it was November before the company had […]

We all have our little quirks — our likes and dislikes. When you’re a caregiver, knowing those little things about your elder can bring them a lot of comfort and joy. Momma will only drink coffee from a percolator. Daddy likes a backscratcher right close to his chair. They’re no different from most of us. […]