Beginning at a tender age, one of the most difficult feelings to contend with is the nebulous one of being left out of the mainstream. And the cut seems unkindest of all when it happens to older people who by dint of design or sometimes their own mounting challenges in seeing, hearing, and getting around […]

If you want memories to last a lifetime — take a trip with your parents and your kids and just for fun — squeeze in a few grandkids! Growing up, vacations meant going to Oklahoma all the way from good old California. I was usually in the back of a station wagon watching the different […]

Once the presents are ripped open and the food is consumed, my mama can’t wait to get her tree down and just get her whole life back to normal. But mama has daddy. For those who live alone, getting past the holidays can be lonely. Once January hits, so does the cold weather with its […]

It’s often called the Silent Epidemic — the various scams and schemes used to bilk seniors out of their money and valuables. “Silent” because the victims, often frail and vulnerable older people, are more often than not too frightened, too embarrassed or too ashamed to tell anyone — including family members and friends — that […]

When the weather outside is frightful, it’s time to get creative. Did you ever wish you could learn to crochet, quilt or learn a foreign language? Winter is a great time to stretch those mind muscles and melt the winter blues. Everyone is now concerned with memory loss and dementia. There are so many things […]

Well today is the first day of winter but many of us have been “cold” for a while now. Seniors are especially sensitive to the cold so layer on the sweaters and blankets to keep them comfortable. Even mild hypothermia can be dangerous to seniors who account for 60 percent of hypothermia deaths. During the […]

I am so inspired by the way many senior communities are thinking outside the box to enrich the lives of seniors. The latest two that touched my heart are about chickens and four-year-olds. People don’t have to be alone to feel lonely and many in assisted living fight depression because they feel alone. These two […]

Our strongest link to past memories lies just at the end of our noses. Smell is that one sense that can help us remember our childhood experiences, and it’s especially true of Christmas! Artificial trees can be beautiful but they lack one thing — the smell of Christmas! Just a sniff and a whiff of […]

The term “helicopter parents” was coined to describe those parents who “hover,” like helicopters, to make sure their kids succeed. Now those helicopter parents, as members of the sandwich generation, find themselves caught in the middle, caring for both kids and aging parents. So they have been transformed into helicopter kids. “Sometimes I sense panic […]