Seniors Discovering—and Rediscovering—Marijuana

Joy Crowley took her first puff of marijuana last year, sometime after she turned 79. While recovering from hip replacement surgery a few years ago, she had a serious adverse reaction to the medications prescribed for pain, as well as many over-the-counter medications “all the way down to Aleve.” She now suffers from arthritis throughout […]

Caring for Orphaned Kittens Gives Seniors with Dementia Purpose

A wonderful match has been made between kittens and a community of elderly people in an Arizona senior living center. Rebecca Hamilton, the health service director at Catalina Springs in Arizona, is also a committed foster parent to animals in her community. Her love for the volunteer job got her thinking — why not pair […]

Grannies and Granddads of Another Kind

Perhaps you’re like me and always had an adopted grandparent living in your neighborhood. With all my grandparents two thousand miles away, I was lonely for older folks as a child. Fortunately for me, there were always a few around who took the time to talk to me and listen to me and make me […]

Can People With “Diminished Capacity” Make Legal Documents?

More seniors are taking care of business by making legal documents specifying that their money, property and medical care be managed and distributed as they direct. But as their numbers have swelled, so have the challenges by outsiders — usually family members spoiling for a fight — that they lacked the mental capacity required for […]

The Blue Christmas and Holiday Grief

No one wants sadness to be part of the holidays — no one. Grief has its own agenda and everyone goes through it differently. It’s not a like you can turn off the grief faucet. Even time cannot heal all the hurts you feel inside especially during the holiday season, a time for family and […]

Virtues and Vices of Gambling Among Seniors

Make a mid-day, midweek visit to a casino in any one of the 40 states that have them and you’re likely to see a sight you might not have expected: seniors crowded in at the slot machines, the industry’s biggest revenue producers. Some are beckoned there by the targeted tantalizing lures such as Senior Days […]

The Art of Delegation – A Necessity for Care Givers and Holiday Cooks

Okay, I know you’re a really good cook and no one can do it better, but is it worth it to do it all yourself? Trying to fix the whole dinner for Thanksgiving or Christmas is like trying to take care of an older loved one single-handedly. The results of the food may be good […]

Where Do You Go to Get – Back Home?

Where we grow up stays with us forever. Sometimes even where your parents grew up has a huge impact on your life. When my folks say “back home,” there’s no doubt in my mind where they mean, even though they’ve lived in California for over 60 years. Back home is the hills of Oklahoma. Where […]

Holiday Traditions – What’s Your Favorite?

Holiday traditions are a wonderful way to bring the past alive and give so much to future generations. When we marry or enter a new season of life, sometimes those old traditions get a little lost along the way. I love hearing about my parents’ memories of their childhood Christmases. Even though their families had […]

Do the 2016 Election Results Change Tax Strategies for Seniors?

Visitors to SeniorCareAdvice.com have been asking us if they should “do something” about their own or an elderly family member’s taxes in light of the recent Presidential election and the statements made by now President-elect, Donald Trump. It is natural for people to want some advice in terms of how the election results will impact […]