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. […]

Christmas at the Everett’s is always, always chaos. You add in the ten grandkids with their new walkie-talkies and all clad in gummy boots and you have a hoot and a holler. I’ve written often about my ten grandkids. They are pure joy. The oldest two are 15 and the youngest is almost three. You […]

It’s great to see old friends and catch up on their latest news but what’s just as fun is remembering those “good old days” when you were young. Ask anyone about some of their firsts and you will get a trip down memory lane! We think we know all about our beloved elders but I […]

In simpler times, there was simpler advice for staying healthy: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” The proverb can be traced back more than 150 years, when Notes and Queries, a noted academic correspondence magazine, first published a wordier rhyming version in its February 1866 issue: “Eat an apple on going to bed, […]