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, […]

There are not many things that an older loved one loves more than looking at family photos. My parents can spend hours looking through the photo albums and act like I’ve given them an awesome gift when I print out the newest pictures of their great-grandkids. For many years now my daughter has given me […]

My glamorous friend’s glamorous mother died recently at age 90. She was known, among other things, for her youthful appearance, which allowed her to bluff about the true number of years she’d lived, even to herself, for her entire lifetime. Her secret, which she revealed to her daughter only on her deathbed: “Whatever you do […]

Updated June 2025 Communities craving ways to keep their senior residents — and to keep them engaged and engaging — could learn a lesson from Oak Park, Illinois, a village with a population of 52,000 just west of Chicago. Boosters on its website claim that Oak Park “boasts excellent schools, world class architecture, shopping, dining, […]

What’s that old saying? Trouble comes in threes? When it comes to older loved ones, that number could be more like five or six! Ignoring a little problem can turn into a huge one quickly with seniors. Take my mother. She’s one of the strongest people I know, yet when she ignored the subtle signs […]