An inspirational collection of images about family caregiving, aging, and living life to the fullest!
#Aging
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I recently and un-expectedly discovered that my elderly mother suffers with anxiety. I was sorry to learn about her anxiety as this was not something she had experienced in the past. My siblings and I lightheartedly remark from time to time that we thought our late father was the "worry wart" parent in the family. We also joke with my mom
Let’s be honest, most of us wish we could be living well into our 80s and beyond with our 30-year-old bodies. The aches, pains, and maladies of our elder years replaced by joints full of healthy cartilage and comparatively new organs. We all can appreciate how our bodies age over time. If we are luckier than many we ease into our
There are seven states that do not impose a state income tax. Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming have no state income tax. That means at the end of the fiscal year you will only have to file your federal tax return. No taxes are withheld or owed at the state level for these seven states! New Hampshire
Divorce stinks, but it happens. A lot. Statistics rest the overall divorce rate in the US between forty and fifty percent: falling for younger age groups, higher for second (and subsequent) marriages, and rising for older age groups. Among adults ages 50 and older, the divorce rate has almost doubled since the 1990s. Gray divorce is on
Senior volunteers express a multitude of well-founded reasons for their involvement in community outreach and support programs for the aging population. Many of the usual reasons for volunteering that we are accustomed to hearing apply such as: it can be very rewarding, a desire to give back to the community, or making positive use of
Season passes to local arts or sporting events make perfect gifts for folks who seemingly have everything. Whether they enjoy going to the theatre, concert, or a ballgame your senior parent will enjoy fun-filled evenings out on the town. Imagine your Mom’s delight while tapping her foot at the local musical playhouse or
Commonly referred to as nudist colonies, naturist communities (the preferred locution) are growing in popularity as a retirement option. For obvious reasons they are more commonly found in warmer weather states although they can be found across the lower 48. Naturist resorts, recreation spots, and communities are more popular than one
Have you ever noticed that young children, when uninfluenced by outside sources, will accept others indiscriminately? Children will interact with others unaffected by their new friend’s race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, and/or special abilities (disabilities). Almost as if they are the authors of the
COVID-19 and the Future of Home Care Workers
The home care industry is expanding at a faster than anticipated pace. The aging of the Baby Boomer era partnered with the recent developments of COVID-19 have melded to create an extreme demand for home care and home care professionals.
If you are a family caregiver and just can't seem to get away for that solo vacation, don't hesitate to take your parent with you! Waiting for your siblings to pitch in with Dad's care so you can finally get some stamps in your passport? Ready for Dad to give the nod of approval to a stranger as a respite caregiver so you can sink your
Specifically, at risk of polypharmacy are elderly patients in nursing homes, ambulatory care, and hospitals. Polypharmacy increases the risk of negative health consequences in the elderly. The negative health consequences are numerous and vast. Among a very lengthy list of concerns are dangerous drug interactions, impact on organs,
Your brain is an organ and it ages in relation to how healthy it is. Just as a wide variety of physical activity helps strengthen the heart, muscles, and bones-your brain relies on physical activity of the intellectual type. Intellectual activity strengthens the brain, a lifetime of which will help keep it in shape when you reach old age.
Is Grandpa starting to resemble a troll with his hairy ears? Do Grandma's moles seem to sprout a garden of their own? It is no secret that as we age our hormones fluctuate. Testosterone is a particularly fickle fellow that will have men lose hair on their head as they start to cultivate an abundance on their shoulders. The life cycle of
The easiest option to test out a potential shift in family living is to move Grandma right in! A private room is a must and it is helpful if the oldest member of your household has their own bathroom. Although moving into an existing family home is the "easiest" option for most families while testing the waters of cohabitation, it
Nothing ushers in the upcoming holiday season quite like brightly adorned deciduous trees. Golden yellows, scarlet reds, and oranges of unbelievable hues let us know the heat and humidity of summer are exiting and fall has arrived! If your family is from a place where palm trees prevail then it is likely they have not seen the full
Sometimes it's difficult to eat healthy! There are a variety of reasons for this shortcoming of balanced nutrition. Sometimes it's out of sheer wanton desire to eat a cookie instead of a salad. More often it is because of restricted access to healthier food. Other times lack of ability due to time, energy, and/or desire to prep a balanced
It should come as no surprise that many retirees, after having spent a better portion of their life dealing with harsh winters, toy with the idea of retiring to a place of perpetual summer. The changing of the seasons traded in for endless sunshine. The short winter days of white snow traded in for languorous walks down warm sandy
I find solace in the thought that I could possibly, hopefully, age as gracefully as my dog. He has put on a few pounds in his elder years, and he wears it well. My furry old man looks great in his newfound wrinkles and skin folds and I appreciate his candor as he passes gas any place, any time. He unabashedly wears his thoughts and
Let's face it-air travel isn't what it used to be. Long gone are the days of Pan-Am when Grandpa was a valued customer embarking on an exciting and comfortable journey. Possibly he would start off his exclusive (expensive) flight swilling a bottomless cocktail, smoking a cigarette. Oh yes, how times have changed! Eternally lit no smoking
Hats off to my family and extended family. At least half of us have had a dedicated stint with vegetarianism with a quarter of them (yes, notice the pronoun change) being a dedicated vegetarian for their entire life. My father-in-law is 80 and has been a vegetarian since he was a kid. No religious reasons or medical reasons involved,
Clutter is a temporary state that can be easily amended. Books can be put away, clothes put in their respective spots, papers filed, and miscellaneous "things" put away. "A place for everything and everything in its place" is achievable, but is on a minor (or perhaps extended) hiatus. Clutter is recognized as a provisional status that can
What do you do when under an evacuation order? Managing a household with multiple adults, kids, and pets can be difficult even under the best conditions. Add in an elderly person (or 2) and the situation can become extremely excruciating. Evacuation orders range from very precautionary to mandatory, necessary to avoid life threatening
Ever wonder what you’ll be doing in your golden years? Sitting by the beach reading a book, climbing a summit, shuffleboard champion of the greater Southeast Florida division? There are some very stellar examples of those who would otherwise be considered elderly yet for whom their linear age is but a number. This is both comforting and
Why are Grandpa's ears so big? Some believe that cartilage continues to grow until the day we "shuffle off this mortal coil." While bones undoubtedly stop growing after puberty, cartilage continues to grow sometime in adulthood. By the time cartilage stops growing the skin has started its aging process, which includes the breakdown of
As we approach the full swing of the 2017 holiday season it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. We are keenly aware that there are those less fortunate and we readily drop coins in a kettle and write a tax-deductible donation check to our favorite charitable organizations. We participate in any number of food
If the probability of your elderly loved one safely navigating cooking is panic inducing yet the thought of your senior dining out daily makes your wallet cry and your purse strings seize up, don't distress! There are a variety of viable alternatives to source that can keep your elderly loved one safe and well fed.
Once upon a time, not too long ago, there lived a family in the newly minted suburbs of middle America. Because this was the post-war era the family dynamics were stereotypical for the time: a nuclear family where the Dad went off to work daily (in his Detroit-made car) and Mom stayed home raising their 2 young boys. The 2 boys, Carl
Back in the old days you could hand write a will, have some witnesses attest to your testamentary capacity, sign off, and be done with the legal aspects of passing on. These days, especially with the evolution of a litigious society and the emergence of potentially severe tax ramifications, it is not that simple. Yes, holographic wills
Pepto Bismol is a necessity in our family. We love spicy food; lactose intolerance doesn't hinder us from trying that new flavor of ice cream. We travel a lot and always experiment with local cuisine. Inevitably, somebody will get an upset stomach and Pepto makes the world right again (usually). And while our adventures in gastronomy make
Death with dignity, also called aid-in-dying or the right to die, is a multifaceted and emotionally charged issue that advocates for hastening death with physician-assisted suicide (where the doctor prescribes fatal medication for a patient to take), or euthanasia (when the doctor causes death directly). It is a topic that has been around
Safety Security Pole with Grab Bar is an extremely versatile gift. Use this item strategically throughout the home where needed most by Mom or Dad. In the bathroom, the tension mounted pole and grab bar aides your loved one getting up and down from the commode and also safely transferring in and out of the shower/tub. When easily
Joining the volunteer force may, surprisingly, give something back to your aging parents that they had not even realized was missing in their lives. My 85-year old mother has volunteered for the past twenty-five years at Head Start, Salvation Army, and Hospice. Now she volunteers her time at a local thrift store that funds crisis
Long gone are the days when you had to be wary of the door-to-door sales man. Sorry Willy Loman, nothing personal. Not so long ago the home phone (land line) would ring seemingly every single dinner time, usually mispronouncing your name. Although we always felt obliged to answer, gradually we grew to ditch the polite refusals. With the
Since we cannot control when we depart this earth, most of us have a preference as to where our bodies are laid to rest. When we finally shuffle off this mortal coil, there are a wide variety of options of what to do with our earthly remains.
Most often people will have their bodies buried (below or
Aging is the accumulation of damage to our physiology over time: molecular damage, cell damage, organ damage, etc. Accumulation of damage that slows us down mentally and physically. We become more susceptible to disease, our most essential components break down and deconstruct until one day the sum of the whole is not enough to sustain
Don't discount Baby Boomers and their capacity for tech savvy; remember that Gates, Wozniak, and Jobs are all part of the Baby Boomer generation. Social gaffes are universal and parental embarrassment a rite of passage indelibly passed down through generations. Whereas past generations would be mortified when the ubiquitous family holiday
If your elderly loved one no longer drives, the most ideal option is to have regular home care that includes transport to both scheduled appointments and non-scheduled outings. Transportation to scheduled medical appointments is essential! For non-scheduled, non-emergency transport many seniors still call for a cab. This is a viable
Ever look around and, in amazement, realize that kids are getting younger? It's not just a trick of perception: they are getting younger and you're getting older! In fact, the world is getting older and it's not just due to shifting perspectives. Between 2015 and 2050 the world's population of seniors 60 years old and over will nearly
If the recent events of COVID-19 have taught us nothing else it has reminded us how vulnerable our elderly population is, and how easily germs spread. What may be a sniffle for an adult can easily morph into a serious upper respiratory infection for an older adult. An unidentifiable and seemingly benign cough for a child can spell
Multigenerational living is commonplace throughout most of the world. Filial piety is at the core of Confucian based East Asian cultures and multigenerational living is the norm throughout most of Asia. Joint family living is the status quo in rural Africa, India, and tribal communities throughout the world. Multigenerational living is
Your brain is an organ and it ages in relation to how healthy it is. Just as a wide variety of physical activity helps strengthen the heart, muscles, and bones your brain relies on physical activity of the intellectual type. Intellectual activity strengthens the brain, a lifetime of which will help keep your brain in shape when you reach
It is generally agreed upon that somebody's lifestyle choices are not ours to critique. But let's face it-we do judge. Try as we might not to be in a glass house throwing stones, we can't help but to compare. This is especially true when it comes to entering the homes of others. We should be gracious as somebody opens up their personal
Plan wisely, but remember there is no time like the present! Plan your trip carefully: don’t take your trip of a lifetime to India during monsoon season, if you have crippling allergies steer clear of the Anza Borrego Desert during spring blooms, and be aware of state department (foreign) travel advisories. If you’re waiting for that
Why do Seniors Wake up Early? Many seniors wake up with the sun but admit they have nothing to do and nowhere to go, so why such nonsense you may wonder? Well maybe it's as simple as force of habit due to years of early work schedules. Contrary to popular belief however, seniors actually need less sleep then younger folks as natural
There are locations across the globe where people live longer on average than most others. Commonly referred to as “blue zones” these places are statistical anomalies for life expectancies. Besides being home to some of the oldest populations, these special areas also have some of the healthiest people in the world. In
Ageism is discrimination against people on the basis of their age. Ageism, as it's applied to older people, involves the stereotyping of and prejudice towards our aging loved ones. Ageism is widespread and, unfortunately, so well incorporated into our society that it has become a passively accepted norm. Ageism is an everyday challenge as
Grandma was a life-long resident of the Bronx before, during, and after gentrification. She paid a few hundred dollars a month for her beautiful and spacious home, complete with building elevator. Considered an unbelievable bargain by most, this was a king’s ransom for an elderly widow on a fixed income. For those outside of an
With the holidays swiftly approaching, it is time to get the home ready for visiting family members! While parents of young ones often come equipped with their own supplies such a sippy-cups, baby gates, and diapers the consummate host will also have all the right home preparations and accoutrements for elderly visitors. While one
Homelessness is an unfortunate issue in the United States. Especially vulnerable are the more elderly homeless. How do people wind up on the street in their Golden Years? What can be done to help?
Overall, our nation’s homeless predicament has been decreasing though the last decade. Yet a recent surge in older homeless people is
Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) is alternative medicine used in conjunction with standard treatments. Standard cancer care treatments may include radiation, surgery, and pharmaceuticals. Alternative medicine can include special diets, vitamins, herbal supplements, acupuncture, chiropractic medicine, and therapies such as
Yes, we know that aging is the process of growing old. But what is it? At the biological level, aging is the byproduct of damage to our bodies over time. Physiologically, aging results from damage to the fiber of our being: molecular damage and cell damage, organ damage, etc. It is a snowball effect happening inside our body. Accumulation
He wants deli meat for sandwiches; we buy rotisserie chicken instead: less preservatives, less sodium. Hypertension is a concern, no need for added sodium. I also trade out his potato chips for the low salt version. He wants fish sticks; we buy wild, fresh caught local fish: whole foods are better than processed varieties. Wild fish
