Brain Health

A Story from the Sandwich Generation: Caring for Kids and Parents

Watching out for elders has always come naturally to me. I grew up close to my grandparents, and during my teenage years, my paternal...

Cover of Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. The background is a sepia-toned room. In the foreground is a picture of the author's father, sitting in a contemplative pose with arms crossed. This image is also sepia-toned in browns of different shades. To the right is the book title.

Should You Join Someone With Dementia in Their Reality?

It was not unlike any other day, but on this particular afternoon, Dad was adamant. He was waiting for his medical degree from the...

This indoor picture has a mottled gray background. IN the forground is a head and shourlders image of an older man with a receding hairline and gray hair. He's wearing a black sweater and his eyes are turned downward in a thoughtful expression.

How Dementia Affects Friendships (and What You Can About It)

Memory loss can be one of the first symptoms a person experiences with Alzheimer’s, and those living with Lewy body dementia may also become...

The Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

The only certainty when diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is that a senior’s condition will progressively worsen. The National Alzheimer’s Association has developed a very...

Respecting the Right to Age With Dignity

The impact of aging frequently makes the news. Sadly, the coverage is consistently negative, and all facets of this topic are portrayed as “problems”...

We see a very closeup image of harp-like stringed instrument

Music-Thanatology: Providing Harmony at the End of Life

The mission of hospice providers is to help people live their last months or weeks of life in the most comfortable, dignified, and satisfying...

An older woman is sitting in an easy chair but leaning slightly forward and to her right side. She has short steel-gray hair with whispy bangs, grazing her forehead. Her expression is annoyed, as she holds her hands over her ears. has an annoyed expression

5 Tips for Safeguarding Ear Health

Hearing problems don’t just happen to the very old. Boomers, as well as their parents, need to pay attention to ear health. Working with...

This black and white image has a dark background. In the right foreground, we see an older man with short likely graying hair parted on the side, the front grazing his forehead. We see a wrinkled brow and frustrated expression on his face. He appears to be wearing a pull-over sweatshirt with a drawstring.

Aphasia: Speech Problems Caused by Brain Injury

My uncle was an avid reader and loved playing word games. After a series of strokes, he had extreme difficulty communicating. The worst part...

This indoor image shows two cupped hands containg small pills. One is a white capsule, one is a small round orange tablet.

Losing the Ability to Swallow: How to Help Someone With Dysphagia

Coping with an ill loved one’s difficulty swallowing can be frustrating and frightening for everyone involved. Caring for someone we love means nurturing and...

This image is the cover of "Bringing Art to Life" by Daniel Potts. Close up on the left, we see a bright yellow sphere, with orage on top. Further down is more yellow with splotches of color on the left. The sphere could be a hat or a paint pallet. The cover art is slightly abstractt.

Dementia Can Open the Door to Artistic Expression

The treatment of people with dementia has changed dramatically since I first became personally involved with the disease. It’s now widely recognized that while...