Depression

How to Fight Loneliness by Making Connections

    Libby had taught the junior grades for 30 years, and she’d loved it. Certainly, she saw problems today which had been unknown when her career began, but she’s done her research and had learned new approaches. Kids were kids, after all, and they needed encouragement and for someone to believe in them. And […]

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How to Eradicate Boredom and Find Purpose for Elders

 Walter looked out the window but he didn’t notice the lush green of the garden. It had rained for three days straight, sometimes with thunderstorms, and the grey skies suited his mood. The weather had kept him inside and he couldn’t think of a thing he wanted to do. The book he had started a

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Practical Ways to Turn Helplessness into Independence

     Unlike most of the female population, I hate shopping. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say I hate going into stores, because Amazon and I have an “up close and personal” relationship. But there is one store that will get me out of the house in a minute–my local garden centre.       As

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Including Elders in Summer Fun Doesn’t Need to be Complicated

     Take a guess. Of all the activities and trips I planned over the years for the frail elderly population I served, which was the most popular?      The garden centre.      We rented a bus because it was necessary with wheelchairs, but we didn’t go far. A large garden centre situated

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How to Recognize Ageism in Every Part of Your Life

Does ageism matter? A few jokes and memes. People poking fun at their own infirmities? Should I lighten up?      It matters because ageism is the last “acceptable” prejudice. It occupies our society, our workplaces, our government, and is so invasive that we don’t recognize it a lot of the time. It becomes an

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9 Reasons Why Your Elder With Dementia Might Be Struggling

     “He’s coming again.” The care partner passing my desk said the words as if commenting on the weather, or telling me she was going for lunch. I knew exactly what she meant.      George loved to wander in his wheelchair, and if he made it past my desk, he would create havoc

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Three Practical Ways to Improve Your Health in 2026

Have you ever laid awake at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., willing yourself to go back to sleep? Trying to think of meadows of blowing grass or rolling waves–anything to induce slumber? This happens to me frequently. I fall asleep quickly, but during my first bathroom trip, a little switch in my brain trips, and I

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How to Find the Passion that Leads to Purpose After Retirement

    As a teenager, cleaning the finished part of our basement fell to me. Dusting the bookcase was my least favourite because it contained old books, an ancient clock, the family Bible and other treasures which took forever to clean. One day, when accomplishing this hated task, I came across a brown folder full

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How to Find and Celebrate the Person Behind a Dementia Diagnosis

My parents both had many siblings, so when we got together for a family picnic, the aunts, uncles and cousins were everywhere. We’d gathered at a local park, and plates of salads and desserts filled the wooden picnic tables. One of the uncles stood barbecuing hot dogs nearby. Happy chaos ensued.      Until it

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How to Recognize and Begin to Overcome Caregiver Stress

“It takes a village to raise a child.” African proverb Care partners need a village, too. A group of sometimes unrelated people who in ways, big or small, pour into their elder. I can hear you. “Yes, that sounds lovely. But I have no village. There’s only me.” That’s a recipe for disaster. This month,

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