Supporting all who care for elders
Vera sat in the easy chair in her room and allowed her mind to wander to the many times she’d felt she had no control of her life. Even when her physical body could bounce back, she’d struggled emotionally with the feeling before. Her mind took her back to when her first husband left her […]
Has Our Solution to Hospital Overcrowding Created Painful Loneliness for Elders? Read More »
During the winter of 2020, I thought I was going to die. Although pandemic hysteria ripped through every news broadcast and social media, I took all the precautions and didn’t think I would die of Covid. Loneliness was the virus that attacked my body, my emotions and my mental health and led me to despair,
The dangers of aching loneliness in elders and how to help Read More »
“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Want to turn this mild mannered grandma into a fire-breathing maniac? It will happen if you use this worn out cliche in respect to elders. Besides the utter disrespect of it (“Old dog?” Ex-cuse me??) it’s not true. Not even a little bit. Although it’s true that
How to Beat Depression in Elders with “New Tricks” Read More »
The first time I held one, it immediately slipped out of my hand. A tube filled with liquid, it slid down the middle of itself and gravity sent it flying to the ground. Afraid I’d broken the thing, I picked it up, only to have it slip out again. Long before fidget toys were invented,
Why Diagnosing Depression in Elders is Like Holding a Wiggly Fidget Toy Read More »
When I think of wise people, Gertrude comes to mind. A simple lady without post-secondary education, she became best friends with Evelyn. I sometimes wonder if she sat in the blue lounge chair in her room one night and thought, “Evelyn needs me.” and set out to help. Quiet and gentle, she was also blind,
How to Defeat the Monster of Depression in Your Elder Read More »
Some blessings are obvious, but some can take me longer to recognize. My story: The blessing of Jean I worked at a retirement home when I first met Jean. She lived in an independent apartment upstairs and once-a-month she’d call to book a room for her church meeting. Always gracious on the phone, she remained
How to Find Blessing in the Burden of Care Read More »
Sheryl slumped against the back of the couch. The world felt like such a scary place. New variants of the virus, thousands of deaths in India and now the U.K.’s numbers were escalating. Her own community faced a lockdown which the government had extended before the last one ended. Were the schools safe for her
Pandemic Mental Health–How to Focus on What You Can Control Read More »
Someday, the pandemic will be over. Someday, we will enjoy family dinners and hug our grandchildren and tuck our masks away at the back of our underwear drawer. Someday, future generations will study this horrific time and wonder how we lived through it. What did we learn? Each of us will have our own take
Loneliness and Isolation Among Our Elders: How do We Battle the Assault? Read More »
When the pandemic started, we panicked. Each day, the numbers of those getting sick–horribly, devastatingly sick, and dying, were climbing. Messages bombarded us from all sides about how to stay safe and we listened to them all. Wash your hands unceasingly, don’t touch your face, wash your groceries or leave them in the garage for
Newsflash! Loneliness More Deadly Than Pneumonia in the Elderly Read More »
They are everywhere but you may not know them. It might be the person in the next office at work, ahead of you in the grocery line-up or living on your street. They might be your friends or your parents. They are living with chronic pain, and you may not be aware. If you are,
How I Learned Authentic Lessons From Being in Chronic Pain Read More »