Supporting all who care for elders
I had a plan. If I’d had a choice, I would have continued to work. I loved my job, derived great purpose from what I did and wasn’t emotionally ready to give it up. But severe arthritis and chronic pain showed me it was time. I didn’t want my team having to carry the load […]
How Finding Purpose After Retirement Gives Life Flavour and Sparkle Read More »
It began with a fall. Abby got the call at work and rushed to the hospital to meet the ambulance that brought her mother there. Mom had gone out to take the garbage to the curb and had slipped on some black ice. The kids had all left for school and the street was deserted,
Finding the Care You Need to Stay in Your Home Read More »
Roger’s moods hadn’t gone unnoticed. But help came from an unexpected source. Jenna picked up the call at work. The voice on the other end of the line hesitated. “Hi, This is George McDuff. You don’t know me, but I’m a friend of your dad’s. We play cards together on Wednesdays.” Jenna’s “worry meter” immediately
How to Overcome the Stigma of Mental Health Issues in the Elderly Read More »
When my dad was in university taking his pharmacy degree, he took an elective in art. I remember years later finding a folder with pencil and charcoal drawings from that time. Astounded, I discovered he had remarkable talent. Talent he never once pursued in all the years of building a business and raising a family.
7 Positive Ways for Elders to Attain A Connection Read More »
“No.” All her life, Maggie had been in the middle of everything. A little raucous and “off the wall,” irreverent and fun, full of life. But life had almost drained from her, and as a widow, blind and in a wheelchair, she didn’t bubble as she used to. She barely simmered most days. So when
How to Find Variety in Community For Your Elder Read More »
“What happens in knitting group stays in knitting group.” Seriously? What crimes could possibly be committed in knitting group? Perhaps not crimes, but lots of interesting stories and long held secrets emerged while needles clacked. What? I can’t tell, because, what happens in knitting group… Last week we looked at the benefits of creativity for
Finding Creativity for Your Elder in Unexpected Places Read More »
Barbara had a bad attitude her entire life, and it didn’t improve when she struggled with dementia. Snarky, sometimes mean, but also needy and wanting all the attention all the time, she’d always looked after herself. Now she couldn’t, and she wasn’t gracious about it. Even her dementia didn’t stop her from making snide remarks
How Creativity Opens New Worlds for Elders with Dementia Read More »
Something about this quiet, gentle man intrigued me. I saw unconventional in his grey pony tail, I saw intelligence in his perceptive questions, but my overwhelming impression was a penetrating sadness. His wife of many years had moved to our floor because her dementia meant it wasn’t safe for her to live alone with him.
Dementia Has a Name, But It’s Not Your Elder’s. Read More »
I want to be an elder with a cape. You know the ones I mean? The man in his 90s who completed a marathon. The woman in her 80s with the hot, incredible body who moves with grace on the balance beam. She’s more flexible than I was at, well, ever. The nurse who works
Maybe We Don’t Understand Ageing. Are Elders Really Superheroes? Read More »
In the week after my husband died, several milestones occurred, each bringing its own white-hot pain. Meeting with the pastor and the funeral director to plan a service. Entering the casket room and picking out a plain, pine box. Writing out the words to say at the service. Saying those words. Greeting people afterwards. Talking
Did You Know Your Elder Can Care For You? Read More »