Month: September 2021
Did you know that we usually outlive our ability to drive safely by six to ten years? As we age, we naturally modify how we drive to address physical changes: Stiff joints, poor vision, slow reflexes. But a time will come when it’s simply unwise to continue behind the wheel.
We do plenty of planning and preparation before retiring from work. Similarly, it’s smart to take a moment and consider the probability that you may not be driving your last few years. How can you retire from driving without giving up an active life? …
Uncertainty is scary. When we encounter uncertainty and change, the sympathetic nervous system is often engaged. This is what triggers “flight or fight.”
When a threat is perceived, we have a stress response. Conversations about change, like a move to a retirement community, can be that stressor, that trigger. …
Uncertainty is Scary. Uncertainty Might Be Why Your Parent is Resisting A Move.Read More »
We humans are hardwired to routine. We like things to be predictable. Change IS hard. And change is harder as we age.
During the COVID-19 pandemic we’ve learned a lot about change. It is inevitable. Our brains can quickly go on overload when the world is evolving at such a rapid pace. We’ve had to change too many things at once. It’s difficult. Uncomfortable. …
It’s Falls Prevention Awareness Week. With Fall officially starting this Wednesday, it’s a great reminder to review the common causes of falls as well as what we can do to lower our risk, prevent injury, and stay out of the emergency department.
A recent national poll on healthy aging conducted by the University of Michigan suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to a decline in physical activity and functioning among older adults. Declines in physical condition and mobility can increase the risk for falls. …
The popularity of books such as “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning” and programs like “Tidying Up with Maria Kondo” have many of us rethinking our possessions and living environments. The idea of organizing, downsizing or “rightsizing” takes on a particular urgency if we are anticipating helping our parents prepare for a move to a senior living or long-term care community.
It can be anxiety-provoking to contemplate how you will help your parents organize their belongings and move from a single-family home or condo to an apartment or room. The challenge might even cause you to ignore or delay the issue all together.
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Should It Stay or Should It Go? Making Peace with Our ‘Stuff’Read More »