Author: Keri Pollock
It’s Falls Prevention Awareness Week, a national health campaign with the goal of increasing awareness around falls and injury prevention. As we transition from summer to fall, it’s a perfect reminder to engage in a personal falls prevention review.
Falls preventions is a team effort. Engage your family and friends, healthcare provider, pharmacist, and eye doctor to help. Care managers like me are always ready to offer guidance as well. …
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, an opportunity to discuss this often-stigmatized topic. Let’s use this awareness to spread hope and critical information to people affected by suicide.
Understanding the reasons someone may consider suicide, recognizing the warning signs, and knowing how to support someone with suicidal thoughts can go a long way in getting the person who is struggling the help and support they need. …
Suicide Prevention Awareness: Recognizing risk in older adultsRead More »
As a Girl Scout, I learned how to put the motto “Be prepared” into practice. It has served me well throughout life, especially as I’ve gotten older.
The motto has also served as a good reminder to prepare for a summer of heatwaves, potential health emergencies, and our occasional power outages. These always seems to catch us off-guard.
Here are a few strategies from the Aging Wisdom Safety Committee that we’ve implement on behalf of clients as well as in our own homes. We think you’ll find these helpful too: …
It’s unlikely the name Sonora Smart Dodd rings any bells, but she is credited with the founding of Father’s Day. As a result of her work, the first Father’s Day was held on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington. On Father’s Day we can celebrate all dads, be they biological dads, stepdads, uncles, brothers, adopted dads, mentors, coaches, and other important people in our lives.
One of my favorite ways to celebrate and honor those who have made an impact is through story. Storytelling is considered the oldest art form. Stories invites us to share experiences, express emotions, pass along traditions and wisdom, make sense of the world, and entertain. …
“Arts can both reshape how people think about aging and also foster growth and meaning in late life.” ~Anne Basting, PhD, Creative Care: A Revolutionary Approach to Dementia and Elder Care
A person living with dementia experiences a shift in their perception of the world due to changes in the brain. Most of us know or have known someone living with dementia. While Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type, there are different forms, and each individual living with dementia possesses a wide spectrum of abilities and experiences.
Since 2010, Seattle’s Frye Art Museum has developed and led Creative Aging programs that range from small group experiences in the galleries and art studio to one-on-one artmaking in residential care communities to conferences and workshops on creativity, dementia, and healthy aging. …
Does this sound familiar? It’s a new year. You sit down and thoughtfully write a list of resolutions: Lose 20 pounds by June. Go vegan. Take yoga classes twice a week. Organize your living space. Reserve one hour each day for reading. Stop cussing!
I love lists
Lists keep me focused. Lists help me prioritize projects and meet deadlines. They keep me on budget when I go grocery shopping. My lists are lifesavers, especially in this somewhat chaotic, unpredictable, pandemic-challenged world.
The one list that doesn’t help, however, is my annual list of New Year’s resolutions. Sigh … this is the list by which I can no longer abide. …
The holidays are upon us. With them come family gatherings—a perfect time to engage in intergenerational activities as they offer some of the best opportunities for memorable, meaningful connection.
What are some of your favorite childhood holiday memories? Likely they involved an older family member who delighted you with stories, festive foods, or a fun activity. …
Engage the Generations to Make Holiday Memories and Celebrate TraditionsRead More »
The holidays are busy, filled with activity, traditions, and visits with family and friends. It’s often the time when those who live apart geographically can spend extended, precious time together.
If you haven’t seen the older adults in your life over several months or years, it’s not unusual to notice changes until you are together for a few hours or days. You may observe uncharacteristic behavior, lifestyle changes, and routines. …
Home for the Holidays? Signs Your Parents May Need HelpRead More »
Fear of losing independence and freedom are common refrains we hear from clients when the topic of moving to a retirement community is proposed.
Your parents may be resistant to the idea because they have an image of the traditional medical model nursing home in mind when you mention a supportive living community. It’s not unusual to perceive a senior living as restrictive.
The reality is quite different. A move to a community often results in greater independence. …
A Move to a Retirement Community Could Mean More Independence for Your ParentRead More »
In Counting on Kindness: The Dilemmas of Dependency, author Wendy Lustbader takes a deep dive into the world of older adults who, through illness or disability, are dependent on others for survival. First published in 1991, Counting on Kindness is as relevant today as it was then—perhaps even more so considering the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Lustbader shares in the preface, “The chief consequence of dependency is that we are forced to count on the kindness of others.”
As independent as we may think we are, the past 16-plus months have helped many of us recognize how interdependent and dependent we are on the kindness of others. …
From Independence to Interdependence: Counting on the Kindness of OthersRead More »