Aging comes to us all. What makes solo aging different is the need to be more proactive about arranging for help. Twenty-two percent of older adults acknowledge they will need to take care of themselves. (Even if you are partnered now or have children, you are wise to consider the possibility of solo aging because, well, things can change … death, divorce, estrangement. In that light, we are all potential solo agers.) …
Concerns about an older parent’s well-being are normal. Striking the right balance between supporting independence and ensuring safety can be a struggle for adult children. One of the most common reasons adult children reach out to us is when a parent, who obviously needs help, refuses it.
When we see changes in our parents, it’s usually a sign that something has shifted. …
When Your Parent Refuses Help: How to move forwardRead More »
Here are a few of many reasons we love libraries.
We see it every day at Aging Wisdom, the subtle and profound ways knowledge empowers our clients, their families, our colleagues, and the allied professionals with whom we work.
For our clients, being informed and knowledgeable builds confidence. The more they know, the better they understand changes in health, evaluate options, manage difficult situations, make more informed choices and wiser decisions. …
It’s National Library Week: “There’s More to the Story”Read More »
Aging Wisdom is bursting with pride to announce that our founder and principal, Lisa Mayfield, has received the Adele Elkind Lifetime Achievement Award from the Aging Life Care Association (ALCA).
This is the highest honor from ALCA. The Adele Elkind Award criteria considers the number of years a member is active in the care management field, the individual’s commitment to promoting and advancing the practice of Aging Life Care professionals, leadership, professionalism, support, and mentoring. …
Whether caregiving for a family member, friend, or neighbor, anyone who has been in the role of caring for another understands that stress is a natural part of the journey.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) stress can be defined as “a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives. Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way we respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to our overall well-being.” …
Once you get beyond the sentimental value of your belongings, you are still up against the logistics of how to get things out of your nest. Some stuff is easier to pass along to family than other stuff. Options for what’s left over: Sell, donate, or just “get rid of it!”
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Image courtesy of Allyson Valentine Schrier
Last month, our colleague Wendy looked at the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia. One of the types of dementia Wendy listed was Frontotemporal Dementia, or FTD.
Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is not well-known, but it’s been in the news recently. In February, the family of much-beloved actor Bruce Willis announced that he was diagnosed with FTD.
A year earlier he had been diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects the ability to speak and to understand language. The symptoms have since progressed and are no longer limited to difficulty with communication, leading to his more recent diagnosis of FTD.
What is Frontotemporal Dementia or Disorders (FTD)? …
Actor Bruce Willis has Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). What is FTD?Read More »
What is a long-distance caregiver?
Anyone who cares for a parent, other relative, or for a friend can be a care partner. If you live an hour’s drive or more away from a person who needs your support, you’re a long-distance care partner or caregiver.
What can a care partner do from a distance?
Each situation is different, but a long-distance caregiver role may include: …
Spend time with Herb “ConsumerMan” Weisbaum and it will always include a pearl of wisdom. Herb lives, eats, and breathes consumer news.
After 22 years and about 6,500 daily consumer tips, recently Herb hung up his headset for the last time and retired from Northwest Newsradio (KNWN). Thankfully, he’s still writing for Consumers’ Checkbook and hosting their bi-weekly Consumerpedia podcast. If you visit Herb’s ConsumerMan website, you can sign up for his free weekly newsletter and stay up to date on the latest consumer news.
“It’s just enough to stay busy but leaves me with plenty of time to have a little fun, spend more time with the family, and do some charity work,” Herb shared recently on the ConsumerMan Facebook page.
How did Herb find his way to reporting consumer news and to Seattle? I had the pleasure of interviewing Herb recently and learned his story. …
Herb “ConsumerMan” Weisbaum Helps Us Be Wiser ConsumersRead More »
Change is the only constant. And as we enter our later years, it seems the changes are more frequent. Before writing Life Is in the Transitions, Bruce Feiler interviewed 225 individuals to gain a sense of the ways people navigate disruption across the lifespan. He found that we experience roughly thirty-six transitions in a lifetime, averaging one every twelve to eighteen months. Often several pile up at once, especially when we are older. Common transitions for older adults include a shift in health or ability, a marital change (death or divorce), a new housing situation, or a drop in expected income. …