Moving Parents

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I received a phone call the other day, during which the caller posed this question to me: “Rabbi Saulson,” she asked, “Am I obligated to care for my aging father—a man who behaved viciously to my mother, my siblings and me throughout our lives?” Continue reading “Caring for a parent despite the past” »

With the start of a brand new year, it’s time to re-evaluate the needs of your aging mom and dad. A few minutes’ time invested on the front end will pay off in less stress on you, the adult caregiver, and even more important, in the knowledge that your parents’ care will not fall through the cracks of your own busy life.

Everyone’s family situation is different, of course, but here is a basic list of areas to consider: Continue reading “Planning For the Year Ahead With Your Aging Mom and Dad” »

Now that the heat of summertime has descended over most of the country like a heavy wool blanket, I thought it would be good to review some safety tips, specifically geared toward the elderly. According to the CDC, of the roughly 3,500 people who die from the effects of heat exhaustion each year, the elderly (and the aging) are those who are most at risk.

By now you are aware of the fact that you are no longer dealing with your mom or dad at their peak physical form, and yet you may also still have a mobile, active family to consider this summer as well. How can you handle both? Continue reading “Summer Safety Tips” »

Joining us on his birthday, Rabbi Scott Saulson has been around the world a few times…literally!  Born in Michigan and raised in Miami Beach, Rabbi Saulson returned to his roots to earn his degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  After college he spent time in the Peace Corps in Micronesia (a group of islands in the western Pacific Ocean).  He returned to the US to continue his education, earning an MA from Miami University, and then attending seminary at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.  Launching his rabbinic career, Rabbi Saulson served congregations in Israel, Guatemala and South Africa.  Upon returning to the US, he became the Community Chaplain at Jewish Family & Career Services, serving them for 14 years.  In 2007, Rabbi Saulson founded Moving Parents, an organization that “helps adult children and their parents get unstuck so they can move beyond where they ever imagined.”  To find out more, please visit his website at www.movingparents.org.  You can also reach him via telephone at (770) 335-2311.

CLICK HERE to read the full article and listen to the interview!

Greetings! I wanted to take a moment to welcome back loyal readers of my blog, where I note newsworthy topics relating to the subject of aging parents and the “sandwich generation” taking care of them today. I am looking forward to my renewed blogging schedule, so please keep checking back (or sign up for my RSS feed on my Home page) for updated posts.

It takes a village: an alternative to assisted living?
Continue reading “It Takes a Village” »

How to put the Jingle back in your Holiday Bells: Advice for Stressed-out Caregivers this Holiday Season

According to a poll on AgingCare.com, an online community for folks who are caring for their aging parents, the pressures of the holiday season reap more stress on this particular category of people from Thanksgiving through the New Year holiday than at any other time during the year. The results of this poll are downright scary: Continue reading “How to put the Jingle back in your Holiday Bells” »

According to statistics, two distinct populations are responsible for most car crashes in the United States: teenage drivers and the elderly.  The elderly are far more likely to suffer or cause fatalities in these accidents (at the rate of 60-70 percent more), due to the physical side effects of aging.  These physical side effects include hearing loss, vision loss and impairment, as well as slower reaction times and dexterity due to medications, chronic illness and/or the natural process of growing older. Make no mistake; these issues will impact a person’s driving skills. The question is: “When?”

Continue reading “Taking Away the Keys: 10 Signs that it’s time” »

Among the nearly 75 million elderly in the U.S. today, more than 70 percent wish to remain in their own homes as they age, according to a study by AARP. And why wouldn’t they? For most seniors, their homes have been a place of joy and comfort for many decades. It’s where children were raised, family dinners were served, holidays and special occasions were celebrated. Their homes are where they and their cherished possessions reside; their homes are where they wish to remain steadfastly until the end of their lives.

Continue reading “Aging in Place” »

The Boomerang Generation — otherwise known as adult children who move back in with mom and dad due to the hardships of today’s economy. Typically these boomerangs are 20-somethings who are facing financial and career challenges, but with the economic downturn of the past few years, adult children of all ages have been looking to mom and dad for a place to live.

But what happens when it’s the aging parents who need their adult child to move back home in order to assist with household and self-care duties? This “new” trend is quietly building. In days gone by and especially in other cultures, extended families sharing one home has been quite common place. Only in the past several decades of excess wealth, available real estate and affordable housing has it become de rigor for couples and their own children to live separately.

Continue reading “Moving (Back) in with Mom and Dad: Sometimes, you can go home again!” »

As a member of the “sandwich generation,” or those adults caring for their own families while struggling to help care for their aging parents at the same time, you may be coming to terms with the fact that your mother or father has become more gloomy with age.

This is normal, right?

Wrong.

Continue reading “Depression in the elderly” »