Tag Archives: elderly

Your Aging Parents: What to do when You’ve Got Nothing to Talk About

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Debbie Held

How often do you speak with your aging parent(s)? Now, I’m not referring to those quickie phone calls in which you make sure that Mom’s caretaker has been showing up and that her groceries are being delivered. What I want … Continue reading →

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Your Aging Parents and Technology: Taking Away Their Electronic Devices

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Debbie Held

Being a caretaker or decision maker for your elderly parents means having to make difficult choices, all in the name of safety—your parents,’ and those around them. Taking away their car keys is one such example; but have you ever … Continue reading →

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Your Aging Parent and Serious Medical Conditions: 6 Life Management Strategies

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Debbie Held

Aging is challenging all on its own, but it’s that much more complicated when a serious illness is added to the mix. As the adult child and main caregiver of an elderly parent who is facing a serious medical diagnosis … Continue reading →

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Your Aging Parents: 8 Simple Brain Exercises to Improve Memory or Slow Down Its Loss

Posted on January 2, 2019 by Debbie Held

We all know that physical exercise is important to our bodies’ wellbeing, but did you know that cognitive stimulation is equally important to the health of our brains? Experts say that the brain can be strengthened through targeted exercise, just … Continue reading →

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Suicide in The Elderly: Risk Factors and Warning Signs

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Debbie Held

The recent suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain—both people whose lives seemed full and rich in every sense of the word, have helped to open the topic of suicide up for discussion across dinner tables all over the world. … Continue reading →

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Strange Behavior in Your Aging Parent: It May Not be What You Think

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Debbie Held

As I have written here in the past, common medical conditions can manifest quite differently in the elderly than they do among the general population. Whereas an ongoing headache and fever after a cold of flu would indicate a likely … Continue reading →

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Working Through Sibling Rivarly to Care for Aging Parents

Posted on October 28, 2017 by Debbie Held

Recently, I counseled a woman who was struggling with the ever-increasing demands of caring for her aging parents while trying to manage her own family’s needs. “Mia” has two young children, a husband, and a full-time job—in addition to her … Continue reading →

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Why Your Aging Parents Need a Voice-Activated Home Speaker

Posted on July 30, 2017 by Debbie Held

While voice-activated smart speakers (Amazon’s Alexa-enabled Echo  and Google Home)  were not created specifically with senior citizens in mind, these fairly inexpensive gizmos are a futuristic dream come true for any member of the sandwich generation who is caring for … Continue reading →

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Are You a Caretaker? Make Your Life Seem Calmer in Less Than 30 Minutes a Day

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Debbie Held

By now we all understand why the term “sandwich generation” was coined. It’s an apt description of living life as the main caregiver for two generations, one above and one below. This person is sandwiched in-between his or her two … Continue reading →

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Surprise! Paying an Unannounced Visit to Your Aging Parent and Caregiver

Posted on August 21, 2016 by Debbie Held

Have you ever dropped in unannounced, just to check on your aging parent and his or her caregiver? If not, you should. There is so much more to true daily caregiving beyond just feeding, dressing and medicating a patient. Environment … Continue reading →

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