Elder Care Cafe

Do you ever feel like life has passed you by? Is there something you always wanted to do, but you feel at your age it’s too late? Well, I have good news for you.

Although I have not yet read his book, I came across the announcement that 79-year-old Bob Frey just published his first novel. He has written a classic mystery story called The DVD Murders, and is getting some pretty good reviews. [Read more →]

In the I’m-not-really-too-surprised department, the US Census Bureau released data recently indicating that the world is on the brink of an explosion of senior citizens throughout the world and in the US.

We have known for quite some time that the baby boomer tsunami was coming through, so it’s not really a surprise that the US must gear up for the increase, by some estimates 40 percent in the next five years. [Read more →]

According to a recent national study, not only does having few friends lead to poor health in some older adults, feeling lonely can cause even greater health risks.

Research provided by the University of Chicago links the emotionally lethal combination of loneliness and few friends to poor mental and physical health in the elderly. [Read more →]

Most people at one time or another have experienced the feeling of loneliness. Being alone can be a positive or negative experience for a person depending on whether they are alone by choice.

Loneliness, however, can occur when someone experiences strong feelings of emptiness, even when one is in the midst of a crowd. [Read more →]

A recent article on WebMD reveals there is finally good news for those who are overweight. They have a tendency to outlive those who are underweight, normal weight, or obese.

Based on the body mass index (BMI) scores, compared to people who are normal weight, underweight people were 73% more likely to die. Extremely obese and obese had about the same risk of death at 36% more likely to die an early death. [Read more →]

Yard sale! Garage Sale! Whatever name you want to call them, they are not going away anytime soon.

My mother was never a fan of garage sales, although she would sometimes go with my aunt. Then in later years, she and my dad had several sales in their back yard as they attempted to rid themselves of decades of clutter. [Read more →]

After years of cooking my own meals, I moved in with Dad so that he could stay in his home. Cooking meals for two was a new experience for me after being on my own for so long.

Not only did I now need to consider quantity, but also because my dad is an insulin-depended diabetic, I also needed to consider food choices much more carefully than I did before. [Read more →]

As we age, it becomes all the more important to take a look at our lifestyle. Are we living the best we can to maximize the time we have left on earth?

Living a healthy lifestyle will go a long way in ensuring we stay active and vibrant as long as possible. After all, most of us have grandchildren we want to enjoy, sons and daughters we would like to spend time with, and friends and neighbors to gather with for social activities. [Read more →]

It’s that time of year once again. Summer is upon us, and judging by the mid to upper 80’s that we are experiencing at my house, it’s time to take a look at what we can do to help our elders through this mini-crisis.

It is a crisis for many seniors because of the risk of heat-related deaths and illnesses. Several years ago the CDC reported that more than 8,000 people in the United States died from heat exposure between 1979 and 2003. I’m sure by now that number has increased. [Read more →]

Recent research findings published in the June 19, 2009 issue of Neurology indicate people who are depressed have a greater likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s than those who are not depressed.

The research involved 756 people between 55 and 91-years-old who had mild cognitive impairment (MCI), that is, where memory problems are worse than normal aging, but the person has not yet developed dementia. [Read more →]

Zina Kramer’s mother had Alzheimer’s and her mother-in-law, dementia. She saw first hand how children and grandchildren were affected when their grandparent no longer acted the same.

That’s why Zina decided to write Hugging Grandma: Loving Those With Memory Disorders; with the hope the book would help children understand the changes they saw, and be able to help their grandparents. [Read more →]

Following my weekly grocery shopping yesterday, I realized how much money I was saving by limiting my visits to once a week. A year ago we were in the habit of stopping at the store every time we drove through our small town. [Read more →]

Recently I reviewed a powerful and innovative book called Conquering Depression In The Golden Years by Valentin Bragin, M.D., Ph.D. Today I am going to provide a list of rules he offers in his book on how to overcome depression.

Dr. Bragin is the founder and director of the Stress Relief and Memory Training Center in Brooklyn, New York. He not only provides valuable information regarding geriatric depression, but he helps the elderly, their families and caretakers to learn how to overcome this disease. [Read more →]

All of us at some time in our lives feel sad or down for any number of reasons. We are sad when a close friend or loved one dies, we fail to receive a longed for promotion, or we are ill for a couple of days. We may understand the emotional symptoms we are experiencing, but we may not recognize the physical symptoms of depression.

Although we realize we are not feeling up to our usual self, we might not understand the physical toll the depression may cause. If the symptoms linger, we may need to seek professional help. [Read more →]

Blue moods and occasional sadness can hit anyone at any age.  Everyone feels down from time to time. However, a large number of seniors often face geriatric depression due to increased loss in their lives.

Geriatric depression can occur due to the loss of a spouse, loss of a growing number of long time family members and friends, or the loss of ability to perform tasks as well as one once was able. Seniors also face depression when dealing with long-term illness or loss of health. [Read more →]