Elder Care Cafe

Welcome back!There are times in a persons life when they feel trapped. Whether finances are tight, the children are acting out, an overbearing boss is looking over their shoulder, a bad romance is going down the tubes, whatever is happening in their life, the pressure is on. It can feel like living in a pressure cooker that [...]

[Read more →]

Today I began the rest of my life. How profound, you say. I returned to one of my favorite exercise routines first thing this morning. Then I had the shocking revelation that I now weigh more than I ever have in my life! Good time to start the healthy living initiative. Diabetes has been in Dad’s family [...]

[Read more →]

This morning I read a thought-provoking article about being thankful for our health. The author encouraged readers to look for the positive aspects of their life rather than the negative. One point was the struggle many of us have with our hair. This may be more of a female problem than male, but I knew [...]

[Read more →]

Over the years I have seen the so-called Serenity Prayer made popular by Alcoholics Anonymous, and often used by other self-help programs. Most of us have seen it, read it, heard it, and even spoken the short, one-sentence prayer. Yesterday, to my surprise, I ran across the whole prayer. I didn’t realize there was more to [...]

[Read more →]

Whatever life takes away from you, let it go. When you surrender and let go of the past, you allow yourself to be fully alive in the moment. Letting go of the past means that you can enjoy the dream that is happening right now. Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements As we travel through life, we [...]

[Read more →]

On this very snowy Friday in mid-Michigan, I was thinking about what to write in this post. As I said last Friday, this site will concentrate on following a healthy lifestyle throughout 2009 and beyond. What is on my heart today is to go back to the basics. Back to good nutrition, simple exercise programs, [...]

[Read more →]

According to the article Wired for Sound in the 2008 issue of O Magazine, Dr. Oliver Sacks discusses the improvements that hearing familiar songs can bring to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Although Alzheimer’s destroys a persons ability to recognize family members and familiar surroundings, it appears hearing long-time Christmas carols and hymns can improve the patients mood, memory and [...]

[Read more →]

According to an article in the SeniorJournal.com, a recent study revealed some memory loss in seniors is due to high blood pressure, not old age. Increased blood pressure in older adults is directly related to decreased cognitive functioning, particularly among seniors who already have high blood pressure, according to a new study from North Carolina State [...]

[Read more →]

As I cruise the web, I often run across other sites that are geared toward the aging population, elder care and caregivers. One such site is a blog connected with Genwich.com. Now, don’t go there yet! Bloggers are told not to place links where visitors will leave their site too soon, but I seem to [...]

[Read more →]

By the time most people reach their 50′s and 60′s, they have pretty much determined their spiritual stance. Some have attended church all their lives, others may have “found religion” somewhere along the path of life, and still others have no desire to attend church or seek any type of spiritual teaching. But, most people [...]

[Read more →]

A number of studies over the years have shown positive thinking can add at least 7.5 years to your life. No one knows why positive thinking increases longevity, but researchers believe it “increases the will to live, making a person more resilient to illness and more proactive about health.” Those who looked forward to aging [...]

[Read more →]

The following is from an article written by Lisa Newton, founder of Iowa Avenue, a healthy-living social community. The article was posted on the Dumb Little Man blog in April, 2008. You can find the article by clicking here. Lisa lists 50 ideas on how to live a healthy life.  Check it out – the article is [...]

[Read more →]

As 2008 winds down, and the promise of new beginnings and fresh starts appears on the horizon, this site will begin a series of posts regarding healthy living. Not only is living a healthy lifestyle important to people of all ages, it is especially vital to senior citizens. There are a large number of diet plans, [...]

[Read more →]

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced yesterday that worldwide cancer will bypass heart attacks as the number one cause of death by 2010. The rising use of tobacco in developing countries causing an increase in lung cancer deaths is sited as the reason for the increase. As the people are more able to travel around the world, [...]

[Read more →]

An interesting and enlightening study by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) recently found that seniors who have money, good health, are optimistic, are not stressed, do not smoke and only drink moderately, live longer according to an article in SeniorJournal.com .  The article, written in a rather you-got-to-be-kidding tone, makes the point that if an [...]

[Read more →]