Elder Care Cafe

Welcome back! WOW! as my grandson frequently says. In the busyness of our life this month, I forgot to celebrate Elder Care Cafe’s 2nd birthday. How could I forget such an important milestone after last year’s fabulous party. Elder Care Cafe officially opened for business on August 3, 2008 and we have come a long [...]

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Throughout the year we have the opportunity to view the national flag of the United States of America. After all, it is a well recognized symbol of freedom throughout the world. The first American flag was officially adopted on June 14, 1777 with the original 13 stars. The 50-star flag we have today was adopted [...]

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Many people are still unclear as to whether it is okay to flush unused prescription drugs down the toilet. What most people do understand is that it is not safe to keep unused or no-longer-needed prescriptions around the house where children or adults can get ahold of them. Hopefully, this quick guide will help you [...]

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In last Friday’s post I reviewed an interesting and inspiring book by Robert and Patricia Gussin titled What’s Next…for You? The couple took retirement to an all time high as they reinvented themselves from corporate America to authors, publishers, and winemakers.

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The complete title of this wonderful book is What’s Next…for You? The Gussin Guide to Big Decisions, Big Changes, and Big Fun by Robert and Patricia Gussin. What’s Next is a fascinating story of two people who retired after long successful careers in science and medicine and then went on to writing, publishing, and wine [...]

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Today is the day that millions of people will celebrate Cinco de Mayo. The fifth of May marks the anniversary of the state of Puebla’s unexpected victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Mostly celebrated as a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo is [...]

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Last week our local newspaper, The Lansing State Journal, contained an article about the discussions the city was having regarding the establishment of a streetcar line between downtown Lansing and a large mall in a popular outlying suburban area. Why I got excited about the news is that, partially by choice, I have not had a [...]

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According to AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, starting next year the U.S. Forest Service will dramatically increase camping fees for senior citizens and people with disabilities. The Forest Service has provided disabled people and those who are sixty-two and older with lifetime passes. The passes qualify them for a 50 percent [...]

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As we approach Valentine’s Day, great news arrives for chocolate lovers around the world. Recent studies reveal that chocolate is good for the body as well as good for the soul. A new study that analyzed three previous studies reveals eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate can provide numerous health benefits, including the possibility of [...]

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As Valentine’s Day approaches, many of us will remember our grammar school days when our mothers and teachers had us exchange a Valentine with everyone in our class whether we could tolerate our classmate or not. Many a child struggled with sending the Valentine with just the right wording so that our classmates of the opposite sex would [...]

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When I realized I was getting close to my 300th post on this site, I started thinking about words such as milestone and landmark. First I thought this post was a milestone, but, according to the dictionary milestones mark a distance between two points. Writing this many entries might be considered a milestone, but then I [...]

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Recently my eighty-seven-year-old father has shown increasing signs of dementia. Yesterday he had his quarterly visit to his primary care physician. Several of us in the family noticed Dad’s growing confusion, so I took the opportunity to see if we should ask for a referral to a local geriatric center for testing.

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As our parents age, many of us find ourselves having to cope with our parents declining health. Not only do we need to help them deal with a growing number of health issues, but also make such decisions as whether they should stay in their own home, move in with a family  member, or relocate to an assisted [...]

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During the 1950s and 1960s most seniors either moved in with their adult children or an adult child or caregiver moved in with them when they were unable to care for themselves. Life expectancy was much lower and most families did not have to care for their family members beyond their 40s, 50s, or 60s. [...]

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Because we are in the midst of flu and cold season, I thought I would provide a reminder of what to do in case you or a family member find yourself combating the influenza virus. Although most of the points are common sense, when we are feeling under the weather we don’t always remember what we [...]

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