Aging

Excellent HBO Alzheimer's Special!

If you didn't see it or you don't get HBO, you must see these four excellent programs available online free-of-charge. I recommend "Momentum in Science" first, as it is so encouraging to see the latest research: http://www.hbo.com/events/alzheimers. The other three are helpful with managing loved ones with dementia, however, they missed a great technique when a person doesn't recognize a loved one or themself in a mirror. The trick is simply to ask their age. When they say something like "35" instead of "85", you understand why they don't recognize people how they look now. More…

Elder Mediation

If I had only known about the effectiveness of Elder Mediation (EM) during the hardest year of my life as a caregiver to my elderly parents, I could have saved myself so much heartache, time and money—and even my own precious health. For eleven years my challenging elderly father took care of my sweet but ailing mother, calling me long-distance daily to complain about how difficult it was yet refusing my constant pleas to accept help. Every caregiver I hired to help him would call within a few days of my flying back home and sigh in exasperation, “Jacqueline, I’m sorry, I just can’t work with your unreasonable father!” More…

One New Year’s Resolution

For most Americans the New Year really starts today. Everyone is done visiting for the holidays and is returning to work or school. I am a not a big believer in resolutions, but here is one I plan to keep. I will continue to save aggressively for retirement. Yep, 2008 on Wall Street was a disaster. The Dow was down 33.8%. The S&P fell 38.5% and the NASDAQ was even worse—off 40.5%. Even with that dismal performance, over then last 85 years or so, stocks have outperformed every other investment there is. If you want to have enough money to retire the way you want, you have to keep investing in stocks. I plan to. I hope you will too. And, of by the way, “Happy New Year.” More…

Health and Happiness

I just returned from a lengthy trip that included stops in Israel, Egypt, Morocco, and Spain. The trip was planned with a loose itinerary because the best travel is the unexplored and the adventures you experience along the way. When you travel you open yourself up to experiences outside the safety of your nest. More…

Suspecting Dementia in Your Loved One? Know the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE)

  Welcome back all my caregivers! More…

What is the Myth of Alzheimer's?

Just what is the myth of Alzheimer's? What are you not being told about today's most dreaded diagnosis? More…

The Good Old Days

Enjoy yourself. These are the good old days you're going to miss in the years ahead. – Anon I found myself talking this week about the good old days and how much easier it was when I was young. I suddenly realized that I was showing my age. I remember my parents talking about the good old days. But as the above quote says enjoy this very moment because before you know it this moment will be a part of the good old days you reflect back upon. More…

Birthday Wisdom

As I told you in last week's blog, I had a milestone birthday recently. And though I'm not going to share exactly which one it was, suffice it to say that I've reached the halfway point. Of course, it's up to you to decide what's halfway! The point is that though I usually don't find age an issue, I did find this one somewhat daunting. Many just laugh it off and say, "Well it beats the alternative." The change More…