In August, 2011, medical researchers at the European Society of Cardiology announced that chocolate consumption may be able to reduce the risk of heart disease by one third. Many other studies done over the last decade have also reached the conclusion that something in chocolate can improve the cardiovascular system.   Read More...

Gift giving for our elderly loved ones is often difficult. Looking back I think of the things that meant the most to mother. As a lot of the elderly who went through the depression, she was a person of little need or want of anything, therefore making it difficult for her children and grandchildren to come up the right gift. In their senior years, things they once desired no longer have the same importance.   Read More...

By Julie Davis

When you’re celebrating the holidays at your home with out of town guests, having comfort aids for seniors can be even more meaningful than lavish decorations. Room by room, these additions can create a safe retreat and a more enjoyable stay for older relatives and family friends.

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We all know the feeling. Burnout. It comes from trying to be all things to all people. Holidays are a prime season for this. We are parents, workers, caregivers, friends, wives or husbands, in-laws, and maybe two or three other things on top of that. Work heats up because there is a big break coming for many companies at the end of December for the holidays and did I mention shopping?   Read More...

So, we are entering the Norman Rockwell time known simply as the “holiday season.” Abundance, celebrations, visiting relatives, gifts, food and high expectations abound. As a caregiver, you may be married (complete with a set of in-laws), caring for your own parents, and have children as well. This sort of places you in the center of it all!   Read More...

University Park, Pa. -- Caregivers and their relatives who suffer from mild to moderate dementia often have different perceptions regarding the amount and quality of care given and received. A study by researchers at Penn State and the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging examined a major source of those differences -- caregivers do not understand the things that are important to their relatives with dementia.   Read More...

Often adult children are thrust into the caregiving role following an unexpected health incident. A parent has a heart attack or falls and breaks a bone and suddenly needs your help like never before.   Read More...

 Fall is almost upon us again. For me, this season has always borne with it a kind of mysterious enchantment; the panoply of earthy colors and the stillness in the air makes me something of a backseat philosopher.   Read More...

Of course you know that what you are doing is “worth it.” Of course caring for your loved one brings many rewards. But some days you just feeling like your loved one is driving you nuts! As somebody who cares for a loved one, you are part of a special group of people who contributes more than 17 billion hours of unpaid care each year--and that’s just for Alzheimer’s care!
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Baby Boomers are realizing that their parents are aging and in this mobile society, parents are often far away. If you are sensing that it might be time to pay closer attention to your parents’ needs, ask friends about their own experiences, talk with your parents and assess the following list.     Read More...