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Age-related health problems can compromise our ability to live independently at home and manage normal housework. Problems may include loss of mobility due to aging or cognitive decline as soon as Alzheimer's disease or dementia appears. You may be interested in a solution that guarantees your well-being and allows you to...

Dementia denotes a group of symptoms which affect memory, thoughts, and communication. Dementia typically impacts older adults and occurs due to damaged brain cells that are not able to communicate effectively with each other. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common reason for dementia, accounting for around 60 to 80 percent of cases, yet...

When it comes to aging and the transitions that life demands, as a society we have made decisions affecting our elders for all the right reasons, but for too many those decisions have unintended consequences. Few would disagree that the aging environment has changed dramatically over the last 30 years. Advances...

VISITNG ANGELS HOME CARE PARTNERS WITH LEGACY STORIES TO LAUNCH LEGACY TALKS, REMINISCING WITH PURPOSE Visiting Angels, one of the largest home care franchisers in the United States, has launched a new photo reminiscing service called, “Legacy Talks.” Developed by the team at Legacy Stories, Legacy Talks helps seniors take a...

Every picture tells a story and photo reminiscing can be therapeutic, especially when grieving the loss of a loved one. Recording these recollections can give voice to a departed loved while providing inspiration to future generations.  That was the case for Gail Sheehy, NYT Best-Selling author of Passages, written while caring...

Consider this: Allianz Life® commissioned the American Legacies Study designed to be the most comprehensive examination of intergenerational wealth transfer dynamics ever undertaken. It was undertaken to better understand the emotional and financial impact of wealth transfer of an unprecedented magnitude on American families. While no one can definitively predict the...

As I look back on an earlier time when my mother was experiencing the onset of dementia, I have come to realize her greatest suffering might not have been her failing memory but the feelings of being useless, unappreciated, and possibly at times unloved. I grieve to think about her frustrations...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Duty Roster   Family is important in Vietnamese society; and taking care of elders is one of the expectations one has while growing up in the Vietnamese culture. Xuan Thi Nguyen is now the oldest member of her clan...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   You Ask Too Many Questions   When strangers come together at places like a long line at Disney World, or in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, impromptu conversations sometimes develop as a way to pass the time....

It's 7pm and my nanna has now been in hospital for one week. She has been brilliant staying in her own home 97 years but as 98 approached she took to her bed, prefering to sleep the day away. Concerned, my father called in the carers. Just prior to her stay...

Given a choice, I would prefer to be named Ronda Peace instead of Ronda Jean. By nature, I am a bona-fide pleaser and died-in-the-wool caregiver. I like tranquility, not tumult. I most assuredly do NOT like conflict. In my youth, I took extreme measures to avoid clashes making me an inviting...

On the surface, one might think the residents of Sunrise Senior Living at Pinehurst as weary, time-worn citizens simply coasting through their latter years. Many are physically challenged, some struggle with dementia or Alzheimer disease, still others live at Sunrise because advancing age has rendered them incapable of living alone. But...

Like water to the thirsty is laughter to my soul. Without it I would shrivel and die. Life is heavy; times are hard. A hearty laugh lifts the spirit, lightens the load, breathes courage to a fainting heart. It\'s been said by some unidentified jolly soul that, "Laughter is a tranquilizer...

A Curious Lesson   "I don't like it here!" declares Dana*, her measured pacing keeping tempo with her anxious words, "I want to go back to the other place?" I'm confused. It's not unusual for Dana to feel restless toward the evening hours, but this is mid-afternoon. "What other place, Miss...

Love Them While You Canby Ronda Knuth"Help. Help! Help!!" Like fingernails on a chalkboard his cry unnerves me. It's unrelenting, insistent, demanding. It requires a response but I don't know what that response should be. From the desk where I answer phones and direct resident traffic I can see that he...

Something as Simple as Touch by Ronda Knuth At times the tyranny of the urgent bullies its way to the top of the daily to-do list extinguishing even the most rudimentary kindness. Indeed, in our desire to conquer our categorized index of mandatory responsibilities, we often leave little room for even...

IASK Founder and fellow LifeLenz friend Dennis Stack shared this anonymous poem at his link: When an old lady died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Dundee, Scotland, it was felt that she had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through her meager possessions, they...

Saturday July 27, 2008 It's been said, "I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time." On Tuesday I will turn 55. Today I learned how to smoke. It's not like I woke up this morning and thought, Hmmm what vice can I...