Category Health

COVID-19 Caregiving Challenges

March 23, 2020 · by · in Alzheimer's disease, Book, Books, Family, Health, Navigating Alzheimer's, The Alzheimer's Spouse · 3 Comments

In the best of times, caring for our loved ones with dementia can be stressful. Under the cloud of COVID-19, we can be pushed to our limits. In addition to the round the clock supervision and direction, we have the concerns about sanitation. Loved ones with dementia are typically messy in the bathroom and at […]

Dementia-Style Holidays

November 26, 2019 · by · in Alzheimer's disease, Book, Books, Family, Health, Navigating Alzheimer's, The Alzheimer's Spouse · Leave a comment

When Alzheimer’s is on the scale, a drop of anything can send everything crashing. Families long for the traditions that mark the holidays. Special foods, music, colors, clothing, and decor trigger emotions and tie memories of the past with the ones we make today. Sadly, our meaningful traditions are likely to be too much for […]

Right Trip. Right Time.

November 11, 2019 · by · in Book, Catholic, Christian, Faith, Family, Health, Young in the Spirit · 2 Comments

Timing is everything. When the perfect opportunity comes at a point in our life and we can take advantage of it, sparks fly. Such was the way with the pilgrimage I recently went on with my daughter, Lisa. When Lisa, invited me to accompany her on a two-week pilgrimage to Israel and Italy, I realized […]

Easing Our Way Out of this World

August 22, 2019 · by · in Alzheimer's disease, Book, Books, Death and Dying, Family, Health, Navigating Alzheimer's, The Alzheimer's Spouse · Leave a comment

We don’t want to talk or think about it. It’s rarely pretty. Some fear what happens afterwards, and we’d rather cling to what we do know, even if it’s not all that great. Death scares most of us, partly due to the fact that those of us who witness loved ones dying often see them […]

Speak to Me

July 22, 2019 · by · in Alzheimer's disease, Health, Language, Navigating Alzheimer's, The Alzheimer's Spouse · 1 Comment

We are people on the move. Work and leisure take us all over the world, and speaking at least a handful of phrases in the local tongue is not only personally helpful but courteous to those we encounter. With a few words, our ability to connect and learn from diverse peoples grows considerably. Actually, there […]

Walking Toward Answers

July 12, 2019 · by · in Book, Books, Catholic, Christian, Faith, Family, Grieving with Mary, Health, spirituality · Leave a comment

“Walking a labyrinth is a meditative and healing experience that helps relieve stress, at least temporarily, by quieting the mind. Like a voyage to the center of our being, walkers claim that it promotes a sense of peace, compassion, and understanding. The special walk offers a period of repose, a peaceful break from life’s challenges. […]

Namaste

June 21, 2019 · by · in Book, Health, Young in the Spirit · Leave a comment

“I bow to you.” That’s the literal translation of the Sanskrit word, Namaste. Often said with palms held together vertically in front of the heart, the words and gesture are a sign of surrender and respect acknowledging the soul in one another. Although, no words are necessary. The gesture with a bow alone signifies Namaste. […]

The Other Side of Mourning

May 21, 2019 · by · in Alzheimer's disease, Book, Death and Dying, Family, Health, The Alzheimer's Spouse · 2 Comments

It’s an unusual kind of mourning. Friends who lost a loved-one to dementia before me told me that the mourning period after death would be different than typically occurs. It isn’t as if our loved one suddenly died in an accident or suffered from a physical illness where we could still speak with them until […]

Is There a Doctor in the House?

April 5, 2019 · by · in Alzheimer's disease, Catholic, Death and Dying, Family, Health, Young in the Spirit · Leave a comment

In our “take a pill and call me in the morning” culture, who will care for us medically in our senior days? We may think that medical assistance is unlimited for our specific needs, but the older we get, the less likely that is true. As the number of people who are 65 years of […]

We Can’t Know for Sure

February 15, 2019 · by · in Alzheimer's disease, Book, Books, Death and Dying, Family, Health, Navigating Alzheimer's · 9 Comments

We want to know how and when. And we want to know now! In our age of information, we have little patience for situations that aren’t easily answered with data, definitive answers, and quick fixes. We just want to take a pill or pay the bill and get on with things. Yet, there are so […]

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