Posts Tagged With ‘ Aging ’

Nursing homes are regulated by the Federal government and in most instances, these regulations make sense in terms of safety. However, things go wrong in nursing homes on a regular basis and sometimes they go horribly wrong. For decades, nursing homes were allowed to handle claims against them for allegations of wrongdoing in complete secrecy from the public. They did so by forcing every person who needed to go into a nursing home to sign an agreement upon admission that any dispute as to anything that happened in the home had to be decided in a private arbitration, not disclosed to the public. Essentially... Continue Reading

Roger, 90 and Mark, 85 have been off and on friends for 50 years. Mark has no family of his own. Roger’s adult kids call him “Uncle Mark”, as he’s shown up for family events for decades. He once had plenty of money, or so it seemed. There was the apartment in Paris, the home in the U.S. as well. Roger’s family traveled with Uncle Mark in years past. But things changed as Mark got older. He has a history of being reckless with investments. He lost what he had and now, he’s homeless. One day, he just showed up without notice at Roger’s home, where Roger has lived for 60 years. Mark... Continue Reading

­­­If you have a single aging parent who is lonely and wants companionship, should you encourage your parent to try online dating? It depends. Technology in nearly every aspect of life promises to make things better. Internet dating sites abound, with several targeted particularly to seniors, those “over 50” or “over 65”. But are they any better for older people looking for companionship or love than they are for younger folks? Possibly, because older folks go about the process differently. Maybe they are more willing give a full description of themselves and to meet face to face sooner.... Continue Reading

Dogs have been known as man’s best friend for centuries, and for good reason. Not only do they provide companionship and love, but they also offer many benefits to their owners, including physical and mental health improvements. One group of people who can particularly benefit from the companionship of a dog are senior citizens. As people age, they may experience a decline in physical and mental abilities, which can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Having a dog as a companion can help combat these feelings by providing a sense of purpose and responsibility, as well as a constant... Continue Reading

Can you imagine your aging parents losing their independence? It might be the conversation they don’t want to have with you. Will you, the adult child bring up this subject? What we see here at AgingParents.com is that when no one talks about it, the sudden costs of caring for them can overwhelm all but the most financially secure. Parents are unprepared and their adult children become very uncomfortable with the prospect of having to help support their aging loved ones. Sudden costs happen when a parent falls, or has a stroke and becomes disabled. Anything unexpected can trigger the need for... Continue Reading

Because so many things that we deal with in psychology cannot be physically measured, the field lends itself to various interpretations about all sorts of things.  There is no equivalent of an EKG or MRI or blood pressure cuff to objectively measure empathy or resilience or even love.  As a result, there is no uniform psychological theory that is adhered to by all psychologists. One of the issues that divides various practitioners in the field is the importance of the past.  Like most psychologists who have been trained since the latter third of the 20th century, I tend to place... Continue Reading

You’ll hear it all the time, that resolution to do more exercise with the new year. People may start out the first week, but then it’s back to old habits of a sedentary life. TV may be more tempting than putting on those walking shoes, if they even have the shoes. And the excuses are rampant: it’s too cold, it’s too hot, I don’t have time, or I just don’t feel like it. What is this doing to our elders’ health? In short, the sedentary lifestyle is seriously damaging people’s chances for a longer, healthier life. And some say they don’t care, they’ll accept living a shorter life... Continue Reading

Today I received an email saying that my Social Security number was going to be suspended. Scam. Ironically, it was “signed” by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. I wonder if he was chosen for the scam because he’s a Tea Party conservative from Texas who people may think would come after them in other states. I checked for other documents with Paxton’s signature. It was an exact copy. Social Security recipients may be seeing a big increase in this old government imposter scam because in their benefits are going up this month. Don’t take the bait. Your Social Security number is never... Continue Reading

Of the many consumer laws I’ve reported on over the years, weak laws on personal care products such as cosmetics are among the most frustrating. The United States has lagged behind the rest of the world in regulating the contaminants and ingredients in personal care products. More than 80 other countries have taken action to protect their citizens from chemicals linked to cancer and reproductive harm. Late last year, Congress passed the first update since 1938 to the federal law regulating personal care products, with key cosmetics reform provisions included in end-of-year spending legislation. “Although... Continue Reading

I don’t know about you, but 2022 went by so fast for me. After four years, I was finally able to get the first draft of the book about my journalism career done, but the printed copy is still elusive. I’m not a person who makes resolutions, but I’ve written about why people make them and how well they work or don’t work. Maybe I’ll try a Word of the Year or the seven-day happiness challenge for 2023. Meanwhile, here’s what my blogger friends are writing about the past and the future: The past When On the Border’s Diane Tolly’s dad was a small boy of 7, he and his next older brother,... Continue Reading