Housing Dilemmas Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Aging, caregiving and the journey through the second half of life

Crossing the Eighty-Something Frontier

December 19, 2015

We all hope our aging parents will be robust and independent as they navigate their eighties. Some will, but the majority, nine out of ten, will not. They will become frail or suffer from dementia. They will wind up not…

A New Dilemma of Aging: Nursing Homes Refusing To Admit Obese Patients

December 16, 2015

This article is a bellwether warning for older adults about who may and may not be offered a bed in a nursing home in a society with an epidemic morbid obesity. As the authors summarize: “Obesity is redrawing the common…

A Few Words of Advice on Choosing a Retirement Community

December 10, 2015

When considering a retirement community, most potential residents and their families inquire about: 1. Types of accommodations (independent living, assisted living). This should also include information about the community’s financial strength. 2. Amenities (wellness resources, enrichment programs). This should also…

Old Age is the Stage

November 18, 2015

Art is the great decoder of unintelligible worlds like old age. In psychology we call this decoding ‘sensemaking’ and the plays about aging in this splendid article are sensemaking at its finest. As important, they give old age a humanizing…

The Untenable Promise

November 14, 2015

Older adults fear nursing homes more than death itself. Those of us waiting to be old fear it right along with them. When asked to promise to never to put an aging parent in a nursing, we do not hesitate.…

Should Older Adults Live With Their Peers?

October 6, 2015

Environmental gerontologist and social geographer Stephen M Golant, University of Florida has written a brilliant article on where older adults are living now and why they may opt to live with their cohort in the future: “My focus is on…

Aging Parents: Time To Move?

July 12, 2015

Helping aging parents consider a change in living accommodations is a delicate process. Before offering unwanted advice about where to live, adult children should first undertake a compassionate assessment of the losses and potential gains of this emotional transition. There…

New Boomer Epidemic: Aging Alone

May 30, 2015

Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods. …Aristotle As the age wave arrives at the land of old, it carries with it a substantial population of childless and unmarried Boomers characterized as “elder…

When Aging Parents Move In…

February 27, 2014

The desire to do the right thing begins with good intentions. Sometimes that is enough, but in most cases the burden of caregiving requires adjustments in perspective, language and behavior. While the predictable dilemmas of aging are unavoidable, understanding the…

Caregiver Mind Maps

May 5, 2013

In March 2013 I released my new book Caregiver Mind Maps: New Tools for Aging Parents. I elected a PDF format because the book’s mind maps are designed to be used on the front lines of caregiving, a kinetic space…