Psychology of Aging Parents Archives - Page 5 of 8 - Aging, caregiving and the journey through the second half of life

Compassionate Body Guard

March 8, 2016

Our aging parents are not well matched for a healthcare system running on procedural autopilot. They need compassionate body guards who will help them make sense of their medical options based on their quality of life wishes and then help…

The Task of Being Remembered

February 9, 2016

When understood as a psychological developmental task, it’s not surprising that legacy insists on being addressed, either consciously or unconsciously. Yet because seniors are old doesn’t mean they understand this process. When faced with it, most people do not have…

Caregiver Dilemma: Moving Beyond the Wake Up Call

January 2, 2016

Popular media is abuzz with wake up calls for adult children. Framed as warnings, they detail the impending crisis that comes with caring for aging parents. While provoking anxiety and concern, they are ineffective as a call to action. It’s…

Rethinking Solo Caregiving For A Spouse

November 24, 2015

Solo caregiving for a spouse takes a toll on both parties. What starts out as act of compassion and loyalty can deteriorate into a role that exceeds the best efforts of one person. Unfortunately, the stress of day to day…

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…

Do Not Go Gracefully…

October 30, 2015

Aging is complex and uneven. Not everyone is aging gracefully. Wendi Knox’s inspiring article reminds us that other styles are equally compelling, valid and necessary. To this end she declares: “I intend to age exuberantly. Colorfully. Creatively. Bravely. Boldly. Healthfully.…

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…

Art Therapy and Alzheimer’s Disease

October 3, 2015

Yes, there is loss, painful, progressive loss. But what remains in Alzheimer’s disease? That is the critical question that this blog post explores. In this case, art turns out to be the residual miracle… An Unexpected Legacy: Art Therapy Breakthroughs…

Are We More Than Our Memories?

October 1, 2015

This fascinating article from Scientific American reveals new research that argues “morals, not memories, define who we are.” The study has implications for patients with Alzheimer’s and other disorders… Morals, Not Memories, Define Who We Are…

Navigational Thinking and Being Older

September 25, 2015

We see things not as they are, but as we are…H.M. Tomlinson Navigational Thinking is an effective strategy for recalibrating perspective. It offers aging adults a process to create a more useful attitude about being older. Navigational thinking mimics the…