Aging, caregiving and the journey through the second half of life

Failing In Place

July 23, 2016

New arrivals to our caregiver support group confirm what’s being reported in the medical literature. Dementia in the land of aging parents has reached a tipping point and now become the overwhelming concern of 80-90% of our attendees. The vast…

Amazon Review

July 14, 2016

5 out of 5 stars By JOHN MORRIS CANTILLON on July 12, 2016 Format: Paperback|Verified Purchase John’s wife reviewing here- I work in an assisted living community, and this is one of the best books I’ve seen for adult children…

Caregiver Vulnerability and Shame

July 10, 2016

Things Fall Apart It’s a messy game being a caregiver of aging parents. Despite heroic efforts, things can fall apart at the worse possible time. Now what? Shame Comes To Easy Listen to this inspiring TED Talk by Brené Brown.…

Elderspeak: Annoying and Toxic

July 6, 2016

Elderspeak was first coined in the 1980s by social scientists to describe what sounded like baby talk directed at older adults. It is defined as a communication style based on stereotypes that older adults are less competent, so younger communication…

Aging Parents: The Falls Quiz

July 3, 2016

Everyone knows falls in older adults is bad news. They are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in this age group. Every 22 minutes an older adult dies from a fall. That’s 66 deaths a day. If they…

Problems Versus Dilemmas Of Aging Parents

June 29, 2016

Although demanding and stressful, the problems of aging can be contained or eliminated. Lost prescriptions can be refilled. Unsafe staircases can be modified. Transportation for an unscheduled medical testing can be arranged. Solving problems means eliminating uncertainty and most caregivers…

The Context of Caregivers of Aging Parents

June 27, 2016

I was asked to write an article about the context of caregivers of aging parents. What’s the scope and depth of their role? What are the issues they have to navigate every day? I found it was easier to create…

Control Assets

June 25, 2016

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust As aging boomers are quickly discovering, the end game of being old is a non-linear quest to preserve control against overwhelming odds.…

10 Questions Before They Move In…

June 17, 2016

In the communal world of pre-WWII, aging parents almost always moved in. It was expected because there was usually a local family network that closed ranks and helped take care of the elders. In the dispersed world of Boomers and…

The Rejected Power of Attorney

June 3, 2016

It turns out that the power of attorney you so carefully arranged for an aging parent may be rejected by their bank or brokerage firm because it wasn’t drafted on their form. Of course you find this out when your…

Second-Half of Life Blog