David Solie's blog Archives - Page 16 of 24 - Aging, caregiving and the journey through the second half of life

Aging Parents Dance Cards

December 2, 2016

Introducing “Aging Parents Dance Cards,” which were created for adult children of aging parents. The photos below are from the front and back side of one of the cards in the twenty-card set entitled “Reset Expectations.” Each card offers a…

The Dementia Game Is About You

November 18, 2016

This intriguing game based on navigation and memory skills is part of a massive study on dementia. The study’s goal is to create a baseline for the “normal” decline of navigation and memory skills with aging to serve as a…

The Heart of Caregiver’s Resilience

October 31, 2016

Caregiver’s resilience is a mind set that guides action, an oath to meet failure and keep going, to rise above the unfairness of it all. The last stanza of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “A Psalm of Life” is an anthem…

The Secrets of Aging Parents

October 8, 2016

Adult children are frustrated by their aging parent’s unwillingness to share important information about their plans, health or finances. The withholding weakens the caregiving partnership and sets everyone up for poor outcomes. So why are they so secretive at the…

We All Else Fails, Ride Motorcycles…

September 15, 2016

I have shared this deeply moving, three minute video with audiences throughout the United States and Canada. No matter how many times I’ve watched it, I am always inspired by the love and courage of these older adults who insisted…

The Rise Of Dilemmas

August 16, 2016

The landscape of old age is populated with dilemmas, which represent a new and confusing layer of complexity. Here’s why. We are all raised to be accomplished problem solvers. It is a skill set that focuses on the elimination of…

What We Live For…

August 7, 2016

There are many ways to dance with an aging parent who has dementia. Toni Luciani invited his 91 year old mother to join him using photography and the canvas of her aging to create art. The photographic results in the…

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…

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…

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