How To Say It To Seniors Archives - Page 19 of 23 - Aging, caregiving and the journey through the second half of life

The Developmental Agenda of Middle Age

May 29, 2014

The primary developmental theme of the middle years is an emerging crisis. Rather than a sudden occurrence, it is an incipient shift in complexity and tone. As such, the middle years usher in a higher state of volatility as a…

Caregiver Playlist

April 15, 2014

Below are the selections that make up the “Kind To Your Heart” playlist, a 40-minute mix of songs and instrumentals. The song’s lyrics give voice to the emotional challenges of caregiving. They also spell out the courage and profound love…

The Social Fabric of Aging Parents

March 6, 2014

Preserving and nurturing social connections is vital to the well being of older adults. Families need to understand the scope and depth of an aging parent’s social network so they can coordinate their efforts to protect and support it. That…

Grandma Knutsen

March 2, 2014

This is my wonderful Grandma Knutsen who immigrated to America in 1892 from Norway. She was “processed” through Ellis Island on her way to the “new” Norway, Minnesota. God rest her heroic soul……

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 Support Lessons…

February 12, 2014

Last fall, I started a caregiver’s support group. The goal was to offer a non-judgmental setting for adult children to share their stories. While being the facilitator, my real job was arranging chairs and making sure everyone had a turn…

Dancing with Negative Feedback: Redirection and Resolution

November 21, 2013

I wrote this article for an assisted living magazine but the technique of “Redirection and Resolution” works in a wide range of situations where negative feedback needs to be managed in a calm, professional manner. Asking the daughter of a…

Communicating with Older Adults: An Update

March 16, 2013

I have been studying how to unlock the communication code of older adults for the last twenty-three years. My first breakthrough came early on with developmental psychology, a model based on age-specific tasks that are easy to understand, easy to…

From Pleading To Informing…

January 6, 2013

A lead caregiver of aging parents was going to extraordinary lengths to keep everything together only to find herself drowning in transactional quicksand. As her parents drifted into the land of “more and more care,” her uninvolved siblings either refused…

Dangling Conversations…

January 1, 2013

Conversations with adult children about their aging parents eventually include the dilemma of declining health. Embedded in this emotional topic is the volatile issue of “advanced directives.” Everyone knows that you need one, but having just one version turns out…