Author Archives: Debbie Held

Your Aging Parents: 8 Simple Brain Exercises to Improve Memory or Slow Down Its Loss

We all know that physical exercise is important to our bodies’ wellbeing, but did you know that cognitive stimulation is equally important to the health of our brains? Experts say that the brain can be strengthened through targeted exercise, just … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, aging in place, caretaking, Communication, health and wellness, prescriptions, The Middle Ages | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Your Aging Parents: 8 Simple Brain Exercises to Improve Memory or Slow Down Its Loss

Keeping Your Aging Parents Safe from Internet Predators: 3 Tips for Savvy, Safe Sales Transactions

Chances are you’ve spoken to your children about the subject of “stranger danger” and you continue to do so. They know to avoid strangers in real life as well as on the web and wouldn’t think about opening the front … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, caretaking, Communication, health and wellness | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Keeping Your Aging Parents Safe from Internet Predators: 3 Tips for Savvy, Safe Sales Transactions

Suicide in The Elderly: Risk Factors and Warning Signs

The recent suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain—both people whose lives seemed full and rich in every sense of the word, have helped to open the topic of suicide up for discussion across dinner tables all over the world. … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, caretaking, Communication, health and wellness, News and Press, prescriptions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Suicide in The Elderly: Risk Factors and Warning Signs

Strange Behavior in Your Aging Parent: It May Not be What You Think

As I have written here in the past, common medical conditions can manifest quite differently in the elderly than they do among the general population. Whereas an ongoing headache and fever after a cold of flu would indicate a likely … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, caretaking, Communication, health and wellness, medication, prescriptions, The Middle Ages | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Strange Behavior in Your Aging Parent: It May Not be What You Think

How to Save Money on Your Aging Parents’ Prescription Costs

It’s no secret that while the costs of prescription medications continue to skyrocket, the majority of our incomes are not rising accordingly. This is especially true for the elderly. How can you help your aging parents stay healthy when many … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, caretaking, health and wellness, medication, News and Press, prescriptions, The Middle Ages | Tagged | Comments Off on How to Save Money on Your Aging Parents’ Prescription Costs

Your Aging Parents: Ignoring the Situation Won’t Make it go Away

When I last heard from Lacey, she was having a crummy holiday season. She’d spent Christmas Eve in an airport, catching an exorbitantly-priced, last-minute, cross-country flight home to be with her ailing, aging parents, both in the same hospital but … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, aging in place, Assisted Living, caretaking, Communication, health and wellness, The Middle Ages | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Your Aging Parents: Ignoring the Situation Won’t Make it go Away

Working Through Sibling Rivarly to Care for Aging Parents

Recently, I counseled a woman who was struggling with the ever-increasing demands of caring for her aging parents while trying to manage her own family’s needs. “Mia” has two young children, a husband, and a full-time job—in addition to her … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, aging in place, caretaking, Communication, health and wellness | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Working Through Sibling Rivarly to Care for Aging Parents

Emergency Disaster Planning for Senior Citizens: Putting a plan in place for your aging parents

During these past days and weeks, as the entire country has been transfixed by news of first Hurricane Harvey’s, and now Hurricane Irma’s, impending upheaval, I’ve been thinking about disaster-preparedness and the elderly. If you have aging parents, I would … Continue reading

Posted in News and Press | Comments Off on Emergency Disaster Planning for Senior Citizens: Putting a plan in place for your aging parents

Why Your Aging Parents Need a Voice-Activated Home Speaker

While voice-activated smart speakers (Amazon’s Alexa-enabled Echo  and Google Home)  were not created specifically with senior citizens in mind, these fairly inexpensive gizmos are a futuristic dream come true for any member of the sandwich generation who is caring for … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, aging in place, Communication, health and wellness, medication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Why Your Aging Parents Need a Voice-Activated Home Speaker

Make a Phone Call, Make a Difference

How often do you call your aging parents? (Pause for uncomfortable silence…) I completely understand. I have been there myself. Now, In this digital age especially, it can feel as though your days are not your own: work seems to … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Communication, health and wellness, News and Press, The Middle Ages | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Make a Phone Call, Make a Difference