Random acts of kindness are nice. Regular acts of kindness provided to elderly members of the community are even better.

This past summer was a time of change for my family as we moved to a new home in an unfamiliar neighborhood. I’m often asked how I like living in my new area. I usually respond that I’m thankful for my neighbors.

Our area’s recent winter storm was eye opening for me, once I got past my own annoyance of shoveling snow and leaves out of my driveway in the middle of…

photo by Maggie Smith

Arthritis affects the joints and muscles of the body and can affect people at different ages and stages of their life. It limits a person’s mobility and creates an emotional toll from losing the ability of fully participating in the things once enjoyed. It is this aspect of the illness that can cause another problem and is one of the hardest to deal with — depression. At times putting feelings of loss and hopelessness into words is difficult, and having others understand what you are going through…

Is there anything we can learn about falls prevention from the sports fan that is glued to his TV? You may be surprised, but there is one thing I can think of.

Here’s the scenario: the big game everyone has been waiting for is about to start, and one second of action can’t be missed. Now let’s examine what items surround our sports fan sitting in his living room.

Things you may find:

• Remote Control: It’s too risky to allow someone to change the channel.
• Food and Beverage: Nutritional requirements need to be sustained, right?
• Phone:…

No caregiver should face Alzheimer’s disease alone. I’ve witnessed the emotional and physical strain that caregivers endure when helping those with the disease the National Institute of Aging estimates affects between 2.4 million and 5.1 million Americans.

I have also seen caregivers connect to a supportive community that enables them to provide better care for their loved ones and themselves. If you are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s, here are some steps you can take to receive the support you need:

Connect with a support group

• A local Alzheimer’s support group is a…

A recent New York Times headline caught my attention: “Tennessee’s Summit Reveals Dementia Diagnosis”.

If you are not familiar with Pat Summit, she is widely considered the most successful college basketball coach of all time. Her recognition is well deserved after coaching Tennessee University’s women’s basketball team to a record eight national championships and more than 1,000 wins.

Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post writes:

“Denial was followed by anger. For the first few weeks, Summitt would barely even discuss the subject. She told her doctors, ‘You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’m capable…

Embracing change is hard. Imagine you had difficulty walking and your doctor told you it was time to start using a cane. Imagine he handed it to you right then and there. Would you use it?

Losing Independence

For many the very thought of using a cane signals the end of independence altogether. While I spend a good deal of my time trying to convince my clients it’s not, I do understand the feeling.

I’ve always had 20/20 vision and somehow expected I always would. When I look back I realize this expectation…

Finding a good pair of shoes is priceless. During my teen years I was one of those sneaker fanatics. I admit to spending hours at the local shoe store combing through aisles and aisles of footwear in search of the perfect sneaker.

Perhaps I was hoping to jump as high, run as fast, and play ball like my favorite athletes. Looking back, the closest I got to the pros were the upper deck seats.

But I wasn’t so far off, good shoes make a huge difference. For instance, older adults who wear…

I have been a bit neglectful of my blogging responsibilities of late, something I don’t need to remind my VNSNY colleagues. July has been a month of transitions for me. I have a new role at work, which is both exciting and daunting. And while I am still learning to balance official responsibilities with unofficial responsibilities, and taking on new tasks while maintaining all of the old ones would seem to be what is proving to be most difficult, it is not. And this brings me to the other transition…

I am always on the look out for new ways to connect with my seniors. One of my goals for the year was to improve my ability to speak Mandarin which is a Chinese dialect spoken by many of the elderly I work with.

Despite growing up speaking Cantonese I have always had difficulty picking up additional dialects. Looking back I am amazed by the number of times I have vowed to start learning Mandarin after each of my trips to Asia. As my daughter Grace is now beginning to speak I am…

Rising summer temperatures are right around the corner, which means the elderly need to take certain precautions prior to heading outdoors. Older adults can continue to enjoy outdoor activities and prevent heat related illnesses by following these easy steps.

1) Avoid walking between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — generally the hottest time of the day.

2) Begin your daily walk at a slower pace to prevent exhaustion and retreat to a cool place if you start to feel uncomfortable.

3) Wear light colored and loose fitting clothing.

4) Drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids to remain adequately…