ElderAuthority.com

End-of-Life Information and Decisions

End-of-Life Information and Denial
I am a big fan of Living (the BIG L).  I want to keep doing it as long as possible, but only as long as it makes sense.   While America is making great strides in the sciences of medicine and technology, we still stink when it comes to planning for end-of-life.  We just don’t want to know.  Even the media has avoided providing end-of-life information.
This is not to point fingers.  I am as guilty as anyone.  I have written a number of… More

Real Life Dementia Experience: Try AlzConnected.org

Join the Civilian Corps for Aging
One of my goals for ElderAuthority.com is to have it be a FREE and SHARABLE repository for grassroots wisdom about all things aging.  We are not there yet.   ElderAuthority receives lots of private comments and thank you’s.  These are great, but we can only share the comments you provide through the site.  One of the greatest gifts you can give your fellow Boomers is the benefit of your experience.
We live in a world with 78 million Baby… More

Letting Go for a Happy Old Age

 
Letting Go of Attachments in Old Age
Steve Taylor, in Psychology Today points out that, “We fear old age because we see it as a process of loss, of having to let go of things which we depend on for our well-being.  But it’s this very process which actually causes the well-being of our later years.”  Psychological attachments, such as hopes and ambitions which normally support our sense of identity,  fall away.  “At the end of their working… More

Senior Helpers: The Virtual Exercise Coach

Affordable Coaching for Seniors Needed
Health maintenance is a key longevity factor as well as an essential quality of life component for senior citizens.  We have all received the memo that we can influence our health through consistent exercise and good nutrition.
Motivational coaching, personalized feedback, goal setting, and patient education have been used successfully to bring about long-term changes in diet and activity. Delivering these aids by traditional… More

Heard it Through the Grapevine: Senior Discounts

Ask for Your Senior Discount
Money is high on the list of worries for senior citizens, caregivers, and families. We are going to need every penny we can get.  One of the bright spots in aging is that lots of things are FREE or discounted for seniors.  But YOU must ASK  for your senior discounts!

There are discounts for  restaurants, supermarkets, department stores, travel deals and other types of offers giving various discounts with different age requirements.  Some of… More

Longevity Factor: How Much Do You Laugh?

Laughter is a Longevity Factor
Researchers in Norway found that near death patients who maintained a good sense of humor increased their odds of survival—by 31 percent!
Caregivers: How much do you laugh?  Invalids: How much do you laugh?
Humor expert Allen Klein gives this advice for increasing the laughter in your life.
Place Laughter Reminders
Hmmm.  I need to do this.  I think I will start with putting pictures of laughing animals on my office walls.  That should give… More

Social Security Online

Social Security Online Simplifies Life
Wahoo!  Yeehaw!  The bad old days of standing in  line at the Social Security Office are a thing of the past.  The Social Security Administration website now gives you access to your information through “my Social Security” and allows you to make changes from home.  There’s no need to drive to a local Social Security office or wait for an appointment with a Social Security representative.
Set Up a “my Social… More

Johanna Quaas…So, what have YOU done lately?

 
A reader sent the attached video of  87-year-old gymnast Johanna Quaas to me.

Johanna Quaas appeared in her first competition in 1934.
In 1945 she finished her job training as gymnastics coach.
She co-authored the gymnastics text book Gerätturnen.
In 1961, she also coached gymnasts, including two women who were later nominated to start at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
In 1982, at age 57, Quaas returned to training and won at the VII. Turn-und Sportfest der DDR in Leipzig.… More

CareZone: Eldercare Harbinger of Hope (Part 2)

Continued from CareZone: Eldercare Harbinger of Hope (Part 1)
World’s Oldest Social Network
Jonathan Schwartz, the former chief executive of Sun Microsystems and co-founder of CareZone, says, ”The world’s oldest social network is the one you were born into – your family.”  The New York Times calls Care-Zone the “Anti-Facebook”.  How refreshing–a social network that doesn’t blab your private business to… More

CareZone: Eldercare Harbinger of Hope (Part 1)

Seeking Better Ideas for Caregiving
In 2004 the increasing frailty of my parents dramatically changed my life.  After 28 years working in the New York metro area (first in the arts and later in bleeding edge software development), I moved to Dallas, Texas, where I grew into my role as primary family caregiver, a role I maintained for the succeeding seven years.  As I learned about caregiving, I changed my career trajectory to address problems I experienced, and committed myself… More