I am worried. This is not surprising, as I tend to be somewhat of a worrywart. This is a quality I inherited from my grandmother and my mother, and I have worked really hard to perfect it. I like to think that worry can sometimes serve a useful purpose. For me, when worry festers, when […]
7 Kinds of Therapy I Don’t Want When I’m Living With Alzheimer Disease
People living with dementia are stigmatized in multiple ways, one of which is treating the activities the rest of us do for pleasure as “therapies.” My view is that we need to ditch the word therapy, and provide activities that engage, activate and enhance life as an integral part of care.
Growing Old Is A Joke: An Interview with Eric Decetis
Humor is good for the mind, body and soul, particularly as we age. Internationally renowned cartoonist Eric Decetis “makes fun” of growing older and inspires us to (not) act our age.
Rethinking Aging
As an undergraduate student, I was inspired to become a gerontologist after learning about the 1976 research study in which psychologists Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin investigated the effects of choice and enhanced personal responsibility for the aged, which resulted in a groundbreaking study on the impact of loneliness on seniors. They selected two floors of a […]
Beyond Being Known: Being Celebrated
Residents are well known at Carol Woods Retirement Community. But there is a difference between being well known and being celebrated. Residents, employee and family care partners of the Building 6 and 7 assisted living neighborhood at Carol Woods are striving toward the latter. Kay, a resident, explains: We want to be, not a family, […]
Anti-Ageism Clearinghouse, OldSchool, Gets a Mighty Upgrade
The Old School Clearinghouse belongs to everyone and is an ongoing, evolving collaboration.
ECT for Dementia and the Dangers of the BPSD Mindset
Dementia is the greatest shame of modern medicine; not because there have been no significant advances in treatment, but because—from restraints, to locked units, to antipsychotics, to ECT—we have lost our recognition of the humanity of those living with the diagnosis.
How to “Finish Strong”
“We deserve a home stretch that’s in keeping with the lives we’ve led,” Lee asserts. “We can ensure that the final phase of our lives reflects and upholds the values we cherish and the beliefs we hold.” She further invites readers “to join the movement for autonomy over how we live as we age”
