Free and Unbiased Information Blog Focused on Helping The Aging

“Till death do us part.” Not necessarily, and not even at a time when many couples are decades into a marriage. After 27 years of marriage, at ages 65 and 57 respectively , Bill and Melinda Gates joined a growing surge in the divorce rate of people over age 50: quinquagenarians and older. Though statistics reveal a decline for most demographics in the divorce rate over the past 20 years, the reverse is true for baby boomers who are ending their marriages at an unprecedented rate. In fact Pew Research Foundation data has found that the divorce rate after age 50 nearly doubled from 1990 to 2015, with some experts calling the escalation an epidemic. Reasons for this disturbing trend include second, third, even fourth marriages—not uncommon in later years—having a lower success rate, and empty nesters acknowledging the glue that held the marriage together really was their children. Also, with more women earning an independent income, often with benefits, a long-standing obstacle to di...

Bring up the topic of decluttering in a conversation with older adults and you’ll get a variety of responses. For some, getting rid of things is easy; they may even respond with something like  “I love throwing things away! ” On the other hand, you have people who can’t seem to throw  anything  away. You can actually see them shift into a state of panic at the thought of discarding their belongings. The majority fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, being able to confidently identify what is clearly trash, yet feeling certain about items they’re compelled to keep. Why Is It So Hard to Let Go? Clutter is common in the lives of so many. There is only one factor that makes the clutter of an older adult unique: time. The older you are, the longer you’ve had to accumulate things. As time passes, you attach meaning to those things which provoke certain emotions and these feelings may develop into a physical form of nostalgia. Many items c...

Mental health issues, if not addressed on time, can resurface at a later stage in life. Symptoms if noticed at early age should be monitored and medical consultation sought if the need arises. As a society, we tend to brush mental health issues under the carpet. The apprehension of social stigma and discrimination forces parents to assume all is well when the symptoms clearly indicate otherwise. There is no point staying in a state of denial and expecting time to iron out all issues. The younger generation faces several challenges and depression accompanied by a  lack of self-esteem is one of them. It is important for parents to consult a mental health counsellor to get to the root of the problem and treat it. All conditions may not require medication. Even counselling, meditation and yoga may help. What is important is to not leave the issue unattended allowing it to fester over time. Raising awareness levels about mental health issues is important as it will help parents/you...

Mental illness and disorders can affect people of all ages, and it leads to mood and behaviour fluctuations. Some of the most common mental illnesses include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, schizophrenia, etc. Mental illness can hamper the quality of life, and it is highly crucial for individuals suffering from mental illnesses to undergo therapy and take medication where required. However, older adults are also prone to the risk of mental illnesses and neurodegenerative disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s . What is mental illness? People need to understand that there is a difference between mental illness and mental health. While mental health refers to overall emotional well-being . Mental illnesses are diagnosable conditions which include depression and in older adults dementia. Mental illness is a condition in which our emotions change, including our thinking and behaviour. It will affect our daily mood and, eventually, our daily life. What are the causes of mental...

Tomorrow, April 16th, is National Healthcare Decisions Day. Initiated in 2008 by Virginia-based healthcare attorney Nathan Kottkamp, its mission is to provide ample, concise, straightforward information on healthcare decision-making to both the public and healthcare providers and facilities. In short, NHDD seeks to promote and demystify what’s involved in all-important advance care planning, making it accessible to everyone. First, though seniors may be more at risk, advance care planning is not only about making plans for getting older . A medical crisis including disease, automobile accident, or other form of severe injury can strike at any age, leaving you vulnerable and unable to make your own healthcare decisions. Planning now for healthcare in the distant and near future is a key component in ensuring you get the kind of medical treatment you want—including measures you may not want. This includes having the instructions in place for life and death decisions if you are unable t...

In 1817, surgeon James Parkinson was the first person to describe “paralysis agitans” when he published An Essay on the Shaking Palsy . His in-depth description — based on years as a medical practitioner and skilled clinical observer — would become his outstanding contribution to medical science. Yet there is still much more to be understood about Parkinson’s Disease, a chronic and progressive neurological condition for which there is no cure. Today’s researchers like Dr. Ray Dorsey and Dr. Bastiaan Bloem point to Parkinson’s disease being the fastest-growing neurological condition on the planet. Dorsey, a neurologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center and co-author (with Bloem) of the book Ending Parkinson’s Disease , points to the number of Parkinson’s cases having increased 35% the last 10 years . He believes cases will double over the next 25 years. Bloem, a professor at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, told Parkinson’s News Today he believes that over t...

Immensely popular for his action roles and his endearing wise-aleck-nice-guy persona, Bruce Willis personifies the proverbial kid-at-heart even at 67 years old. Thus, his family’s March 30 th announcement that he would no longer be acting hit our cultural zeitgeist like a gut punch. The reason? The father of five daughters (the youngest 4 and 6 years old) has been diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder linked to neurological changes or damage to the brain. The news seems more devastating given that this actor beloved for his fast talking – from outrageous quips in Moonlighting to the yippee-ki-yay battle cry in Die Hard , would be hit by a condition that robs people of their language abilities. What is Aphasia? The National Institutes of Health defines aphasia as a disorder after damage has been done to the sections of the human brain that are responsible for language. People with aphasia have difficulty with the expression and understanding of language, along with reading and writing...