Quality of Life

Analysis of the meaning of quality of life encompasses a multitude of considerations that attempt to measure life satisfaction, which is difficult because it’s subjective and often fluctuates.  So instead of being philosophical and analytical, for this blog, let’s stay practical.  This is one of those function over form moments when tools rule. There are […]

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Attitudes

What we think will happen, happens.  As we grow older, we become what we think we will become. A lifespan difference of 7.5-years is the impact of how we think about how we age.  This is the research findings of Yale University Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Psychology Becca Levy based on her past 20 […]

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Social isolation and life expectancy

Life expectancy moved from under 50 years to over 70 years over the course of the 20th century.  Persons born between 1946 and 1964 add up to approximately 76.4 million people who are beginning to enter the 70-year mark.  This large group of people are balancing their own needs, as many are still working, along […]

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Music can transform communication

Music can transform communication. The World War I Christmas Truce referred to as All Is Calm recalls an astounding moment in history when Allied and German soldiers met in “No Man’s Land” and laid down their arms to celebrate the holiday together by trading carols. Music, an important part of life in the trenches, helped […]

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Move to Think and Think to Move

It is a common misconception that bears hibernate during the winter. While bears tend to slow down during the winter, they are not true hibernators.  It’s this “Grizzly Bear” behavior that some of us humans have in common; we slow down durning the winter months.  Where it might serve the Grizzly, it’s not something we […]

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Go Purple for Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month

If my grandmother Emma had been a flower, she would have been one of those magnificent dinner plate dahlias like she grew in her garden.  She would have been her favorite color purple.  She would have taken first in show, a blue ribbon winner, at the state fair. I thought of her when the Alzheimer’s […]

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Contaminated Food

Did you know the Centers for Disease Control estimates 76 million people each year get sick by eating contaminated food?!  Older adults and children are considered most susceptible to foods contaminated by harmful bacteria and viruses which can cause a foodborne illness known as food poisoning.   Foodborne illness can occur within 24hours of eating contaminated […]

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Colder weather

Cold weather, like hot weather, can often catch people unprepared.  This is a good time to be reminded of what can happen when things cool down. Did you know that temperatures do not have to be below freezing for hypothermia to develop?  In cold weather, millions of older people risk developing hypothermia.  That means low […]

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Fall

Fall has arrived.  The word “fall” is on my mind and it conjures up all sorts of associations.  For example, “fall” connects to “harvest” in my brain.  As a result I’m imagining the cornucopia of my childhood filled with beautiful small pumpkins, gourds, nuts and colorful apples (I live in Minnesota).  It symbolizes Thanksgiving and […]

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Summertime

The change of seasons can trigger memories for people of all ages, particularly for older adults.  Reminiscing and retelling stories from the past is an important way to feel connected to important people even when those individuals may no longer be living.  One of the great ways we can “care” for those we care for […]

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