Sandy and Jon Miller of Downers Grove are passionate about music and its power to bring people together. While running seven choirs for older adults in Chicagoland, they heard about a Twin Cities-based choir for people with dementia. After visiting the choir, the couple returned home determined to bring the same joy to Chicago. Two […]Read More
With travel back to pre-pandemic levels, people are itching to get away. But for older adults and their caregivers, travel comes with challenges — like managing mobility and keeping track of prescriptions. “When traveling with seniors, nobody wants surprises,” says Susan Diamond, a Chicago-area group leader for Road Scholar, a not-for-profit educational travel organization for […]Read More
Many people confuse mild cognitive impairment (MCI) — memory loss that doesn’t impact daily functioning — with normal aging. Yet, MCI isn’t part of the typical aging process. This forgetful, confused thinking affects 12% to 18% of people ages 60 and older and can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease. Symptoms include forgetting important information […]Read More
Older adults are at risk when a caregiver fails to understand or meet their needs Colleen Morley trusted that her mom’s new husband was up for the task of caregiving. Not that Patty, who was in her early 70s, seemed in need of a caregiver. Patty had retired in 2011 and moved from the Chicago area […]Read More
When my grandmother, Mae, was 99 years old, I temporarily moved in with her. She was at the end of her life, and I was 62 years younger than her. I remember that time in colors, shapes, smells, tastes, sounds, and in the photographic frames of my dreams. Grandma Mae reinforced indelible lessons: Don’t throw […]Read More
Experts help families navigate tough situations Betsy Calkins and her siblings recently faced a daunting situation. They noticed their mother, who at the time was in her 90s, was beginning to have challenges living alone in her Mount Prospect home. But with Calkins and two of her siblings living out of state, the responsibility to […]Read More
Seeking intimacy with others when a spouse or partner has dementia Lino Darchun began “practice dating” two years after his wife, Sydnee, was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease. “I would ask a woman out for lunch or dinner just to have the experience of sitting with a woman and talking intelligently,” says Darchun, who lived […]Read More
End-of-life midwives ease the final passage with compassion On Saturdays, Don Meints found special pleasure in baking bread, especially with his four daughters. He loved working out any stress from his job as a teacher by kneading his frustrations into dough and turning it into cinnamon rolls, kolaches, and scones. “It was a variety of […]Read More
Plan ahead to make your dollars go further Financial planners describe a secure retirement as a “three-legged stool” consisting of Social Security, a pension, and ample savings. But for about 40% of retired adults, retirement income balances precariously on the one skinny leg of Social Security. Someone may end up relying solely on Social Security in […]Read More
Teepa Snow thought TikTok was just for singing, dancing, and funny videos. At her team’s urging, Snow, founder of the dementia education company Positive Approach to Care, gave #caregivertiktok a try. Her videos offer dementia care tips in an engaging and digestible format. In total, they’ve racked up more than 25 million views since she […]Read More
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