Cultural Traditions Influence Caregiving with Cancer Patients By blog Culture has a major influence on us as individuals and as groups. Think about the traditions you cherish, everything from […]
_ Pets The Neurobiological Basis of Human-Pet Relationships By Jane Farrell article People who have pets often refer to themselves as “pet parents,” but how closely does the relationship between people and … Read More→
When the World Was Only as Large as My Golden Book Set By blog Remember When We DidnΓÇÖt Have The World at our Finger Tips? As I often do these days, I catch myself […]
Post-Menopausal? Don't Let High Blood Pressure Sneak Up on You By blog A few decades ago, we had a totally different definition of “high.” Today, as Baby Boomers, we often associate “high” […]
Single-Dose Flu Drug Appears Safe and Effective By article An analysis of phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials shows that a single injected dose of the neuraminidase inhibitor … Read More→
ΓÇ£Proof of LifeΓÇ¥ in Online Dating By blog Did any of you see the interview with Nev Schulman on TV the other day? He has a new book […]
Mental & Emotional Health Take Off Your Mask of Depression By article The tragic death of Robin Williams has stirred up so much conversation about depression, a difficult topic but one that … Read More→
_ Relationships & Love Meaningful Relationships Help Us Thrive By Sondra Forsyth article Deep and meaningful relationships play a vital role in overall well-being. Past research has shown that individuals with supportive and rewarding relationships have better mental health, higher levels of subjective well-being and lower rates of morbidity and mortality. A paper published in August 2014 in Personality and Social Psychology Review provides an important perspective on thriving through relationships, emphasizes two types of support that relationships provide, and illuminates aspects where further study is necessary. What is ΓÇ£thrivingΓÇ¥?
6 Steps to Soar in The Empty Nest By blog Summer is winding down and for many families, the kids are headed back to school. For some of you, this is not your normal ΓÇ£back to school,ΓÇ¥ but also the beginning of your Empty Nest as you take your youngest to college. YouΓÇÖve thought about it for years, maybe even dreaded it, and now reality hits. Your main focus in life has changed, and you have a hollow feelingΓÇöNow what? I know just how you feel. I experienced that same feeling of loss, but quickly emerged in eager anticipation of what I could create to fill my time, and life has never been any better for me than it is now.
_ Friendship Mind & Body Wellness Gratitude Can Win You New Friends By Sondra Forsyth article Parents have long told their children to remember to say thank you. Now the evidence is in on why it matters. A study led by the University of New South Wales, Australia has shown for the first time that thanking a new acquaintance for help makes the person more likely to seek an ongoing social relationship with you.
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Medical Care Change in Tube Feeding Boosts Nutrition By Sondra Forsyth article While the importance of enteral nutrition (EN), or feeding patients through a tube, in an intensive care unit is well understood, underfeeding is still common. A practice of a certain amount of feeding per hour can be interrupted by tests, procedures, or emergencies. Changing to a volume-based system, which calls for a certain nutrition volume per day, could reduce underfeeding, according to a quality improvement audit published in the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition's (A.S.P.E.N.) Nutrition in Clinical Practice journal on August 26th 2014.
Five Lessons I Learned From My Years as an Alzheimer's Caregiver By Jane Farrell blog Why is life so much clearer in retrospect? With the passage of time, it is easy to look back, see the big picture and think: ΓÇ£If IΓÇÖd only known then, what I know now.ΓÇ¥ I often hear caregivers voice this sentiment. And, as a long-time AlzheimerΓÇÖs caregiver myself (for my mother, father and other relatives ΓÇö now all deceased), I feel the same way. In the rear view mirror, the decisions and choices that I agonized over at the time now either seem so obvious or so trivial. I wish IΓÇÖd not been so caught up in details that were unimportant.
_ Osteoarthritis Knee Surgery No Help for Mild OA By Sondra Forsyth article A new study indicates that there is no apparent benefit to arthroscopic knee surgery for age-related tears of the meniscus in comparison with nonsurgical or sham treatments. The study, published August 25th 2014 in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), provides evidence that middle-aged or older patients with mild or no osteoarthritis of the knee may not benefit from the procedure.
_ Caregiving 5 Questions About Long-Distance Caregiving By Sondra Forsyth article What is long-distance caregiving? It can be helping Aunt Lilly sort through her medical bills or thinking about how to make the most of a weekend visit with Mom. It can include checking the references of an aide whoΓÇÖs been hired to help your grandfather or trying to take the pressure off your sister who lives in the same town as both your aging parents and her aging in-laws. Here, from the National Institute on Aging, are the answers to five key questions about long-distance caregiving:
_ Caregiving Daughters, Not Sons, Are the Caregivers By Sondra Forsyth article Researchers at Princeton University found women appear to provide as much elderly parent care as they can, while men contribute as little as possible. The study was presented in August 2014 at at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in San Francisco.
_ Relationships & Love Connection is the Key to Positive Personal Relationships By Sondra Forsyth article By Lynne DΓÇÖAmico, PhD You can improve communication without improving a relationship, but you canΓÇÖt create connection without improving a relationship. Communication has been hailed as a ΓÇ£holy grailΓÇ¥ to interpersonal relationships, and is routinely promoted as the way to improve relationships between spouses, children, parents, and work colleagues. As years of research show, communication is definitely an important dimension of any relationship. But communication isnΓÇÖt the key to fixing relationship problems. Connection is.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Should You See a Shrink? By article By Sherrie Campbell, PhD It is often the assumption that if you go to therapy that you have serious problems you cannot manage on your own and there is something fundamentally wrong with you. In reality, if someone is attending therapy, the person tends to be on the healthier side of self-love and self-awareness. Because seeing a therapist is stigmatized many people who want to seek help, either often they donΓÇÖt, or they keep their therapy private so they do not invoke judgment.
Why Our Minds Are Velcro for the Bad, but Teflon for the Good By blog Most everyone has at least one traumatic memory embedded in their brains. One that still resonates for me was the time my mother left me alone when I was six years old to take the baby sitter home. When I looked apprehensive, she told me not to worry. ΓÇ£IΓÇÖll be right back,ΓÇ¥ she said smiling brightly and drove off. As it got dark I became more and more frightened that something had happened to her and she wasnΓÇÖt coming back. By the time she returned I was totally terrified. She found me standing outside wailing. She scolded me and took me inside.