The household model of care reflects a maturing of the field of gerontology — the study of the medical effects of aging. Gerontology as a discipline only dates back to the 1940s, and it didn’t begin to gain traction in the U.S. until the 1960s and 1970s.  More

Late one afternoon, social worker Jennifer Ronzio got word of a letter sent from one of the families she served. Carol, her supervisor, suggested Jennifer sit down before reading it. More

The phone rang at Gloria Tremane’s house around 11:30. “Grandma, it’s Sara,” said the voice on the other end of the line. “I’m sorry to call so late, but ... I’m in trouble.”  More

As a Health Care Executive in the Hospital and Nursing Home arena, one of the most troubling things that I had to deal with was the “unpreparedness” of loss of life, terminal illness, fatal accident, estate planning, advance directives and aging itself. A vast majority of these dealings were a result of “unwillingness” to discuss these topics sometimes by the individual themselves and or other family members. We all think we will have time or that the time is not right to have these discussions. Sometimes there are family members who are unwilling and or maybe the correct terminology I like to use is “selfish”.  More

Will doing crossword puzzles prevent memory loss as we age? Does exercise delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease? Will adding fish oil to a diet help keep our brains healthy as we age? NIH recently convened a conference to answer these and other questions. The conclusion? Research so far has offered good leads about preventing Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline. Still, more research is needed before we can be sure what’s effective. More

All of us have habits we have developed because of our own comfort, convenience, demand and most importantly our individuality. Whether the habits are good or bad, they are ours  More

At one of the senior living communities where I serve, there’s a woman named Dorothy. Dorothy ‘s father was a preacher. Her grandfather was a preacher. She had brothers and uncles and cousins who were preachers. She ended up marrying a preacher (who, himself, was the son of a preacher), and she had a son of her own who grew up to be – that’s right! – a preacher. More

Home. It’s an incredible word. I would venture to say that for most people, comfort, security, pride, independence, and meaningful memories come to mind when they hear the word home. Even as you age, you want to be able to live life your way, in the comfort of wherever you call home.  More

Because of advances in medicine, each of us, as well as our families and friends, may face many decisions about the dying process. As hard as it might be to face the idea of your own death, you might take time to consider how your individual values relate to your idea of a good death. By deciding what end-of-life care best suits your needs when you are healthy, you can help those close to you make the right choices when the time comes. This not only respects your values, but also allows those closest to you the comfort of feeling as though they can be helpful. More

We’ve all had that special someone who raised us, shaped us, and guided us as we grew up. Who was that person for you? When you needed direction, to whom did you turn? It was someone you trusted; and you listened because you knew that special someone had your best interest in mind. More