caregiving

Thanks, Internet, for the Memories

Posted on 05/23/2013 by | Who's News | Comments

Bulletin Today | Caregiving | Home & Family | TechnologyAge UK, a British organization that strives to help older people get more out of digital technology, is hoping to win financial support from Google’s Global Impact Challenge for what could be a revolutionary idea. It wants to help thousands of people in Great Britain reminisce about their past via the Internet, as a way of teaching them about the value of being online and how it can improve their lives and decrease feelings of isolation. And although the project isn’t …

Senate Aging Committee to Showcase Virtual Talking Dog

Posted on 05/22/2013 by | Who's News | Comments

Bulletin Today | Caregiving | Personal Health | TechnologyAs you’ve probably noticed, congressional events increasingly seem to feature movie stars such as Harrison Ford and other celebrities as a way of gaining public attention for an issue. But at the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging’s Healthy Aging Forum, scheduled for May 23 on Capitol Hill, there will be an even more unusual guest: GeriJoy, the talking virtual dog developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. GeriJoy is specifically designed to give older people with dementia or …

My Interview With NPR About Alzheimer’s and My Dad

Posted on 05/20/2013 by | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | Personal Health | RelationshipsI recently spoke about my Dad with NPR’s Jacki Lyden for their Weekend All Things Considered story on Alzheimer’s disease. I told her it was a bittersweet experience for me. I started listening to the show as a young child with Dad, and there I was, 40 years later, at the NPR studio, talking about him and the ways that Alzheimer’s disease  is slowly robbing his brain. The first few notes of the show’s theme song immediately summon warm, secure “all …

Caregivers: 3 Easy Tips to Remember Your Health Checkups

Posted on 05/13/2013 by | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | Personal HealthI finally did it. After more than two years with two painful teeth, I finally got my dental checkup and teeth cleaning! Unfortunately, my delay has caused the need for two new crowns. I’ve always done this regularly, but since I started intensive caregiving that has gone down the drain (as have my other regular checkups). I feel like I should be at a support group meeting saying, “My name is Amy, and I’m a caregiver who has neglected my own …

Open Letter To Mom: 12 Truths You Taught Me

Posted on 05/10/2013 by | Volunteering | Comments

Home & Family | RelationshipsDear Mom, By now, you’ve probably opened the package I sent for Mother’s Day. If not, SPOILER ALERT: I got you those leggings you wanted (like mine) and an oversized tunic to match. Cute? Yes. Thoughtful? Kinda. Special? Not really. Even the card I sent was ordinary. A few months ago, I picked out the perfect one, but then I forgot it at home on Tuesday, the day I had to USPS it all to arrive on time. #mothersdayfail Mom, …

5 Tips for Caregivers: Better Medical Relationships

Posted on 05/9/2013 by | Caregiving | Comments

Caregiving | Home & FamilyOne of the lessons I learned early on in my time as a caregiver for my father was that he and I weren’t alone. I’m not talking about the support — both logistical and emotional — we received from family, neighbors and the amazing senior center in our little Cape Cod town. I’m talking about the doctors and nurses who, one by one, became a regular part of our lives. Their help was irreplaceable, but each relationship required its own …

« Older Entries