support

Using Social Media to Support Sandy Victims

Posted on 11/5/2012 by | AARP Social Media Strategy/Trainer | Comments

Technology | VolunteeringHurricane Sandy roared into the East Coast during my first week as the AARP’s new social media trainer. I noticed how many people were sharing incorrect information on social media and wrote a post explaining ways you can check the information you share with friends. In the aftermath of the storm and the growing crisis to provide assistance to thousands of people in 12 different states, I wanted to reach out and help. Luckily I’m friends with a leader at …

When the Caregiver Doesn’t Take Care of Herself

Posted on 08/30/2012 by | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | RelationshipsIt’s a subtle thing. It happens bit by bit…it creeps up and then one time too many of lifting the wheelchair into the trunk and—BAM! –it smacks me flat, usually at the most inopportune time.That’s what happened to me last week when my back screamed, “Stop!”  I have a history of back problems, but my back hasn’t flared up this badly in about 10 years. The timing couldn’t be worse.  We are packing up my parents’ senior living apartment and …

Caregiving, When Everything Hurts

Posted on 08/16/2012 by | Volunteering | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | RelationshipsA week ago, I visited my Pop Pop for his 96th birthday. I brought a big sign with me, with dozens of messages from people all over the country — family in Indiana, friends in Mississippi, Twitter followers from Boston and D.C. and Kansas. Even Arthur, who I introduced in my first post here, got in on the surprise. “How ya doin, pal?” he wrote. I figured my grandfather, the best keeper-in-toucher I know, would get a kick out of …

Formula for Weight Loss: Support + Science = Success

Posted on 04/5/2012 by | Fat to Fit | Comments

Personal HealthThe novel notion that friends make friends fat made news when researchers analyzing data from the Framingham Heart Study found evidence that “clusters of friends appeared to ‘infect’ each other with obesity, unhappiness and smoking.” At the same time, the researchers found that good habits, such as quitting smoking, being trim and being happy passed “from friend to friend almost as if they were contagious viruses.” These groundbreaking observations were based on a long-term study established in 1948 by the …

5 Ways Volunteering Can Help You Decide Who To Give Money To

Posted on 08/3/2011 by | Giving & Volunteering | Comments

VolunteeringThis is a guest blog post from Reed Sandridge.  Sandridge lost his job in 2009 and did the unthinkable – he started giving away $10 a day to complete strangers!  He captured the story of every recipient at www.yearofgiving.org.  A frequent writer and speaker on volunteering and micro-philanthropy, Sandridge lives in our nation’s capital. We get asked all the time to help support all kinds of organizations.  From the canvasser on the street asking you to donate to Planned Parenthood …

AARP, Creating a Caring Community

Posted on 06/7/2011 by | Volunteering | Comments

VolunteeringThis past week, my son SJ proclaimed he needed someone to shag baseballs for him. I’m not sure what that means, but his father Sean, happily agreed to go along on this outing. That evening Sean expressed that he hadn’t lost his old form (he was drafted by some baseball team), and he exclaimed with great pride it felt good to get out there and toss the ball around with SJ. However, the next morning, the story was a little …