With both college-age children and aging parents to care for By Mike Takieddine If you combine the college whirlwind with the outsized, twirling charge that aging often involves, you get a vortex into which many baby boomers are still being sucked. Boomers at the peak of their careers By 2016, many boomers are turning into their mid-to-late 50’s and early 60’s, typically at or near the peak of their careers, with dual, real-time responsibilities to aging parents as well as co

Assess them first on how they react to emergencies By Mike Takieddine If I were to walk into a homecare office and spend a little time by the receptionist’s desk, I could probably be able to form an opinion as to whether I would want that agency to handle Mom’s care. I would look for tell-tale signs that, after so many years in elder care, I learned to trust. An agency that shows character and self-pride The majority of incoming calls at an agency are from its caregivers, som

Interestingly, the brain is the last organ to age By Mike Takieddine In this article we will take the road less traveled and discuss our modern-day preoccupation with slowing down the aging process from perspectives over and beyond plenty of sleep, exercise and good nutrition. Want to live to 100? 53,364 Americans did in 2010 Interestingly, your chances are better if you are a woman (women make up 82% of all those who live to 100 or over in the U.S.) Your chances are also bet

Nature is the high-priestess of self-healing By Mike Takieddine What matters the most to each of us defines us. For many, the pleasures that frame us surround us for all who can see to see, for all who can smell and touch to sense. One such pleasure may be to take one’s family and splash barefoot in the crystal clear waters of a naked stream, or to go unaccompanied to the depths of the ocean and discover the thousand ornaments of a coral reef. Don’t you come across sights tha

A day in the shoes of someone with early onset Dementia By Mike Takieddine Early Onset Dementia has been found in people as young as 30, though the disease more commonly impacts individuals over 60. When it does present itself, it can be an incredible burden to a spouse or family. Dementia at a relatively young age is often misinterpreted, causing the loss of jobs and relationships. When recognized, the patient may need to quit work, or come to terms with their employer about

Helen is beginning to show signs of Alzheimer’s By Mike Takieddine At the beautiful age of 71, Helen loves to wear purple, has a cat named Phoebe, enjoys fiddling in her flower garden and has a pile of magazines and paperbacks on her coffee table. Her two daughters, Jane and Sue, live near her with their children and make up all the family she ever sees, and although her husband died a few years back, she still lives at home and is drives around in a car she’s had for close t