Pathways for Aging

On Thursday, March 4, Tom Brokaw’s latest generational investigation gets its television debut on CNBC called “Boomers: History’s Wealthiest and Most Influential Generation.” The Baby Boomers, those born following World War II between 1946 & 1964, count just under 80 million Americans in their cohort with 8,000 of them turning 65 each day. The Boomers […]

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A British study, published in the Lancet, found that psychotherapy that addressed behavioral and emotional health is a cost-effective way to reduce low back pack pain as reported in an article by the St. Louis Post Dispatch: http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/fit-bits/uncategorized/2010/02/talk-therapy-decreases-low-back-pain/
Mental health and emotional issues often effect the whole body. Physical pain can be caused by or exacerbated […]

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 Today, 8,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65, and the number of older adults in the U.S. will continue to rise steadily for the next twenty years. Not only do families need to plan for their own needs and the needs of their aging loved ones, but entire cities and towns need to address our aging […]

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KSDK news recently ran a story about a local man who has won hundreds of medals in the Senior Olympics: “Dahl gives new meaning to the term, ’senior moment.’ To him, it’s a workout everyday at the Jewish Community Center in Creve Coeur.” Read about his experiences and why he is an example of […]

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Research consistently indicates that older adults utilize mental health services at significantly lower rates than younger adults, yet the overall prevalence of mental health disorders remains roughly the same across all age cohorts (Narrow, et al. 2002).  Therefore, even though older adults represent 13% of the U.S. population, they receive only 6% of community mental […]

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Pet therapy - what is the benefit to older adults?  As I sit in my office, my 2 cats are contentedly sleeping away the morning.   It reminds me of the value and importance that some of our older adults place on their relationship with their pet.  Some of our clients share their small senior apartments […]

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In today’s online edition of US News & World Report - columnist, Bill Moehler wrote about the impact of the economy on baby boomers and their aging parents.
The economic downturn the past year has certainly impacted every area of our lives.  Usually we hear of the financial impact, but how this  affects the lives of families […]

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I wrote in December’s eNewsletter about how those Home for the Holidays visits can bring some surprises, when you see signs & symptoms of dementia and/or depression, which may be of concern, when you visit elderly family members at the holidays.  Today I found an interesting blog which also noted how January is a time for professionals and organizations serving older adults.  The blog includes […]

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Last week, Work Place Options (WPO) posted a report on the survey they conducted of employers offering assistance with caregiving for the elderly.  They found that “Concern for older family members is increasing along with the aging population, and making informed decisions about elder care can be very stressful and time-consuming. Finding appropriate, quality care […]

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I just returned from the annual state conference for the Missouri Association of Homes for the Aging (MoAHA) at the Lake of the Ozarks.  I was honored to be invited as a guest speaker on the topic of Decisional Capacity - how to determine when someone is too incapacitated to be able to make their […]

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