It was only supposed to be a check up. The visit was presumed to be routine. The tests were ordinary. At first. Then came the drop of the hammer. “There is something there,” the doctor said. “We need to do more tests.” That big “uh oh” moment comes crashing in upon you when they nor you have any idea what is being suggested here. It is unsettling, somewhat scary, and altogether mind boggling. Nothing like this was supposed to happen. Not now. Not ever!

But happen it does. And when it does, as the younger man told me, just the other day “It’s all a matter of attitude.” He is likely my junior by about 20 years. Yet, he is the one advising me, while he is the one coping with the bad news.

Financial Concerns Cause Senior Citizen Anxiety The headlines this morning reflect the alarm on the part of investors regarding economy issues in the United States.  A 600 point sell-off yesterday (August 8, 2011) means the value of senior citizens’ portfolios plunged.  So what’s to do about the anxiety?// Anxiety is a bug-a-boo that has the [...]

There is only one way to avoid and manage stress. Decide you are in charge. All of the external factors that are constantly available will repeat themselves over and over, until you decide you are in charge. The phone rings early in the morning. It is a call of distress. Our son is in the throes of conflict with his roommate. Issues involving emotions, money, and daily getting along are pressing down hard. He is the only one who can handle them. I can be an ear, sympathetic, reinforcing to his good judgment, but that is about all. As for money, providing rescue is not a good idea. It is his dilemma. He needs to take it on and slay the dragon.

Another family dynamic has emerged. It involves a 95 year old resisting the issue of evaluating his continuing to drive. He is, in many ways, still able to manage, but he is struck with dementia that is increasingly serious.