Whether or not the weather affects your mood depends both on you and the weather. Some seniors are met with a daily challenge to take on and win the day. Sharon, my spouse, has had a continuing battle with SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, in which cloudy and overcast days seem to pull her down and contribute to depression and otherwise low days. But let the sun come out and she is up and at it.

Of course, some folk claim to be in a down mood, no matter the weather. They seek for and often find some rationale for a depressing state of mind and give permission to this disorder to order their lives.

Weather or not, the day is ours to maneuver. Excluding SAD victims, whatever the weather, our frame of mind and our willingness for the day to be one in which we are productive, ready to take on its challenges,

Mysterious Leg Pain My mother-in-law, age 92, has leg pain that is difficult to manage. She was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy several years ago.  I’m just now learning it has a new name… Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD).  I’m also just now learning it affects over eight million Americans, 12 to 20 percent over the age […]

Health Considerations for Seniors The threat of West Nile Virus is of more concern for seniors than any other population group.  Many experts have said that if you are over 70 and develop symptoms of WNV, go to the hospital immediately.  Senior citizens have less ability to fight the disease, and immediate medical care is […]

We learned this past week of another friend who was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This is the second friend in two months with this illness. Our first response was, “Oh NO!” The almost automatic denial response most of us experience.

We read about the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plan. We talked about how she was handling the issue on an emotional level. We shared our support and love for her. What’s next?

Next is doing what you can to support elderly loved ones through illness. And support is more than comforting words, although those are very important. But once your love and support for them is shared, following

Looming out there ahead of Baby Boomers are several very big issues that will come to occupy your time, attention, resources and patience. If your DNA is similar to many these days, your parents, at least one of them, will live into their 90’s and perhaps beyond. Read the obits and you will find more and more persons whose age is clocked in the 90’s when they die. And, often, it is the upper 90’s.

This is not to decry the joy of having your parents live a long life. It is to say that with their doing so come demands you may not have expected. Those demands come in the shape of caretaking, costs, and intentional decisions that will enable them and you to be prepared and buttressed with backup plans.

As we age, we all experience health issues to one degree or another that require repairs to our bodies. Yesterday, as I sat in the dental chair, looking up at the glaring lights, I was aware that over the last few weeks I had had some experiences in common. The first was a visit to my General Practitioner who discovered I was dehydrated and needed to spend some time on the table, looking up at those lights, whilst re-hydrating.

The second was a three hour surgical procedure transplanting a cornea in my left eye. The bright lights above me assisted the Ophthalmologist with the very tedious procedure. Finally, yesterday was spent, under the lights again, as my wonderful and dear friend, believe it or not dentist, dealt with a notoriously uncomfortable tooth.

Scheduled for surgery next week, one is prone to wonder: “What’s next?” None of us, as we age is immune from the possibilities that confront us as we age. Visiting with a long time acquaintance the other evening, now in her 90’s, I learned she has been through a rough time over the past year. She is not the type to dwell on her limitations or physical down turns. She is the type to report what’s going on, briefly, and to move on to other more provocative subjects, the likes of which have kept her vital and intriguing as she has celebrated her birthdays.

Of course, it is not great fun to be plagued with one or another physical set backs. Come they do and will. Our choices remain. How we decide to manage them, deal with them, and stay in charge remains our challenge. It is so refreshing to experience someone who has clearly chosen to be undeterred by what might be a brooding kind of existence. There are countless

The top 10 concerns of senior citizens includes health issues. Judi Dench, the actress, and I have one in common. We have been diagnosed with macular degeneration. You may also be a part of that growing league of those who are beset by this incurable disease. The worst part is that ‘wet’ macular degeneration in particular can lead to blindness if not treated early. People who have ‘dry’ macular degeneration experience a decline in vision, but may not become altogether blind. Click on those links above to get more information from the Mayo Clinic.

As we grow older, we seem to be confronted by more and more health issues for which there is no cure, no reversal, no treatment. Drug companies work tirelessly to come up with means for addressing one or another of these threats, but often to no avail.

Most Common Diseases Thousands of senior citizens love to travel around the United States. Retirement affords the time, and usually the means, to enjoy exploring the lower 48.  We can do so more safely if we are aware of the most common illnesses we could acquire while traveling. Let’s take a look at them and […]

Nuts Are Nature’s Top Superfood Studies are beginning to reshape notions senior citizens have had for years about eating nuts.  We’ve been told they are unhealthy because of their high fat content.  However, a recent study that reported on several studies tells us that if we eat a limited amount of nuts on a daily […]