A few weeks ago I received a call from someone I hadn’t seen in 20 years. She wanted some advice about her 90 year old mother. She was distraught because her mother seemed depressed and was no longer actively involved in previous activities. The 20 minute conversation boiled down to whether she was upset because her mother wasn’t performing as she thought her mother should or her mother was shrinking her world to make it more manageable as she aged?

Many of us are experiencing, or have experienced, or will experience, taking care of our elderly parents. Depending on when we were born in our parents’ lives and how fortunate or unfortunate their health is, we often become the sandwich generation, caring for our own children and our parents.

The call peaked my curiosity and I researched the topic caring for elderly adults to find out what is out there. Not that much and not that much interest. Amazon doesn’t list any current books and previously maybe there was a book for the adult child every two or three years. Even a keyword search showed little interest in terms of searches for that kind of information.

This lack of interest intrigues me. Caring for elderly parents and all the emotions it encompasses would seem to make it such a juicy topic.

It doesn’t make sense to me yet. Think about it. There are thousands of books out about parenting your kids. You would think that because we’re now living longer, which means parenting our parents for longer periods of time, there would be more interest. There is not.

If you have any possible answers to this question please let me know. Type them up in comments and I’ll collect your solutions.

To your healthy aging,

Ruthan Brodsky

The important part of finding a doctor for me is that I wanted a solid relationship between me and my doctor in sickness and in health. I suspect many of you boomers feel as I do and as a result more doctors are becoming involved in prevention. They understand that they are key players in keeping me well. Read the rest of this entry

Our Internist retired after his heart attack. I had partnered with him for close to 25 years and dreaded the thought of finding a new doctor.

Dr. K was perfect for us. He was an excellent diagnostician, he cared deeply for his patients, he was friendly, outgoing, and I could argue with him. The fact is we became socially friendly with Dr. K and his wife who also worked in the office.

I knew what I wanted and I was going to be careful in my selection because I knew that as I got older the chances were I would need more medical care. I wanted someone who would partner with me in my health. I was to be the captain of my health ship and the doctor was to be my navigator and my coach. And it is very important to me that my doctor be involved in prevention. Over a period of six years I went through four different doctors until I found one whose approach to medicine and his patients is very much like our previous physician. Read the rest of this entry

My mother was very depressed as she aged. I suspect

It started in her sixties but I really didn’t notice it until she was in her eighties. The problem is that depression is difficult to identify because it usually develops gradually and its symptoms are mistaken as symptoms of other conditions or reactions from medication or being tired because someone is older. Read the rest of this entry

Read the rest of this entry

I don’t believe that you can stop aging. Neither do I believe that you can reverse aging. I do understand that there are medical and surgical and pharmaceutical things you can do and have done to you that may help you look younger and may even give you more energy, but those aren’t the secrets I’m seeking.

I’m convinced that the secrets to not becoming old are wrapped up in the lifestyle habits I need to include in my daily activities that will give me:

• the strength I need to lug groceries and play with my grand kids and push a vacuum;
• the flexibility I need so I can back up into a parking space and get in and out of a car without struggling;
• the smarts I need to continue to be productive in whatever I choose to do;
• the compassion I need to accept my aging and all the losses that will accompany those years.

Secrets To Health and Aging is an exploration to discover what we need to know and do to lead extraordinary lives as we age.

I suspect you have additional ideas about what your secrets are to healthy aging. Will you share them with us? Scroll down to comments and type your tips for healthy aging. Let’s see how much good information we receive.

To your healthy aging success.

Ruthan