Activities are crucial to well-being. In the past ten years, research has shown that activities play a large part in preventing the progression of dementia. We also know that socializing prevents loneliness, despair and suicidal thoughts. Remembering times past is a pleassant diversion, stimulates the mind, and helps give perspective and a sense of who we are. 

In a recent article in USA Today,  "Reminiscing Can Help an Alzheimer's Patient Remember Past" Christina Mitchell writes;  Recovered memories can be as revealing to families as to patients. Today's mobile technology is prompting offspring to embark on projects documenting their parents' lives before dementia takes its course.

Comfortable with technology that people of their grandparents’ age have barely heard of, 18 Princeton teenagers helped seniors at Greenwood House open new lines of communication with families living far away.

The 11th- and 12th-graders at the afterschool Tichon Ve’od education program at The Jewish Center of Princeton visited the senior complex in Ewing on Jan. 13, introducing residents to Skype video chats and other high-tech applications.

 “Our kids set up the programs and sat with the seniors while they spoke with their families,” said Neil Wise, director of programming at The Jewish Center. “For some residents it was the first time they had ever used Skype. It was a really cool program.”

AS A VOLUNTEER with the Renee Denmark Punia Community Hospice of Greenwood House in Ewing, Lisa Pizza has traveled thousands of miles and provided countless hours of massage and reflexology therapy to hospice patients and their families. 

After working in the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years, Pizza was looking for “a career where I could make an immediate difference, something I was passionate about,” she said. 

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The Passover meal is full of tradition and symbolism. Each year our families and guests expect to see the “usual” holiday foods on the table. While we never seem to want to deviate from a time-honored menu, it never hurts to try a new recipe here and there.  Check out the recipes below. Perhaps a new dish at Seder this year will be an unexpected welcome!  

Careers in medicine have taught them the limits of treatment and the need to plan for the end

A recent article by Dr. Ken Murray in the Wall Street Journal discusses the differences in how physicians approach their own end-of-life decisions when confronted with terminal illness. What's unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared with most Americans, but how little.

To read the complete article, click here

Imagine sitting at the office and checking in (on your lunch break of course) to see if mom has opened the medicine cabinet or refrigerator today. Or access your loved ones medical information, including doctor appointments, medication information and more, all in one place. It's possible with inexpensive and easy-to-use mobile technology. With more seniors than ever aging in place, and loved ones living farther away and travelling more, technology can help you stay in touch. Check out the following article to find out about helpful apps and how to use them.

Catherine Graves chronicles her grief and guilt as a caregiver in her memoir, "Checking Out: An In-Depth Look at Losing Your Mind." Graves said she stayed strong during the five months she cared for her husband. But after his death in 2007 from an aggressive brain tumor, Graves declined into depression and anxiety and was eventually treated for post-traumatic stress.

 "The mental part of it was the hardest," she told ABCNews.com. "I was so depressed, but I couldn't be depressed because it wasn't about me. I was lonely and scared and the person that I knew had vanished."

It is human nature to avoid talking about difficult subjects. Nobody wants to deliver bad news or be the reminder of troubling events. Hence the phrase, “Don’t kill the messenger.”  However, we must have courage and proceed with these conversations at critical times in our lives. Some of the most difficult of these talks surrounds the failing health of loved ones. Even the most brilliant conversationalist can be at a loss when broaching the subject of a parent or spouse’s health dilemma.

People in our society remain profoundly uncomfortable with the dying process and even with discussing the needs of the dying. With our aging population, more and more people are confronting this challenge for themselves or for their parents.

Hospice is care that is provided during the last few months of a person’s life. People frequently think of hospice as a place. While hospice care may be provided in an inpatient facility or nursing home, hospice is actually a program and a philosophy of care that focuses on treatment of symptoms in the terminally ill patient. Hospice care can be provided in the home as well. The hospice philosophy includes treating physical, emotional and spiritual symptoms. Hospice care extends to the emotional and spiritual concerns of the family as well.  This unique approach to the family as the unit of care enables those closest to the patient to be included in treatment issues.

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." ~ Roger Caras

Pets are often a wonderful addition to a home, and become integral and beloved members of our family.   They can make especially good companions for seniors, as they develop into loyal friends who remain at our side, especially at fragile times in our lives.  There are many physical and emotional benefits of having a pet at any age, but especially for seniors who tend to be at a  stage in their lives that they have additional free time and often spend more time at home.