Other Side of 50
Andrea Gallagher, President of Senior Concerns, authors a bi-weekly column for the Thousand Oaks Acorn titled “The Other Side of 50,” focusing on life planning, positive aging and Boomer transitions.
Building resilience in uncertain times
For many of us, uncertainty is at an all-time high. Well, at least for me. Whether one is feeling the unpredictability of politics, economic instability, global tensions, or situations affecting us in our own backyard, I sense an overarching tension as I talk to others. In fact, I just [...]
Finding hope at Supervisor’s meeting
Recently, I attended the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting. My coworker Julie and I were honored to accept a proclamation celebrating Senior Concerns’ 50 years of service to seniors and family caregivers in our community. Janice Parvin, Chair of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, noted that many [...]
Empowering caregivers: A vital necessity for our future
That role may include physical assistance, emotional support, advocacy and care coordination, health monitoring, and long-term care planning. For many of us who have assumed the role of family caregiver (or had it thrust upon us), this crucial role in a loved one’s life in some ways defines us, [...]
Patients struggle to retain medical information
Whose responsibility is it to remind older adult patients of their next programmed appointment? Let’s say a patient is supposed to have an in-office procedure every six months. For whatever reason, that appointment was not booked in advance. In a perfect world, both the physician’s office and the patient [...]
Tidbits
Every so often, I think of topics that are not deep enough to be the subject of an entire column but may be noteworthy. I call these tidbits because they are small and interesting items of information. Sharing my recent tidbits with you today. Hotel Stay Recently, my husband [...]
Personal control is important for older adults
The other day I was talking to my mom about a challenging interaction I was having with a gentleman. My mom was amused at this person’s bad behavior.I jokingly told my mother, “If you think he is so funny, maybe you should spend time with him.”My mother quickly responded by [...]
Federal funding pause could affect local seniors’ food source
Last week, the administration sent a memo seeking to pause potentially trillions of dollars in government loans, grants, and financial assistance. That memo was later rescinded, but it did create confusion and uncertainty, particularly in the nonprofit world. While we are not sure what the future holds, a substantial [...]
When is a house not a home?
When I consider the word “home” it conjures up a safe haven. A place where one can live alone or with loved ones and a place to enjoy with friends. It’s a place to build memories and a place where we can truly just be ourselves. It is easy [...]
Well meaning retirement questions can be jarring
A friend stopped by over the holidays to say hello. I knew her from work activities, and we became friends, grabbing lunch occasionally and sharing anecdotes about our lives. She was a highly skilled individual, educated, and successful. I enjoy my time with her because our conversations are stimulating. [...]
Holidays can stir up a range of emotions in all of us
My friend recently shared with me that after making plans for her mother and father to come to her house for Christmas, they unexpectedly changed their mind and told her they weren’t coming. The original plan was that one of her adult children would pick her parents up and [...]
Don’t jump to conclusions about a loved one’s symptoms
Right after the Thanksgiving holiday, while we were chatting on the phone, I asked my 90-year-old mother what she was doing. She told me she was in the den in her recliner with her feet elevated. She explained that for the last few days her ankles were swollen and [...]
Hospital discharge planning: successful transitions are key
Recently, my mother’s 88-year-old sister fell. As she went down, her husband said, “You just broke your hip.” I am not sure if being a medic in the army sixty years ago qualified him to make that diagnosis, but he was right. My aunt and uncle live about 90 [...]
Tact is key when having tough conversations
Conversations with aging parents require compassion I recently witnessed a conversation at a restaurant between a woman and her mother. The woman appeared to be in her fifties or sixties and her mother in her seventies or eighties. The waitress was quickly listing the specials of the day, looking [...]
Carving out “me time” has many mental health benefits
While a lot is being said these days about the effects of loneliness and social isolation on older adults’ mental and physical health, I am going to turn to the other side of the coin for a moment. If you, like me, are an extrovert, and have a busy [...]
DMV drops written test for most senior drivers
t is my family’s belief that my mother is the best driver among us. In addition to a spotless driving record, when she parks her car at her house, she must back into a tiny one car garage that has an unforgiving margin of error. None of us are [...]
Getting a grey divorce requires financial planning
A few weeks ago, I attended the national conference of the Society for Certified Senior Advisors. The Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)® credential can be earned by professionals by demonstrating their competence and knowledge in working with older adults. I have held this designation since 2008. I attended the conference [...]
Get educated about sepsis and you might just save a life
Many years ago, I volunteered at a hospital. One of my duties was filling in for the floor secretary (remember, it was years ago) when she went to lunch or was on break. As part of the job, I had a copy of the census or a listing of [...]
Age is just a number that can be added up in different ways
How old are you? Well, that depends on what’s being measured. Aging is the process of getting older. Old age is less defined. People do not become “older” or “elderly” at any specific age. Traditionally, age 65 has been designated as the beginning of older age, but as we [...]
The healing power of memories
I just returned from possibly the best vacation of my life. The memories I brought back will stay with me forever. The trip began with the culmination of six months of planning for a big catered backyard barbecue for my mom’s 90th birthday. The tent was set, tables in [...]
Mini horses, big hearts
For the last couple of weeks, Senior Concerns’ Adult Day participants have had been treated to two special guests, Romeo and Ziggy. They are wonderful visitors who are kind, friendly and affectionate, and they seem to really enjoy their time at the center. What may be a bit out [...]