Often, friends and family members stop visiting a loved one with dementia because they don’t know what to say or do. Planning ahead for a visit can help create a positive experience and alleviate stress for both the patient and visitor. For caregivers, when having visitors, limit to one or two people at a time.… Read more »
During these unprecedented times when we are required to practice social distancing and shelter at home, families caring for a loved one with dementia at home face increased isolation and emotional challenges. Not being able to socialize in person with friends and extended family are difficult enough for everyone. Keeping a sense of structure and… Read more »
As I write this, we are in the midst of unprecedented times, coming to grips with the idea that the world, as we knew it, is changing daily due to the coronavirus pandemic. Life seems surreal as if watching a futuristic science fiction movie, yet we are the stars. With all the doom and gloom… Read more »
This past month, the world was shocked by the news of the death of sports icon Kobe Bryant along with eight other victims on board a helicopter that crashed in Calabasas. For 20 years, basketball fans watched Kobe game after game and witnessed an athlete who was wholeheartedly committed to excellence. During Kobe’s jersey retirement… Read more »
F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “I’m a slave to my emotions, to my likes, to my hatred of boredom, to most of my desires.” Have you ever felt like you were held emotionally hostage to your thoughts and feelings and then acted out with dysfunctional behaviors that ended with negative consequences? We all have. It’s part… Read more »
Pregnancy is a wondrous time. It is filled with joy and anticipation and daydreams of what is to come. But what if midway through the pregnancy that joyous daydream is interrupted with news of a problem? My son, Nicholas, had a condition called congenital hydrocephalus which was diagnosed at my baseline ultrasound when I was… Read more »
It was a quaint little restaurant on a balmy desert night – just the two of them, she a writer, he a musician, together conversing in a syncopated rhythm of their own making. Their wine glasses clink and he proposes a toast, “hip-hip, chin-chin.” They laugh at the funny Italian cheer and are reminded that… Read more »
It’s that time of year when many people review and plan how to create optimal health in their daily lives. My question is, “Do you have a personal practice or routine that serves and supports you?” Having come from a sports science and fitness background, I came across many people who were 23-hour couch potatoes.… Read more »
I know firsthand that weight loss hypnosis works. Twenty-five years ago, I lugged around 260 pounds. Thanks to hypnosis, healthy eating and exercise, I ditched 120 pounds and have kept it off for twenty-four years. As we are in the midst of a global obesity pandemic, I am more passionate now than ever about helping… Read more »
Time…We can’t stop the clock, but if we recognize that a moment passed is a moment gone forever, we might want to make different choices about how we spend it. Money, a good name, and even health can be regained, but a tick of the clock can never be retrieved. Is that why the present… Read more »
You just got off the phone and are in shock that your friend has cancer. You are the best friend, spouse, parent, volunteer…everyone’s cheerleader. How this could happen? The New Year is here and everyone is supposed to be happy and celebrating – not talking cancer! You feel helpless. Like any good person raised in… Read more »
In today’s school age children, acts of bullying can begin as early as preschool years and continue to escalate throughout the elementary years and beyond. Bullying is a distinctive pattern of harming and humiliating others.1 Nearly a third of children 12-18 years old report experiencing bullying by being made fun of, insulted, made to do… Read more »
Family caregivers who need in-home care may not know the various types of care nor what levels of support to expect. Cost, frequency and level of skilled providers are among determining factors when choosing in-home help for a loved one. What are the differences between types of in-home care workers? Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and… Read more »
The holidays are a time of joy, anticipation, happiness, frivolity, family fun, merriment and well, high expectations. Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, or any celebratory event, we tend to get nostalgic and that inner child within all of us wants everything to be picture perfect! The reality is that while perfection may be the goal,… Read more »
Moving isn’t easy according to many researchers and psychologists. The truth is we don’t need researchers to tell us how stressful it is or how we should feel about this experience. However, we most certainly can understand ourselves better by understanding what is happening during this process and what we can do to help ourselves… Read more »
Recent events have prompted parents, educators, and childcare providers to reevaluate how to properly teach children about personal safety which, in this context, is how to ward off tactics used by child predators to isolate and victimize a child. Any person in charge of a child’s wellbeing should review how to discuss preventing an incident… Read more »
Whoever coined the phrase “growing old gracefully” must have thought of it when they were young. Besides looking in the mirror and not recognizing the face staring back at you, I guess the term might be relevant if one didn’t have to deal with the daily aches and pains, doctor’s appointments, chronic pain, hormonal changes,… Read more »
Respite care is a service that supports family caregivers by providing temporary care for a loved one who requires assistance – such as someone with dementia, special needs or disabilities. Respite care should not be considered a luxury, but instead should be an important component of a caregiving program. It can be provided for a… Read more »
Wouldn’t it be great if you had a tool you could count on to instantly relax you and lift you up? A mantra is a sound tool that with repetition can shift the charge on your nervous system, and all you need is your own voice and a little guidance. What you hear has a… Read more »
The heat is on in our desert paradise and many have sought an escape from the rising temperatures. If tempers flare and you or a family member get hot under the collar, is there also an escape for that? Let’s explore how angry outbursts and rage serve as an immediate distancing mechanism in our relationships.… Read more »