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The Particular Grief of the Adult Orphan
I am sharing this article from Fairfax Digital out of Canada as I experience the lost of my last parent. It has been my faith, family and spiritual community that has sustained me and I hope others who experience losing both parents will have all the support they need to help them through this difficult time of their life. I hope this article will be helpful to those who may need it. – Delane They’re the forgotten grievers, the lucky ones whose parents had a good innings, the people who after a few months or even weeks are expected to dust themselves down, put their pain behind them and get back to a normal, happy life. Midlife orphans, orphaned…
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Developing Intergenerational Relationships
Witten by: Lynda Spence & Heidi Liss Radunovich The make-up of our society is rapidly changing as the aging population increases at an unprecedented rate. Since 1900, the percent of Americans ages 65 and older has tripled. In the year 2000, there were 3.5 million people in Florida over the age of 60. This number is expected to nearly double by 2020. When people are raised in different time periods, their values and perceptions of the world can be quite different, and this can lead to difficulties in understanding one another. Because of this gap in understanding between generations, it’s important to find links…
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Why You Shouldn’t Drop Your Landline Just Yet
Cellular and Internet-based phone service can delay first responders by David Wallis Susan Odom of Atmore, Ala., believes she would have choked to death if she hadn’t dialed 911 on a traditional copper wire landline. A 911 call from a cellular phone or an Internet-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service often requires routing the call to the correct emergency response center, which can cause delays for first responders when every second counts. “If you call 911 from a landline, you get several advantages,” Odom said on her local newspaper’s website of the 2009 incident. “First, the call shows up on a computer screen in the correct 911 center. The…
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Dementia and Depression Among the Elderly A Public Health Issues
Dementia Dementia is a syndrome in which there is deterioration in memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities. It mainly affects older people, although it is not a normal part of ageing. It is estimated that 35.6 million people worldwide are living with dementia. The total number of people with dementia is projected to almost double every 20 years, to 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050, with majority of sufferers living in low- and middle-income countries. There are significant social and economic issues in terms of the direct costs of medical, social and informal care associated with dementia. Moreover, physical, emotional and economic pressures…
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Role Reversal: Caregiving for Aging Parents
When an aging parent needs caregiving, the children often need to take responsibility. But what happens when only one of many siblings steps up to the plate? Written By Heather Hatfield Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD WebMD Archive Hannah Kalil is 83 years old, and lives by herself in upstate New York. She has aides who help with her caregiving throughout the day. But the responsibility of managing her finances, health care — both mental and physical — and long-term living situation falls to one person: her daughter — and my mother — Eleanor. It’s almost a full-time job. Making sure my grandmother is happy and not feeling lonely means…