Sponsor Articles

If you are an older cancer patient, should you be worried about “chemobrain,” or that foggy feeling that can cloud your thinking? Normal aging can increase the risk for cognitive decline regardless of whether you have cancer. So it’s understandable that cancer patients would be concerned about chemobrain. A Moffitt Cancer Center study of breast cancer patients over age 60 shows that chemobrain may be more of a risk for those who...

Early last year, we unexpectedly lost the only “sitting” member of our wellness committee, Dutch Baldwin. Dutch was a 10-year- old English Cocker Spaniel who spent his entire life in the service of Sally and Walter Baldwin. Born on March 22, 2008, he was trained as a companion animal to Sally who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. He went on to serve as Walter’s trusted advisor and shadow. He came to...

Approximately 34 million Americans are providing care for a loved one over the age of 50 without receiving any monetary compensation. We may think of caregiving as a labor of love – we even refer to these friends or family members who are caring for their loved one as “informal caregivers” – but there’s no doubt about it, caregiving is demanding and important work, oftentimes with round-the-clock responsibilities. Take into...

With estimates that one in three seniors will die of Alzheimer’s disease and that 40% of people over 80 have some form of dementia, the outlook for growing older may seem daunting.  Hundreds of clinical trials are being conducted across the nation to identify a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, but what choices do we have for non-pharmaceutical interventions for cognitive decline? One answer is cognitive...

Scams are vicious. It can wreak havoc on your life when a scam causes you to lose money. But there is another thing that scams can hurt other than your wallet. And that is your feelings. It can be a blow to your pride to fall for a scam. Scammers often use your emotions against you to get you to fall for a scam. So when the scam is over,...

“All the lonely people, where do they all come from? All the lonely people, where do they all belong?” These words, written over 50 years ago by Sir Paul McCartney when he composed the Beatles song Eleanor Rigby, make me think about what it means to be lonely and how we might help people get better connected to resources and the support they need as a way to combat this...

I love to watch people’s reactions as they open Holiday gifts. There is a moment when time suspends– they don’t quite know what to say or do. Thoughts race across their heads: Is this for real? Should I laugh? Should I cry? Did someone really buy this? I wonder where? I think I saw this on an infomercial. I hope someone else wants this. Who can I re-gift this to?...

When Kathy James felt a pea-size lump in her breast at the age of 54, cancer was the furthest thing from her mind. She exercised daily, ate right and had no family history of cancer, so she listened in disbelief as doctors diagnosed her with an aggressive form of breast cancer that had spread throughout her body. One in eight American women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, making...

One of life’s great constants is time. It keeps moving forward and with that comes aging. How we age is up to us and nutrition plays a major role in the process. Nutrition impacts our physical, mental, and social health. As we get older our bodies go through a few changes. There is a need for fewer calories and more quality protein. Our bone density decreases and so does our...

At the appointed time, the lively, colorfully dressed woman skips to the front of the room, announcing that “it’s time for mindful moves” – music and dancing that gets everyone moving to stimulate their brains. Before long, people seated and standing begin moving one arm, then another, alternating to tunes that participants all seem to recognize. As she leads the group, VSA teaching artist, Cynthia “Cyn” Alicea reminds everyone of...