When a family member is bed-bound or living in a care facility, either just for a few weeks or long term, it’s especially hard during the holiday season. You want to spend quality time together, go to seasonal activities like church, shopping, and tree lightings, and share in the merriment and light the season is [...]
As the holiday season approaches, most people are focused on the hustle and bustle of shopping, decorating, and family gatherings. It’s easy to forget that between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, levels of stress and depression increase for many Americans, including seniors. According to the National Institute on Aging, risk factors for depression among elders [...]
Have you ever noticed the striking resemblance between a tree's limbs and our lungs? What a powerful –and apt image. No different from their human counterparts, trees "breathe" in the carbon dioxide we breathe out in a near-perfect cycle of breath. This connection through biology is Nature writ large and a simple example of how [...]
Despite the elderly population's increased risk for COVID-19 associated complications and mortality, less than four in 10 nursing home staff accepted immunization when offered, February data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) revealed. "Residents and staff members in long-term care facilities, particularly skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), are at increased risk for COVID-19–associated morbidity and mortality…" [...]
In August of 2020 – amid the height of senior care communities' visitation restrictions – the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released its survey of COVID-19's psychological and emotional impact. The findings discuss the challenges of balancing mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey findings reported that anxiety disorder symptoms were about three times those [...]
In times of trouble, it can be tremendously difficult to see the forest through that thick stand of trees – giant leafy Southern Oaks if you’re “down South” like us. Mix in a pandemic with the natural bumpy road called Life, and those happy feelings can get lost in the exhaust –and exhaustion. But maybe [...]
