When Ashton Applewhite, the 2016 Aging Influencer of the Year of Next Avenue, recommends someone for your Caregiver Smile Summit to speak about ageism, you take her up on the offer. That person is Cathy Bollinger. Read More

My friend Teepa Snow, a colleague on the Dementia Action Alliance, is one of my guests on the Caregiver Smile Summit. For that interview, we spoke about the pioneering work she is doing and its genesis. Read More

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 15.7% of people 60 years and older are subjected to abuse. These are underestimates, of course, because most cases of elder abuse are not reported. Read More

There are 66 million family caregivers in the U.S. alone; 70% are female and 25% are Millennials. Caregivers suffer worsened health than non-caregivers and 40-60% report symptoms of depression. Some caregivers, like my sister, pre-decease the ones for whom they care. Read More

Yes, the big SIX ZERO hits me on April 29. I remember freaking out at 30 but no so much with the other decades of 40 and 50. Read More

I have a wonderful keynote I present called, presumptuously, The Meaning of Life. I talk – and sing – about life lessons I have learned from elders, particularly those in nursing homes. Read More

The recent PBS documentary, Alzheimer’s: Every Minute Counts, sounded an alarm and a wakeup call to the devastation being caused by dementia, including Alzheimer’s. As more and more people become impacted, it’s important to help family members, including children and the community-at-large, understand the disease so everyone knows how they can help.  Read More

In my recent HuffPost50 article, I wrote about things to look for when visiting older relatives during the holidays. For many, the holidays are one of the few times during the year when you get to really see how they are faring. And if you have not seen someone for say six months, declines in mental or physical health can be readily apparent. Read More

In the last two weeks, I have had multiple encounters with the health care system and conversations with colleagues that shook my core, even as a grizzled 30-year health professional.

What I am about to write certainly does not apply to the whole industry. Generalizations never do. But their tone should be a warning. Read More

A month before mom passed, I had the opportunity to attend a health care meeting at a local residential hospice. In my 15 years living in North Carolina, I had never been there and boy was I impressed. So when mom faced the need for hospice care, I immediately knew where we were going to go. Read More