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Our Family Stories
There is interesting recent research that shows that younger family members who have more knowledge of their personal family history reap some significant benefits. They tend to exhibit greater emotional resilience, and they face stress and life’s challenges more effectively. A study conducted by Dr. Marshall Duke and Dr. Robyn Fivush, in which they asked children a series of 20 “Do you know” questions about their family history, revealed a strong correlation between knowing family history and emotional resilience. “The more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned,” the New York Times reported. Family traditions, stories, and rituals strengthen family bonds and contribute to our sense of belonging to something bigger than ourselves, and create an “intergenerational self”, as Dr. Duke puts it. One way of promoting this understanding of family history is to create an oral family history, which is […]
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Coping With Guilt Over A Move To Assisted Living
The process of managing our aging parents’ lives and futures can evoke all kinds of feelings, from denial and fear, to guilt and inadequacy, to confusion and ambivalence. As adult children we suddenly find ourselves in the role of caregiver for our elderly parents, who have been the ones to care for us. This reversal of roles brings up many different emotions for both parent and child. When the decision to move to assisted living has been made, it will be very challenging for an elderly parent to adjust to a new life, to make new acquaintances, to learn to trust new caregivers, to adapt to a new schedule and a new living space. While they are adjusting to those things, we, as adult children, are shifting our identity to that of decision-maker, while at the same time perhaps struggling with the guilt that comes from admitting that we can’t take care of our parents ourselves. While moving anyone into a new […]
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Caring For Aging Skin25 Feb 2016
You may notice the following changes as your skin ages. It becomes thinner and loses fat, looking less smooth than it used to. Veins and bones become more prominent through the skin. Scratches, cuts and […]
Short Term Options2 Feb 2016
Many seniors who are looking for senior housing don’t know about short term stay options that are available at many senior living communities. There are a few different reasons you or your loved one might […]