Do you make New Year’s resolutions? A Hand in Hand poll showed that many of our readers resolve to make lifestyle choices that promote healthier aging—including exercise, healthcare management, socialization and a nutritious diet. For your 2017 list, check out these five resolutions, all based on recent research studies: Talk to your doctor about your family health history. A recent…

  Flu season is upon us! Some people wonder why they need to get an annual flu shot—can’t the protection last from year to year? The answer is no. The flu viruses that spread around the world are different each year, and the vaccine we get to help our immune system create protective antibodies needs to target the current flu season’s…

The AARP recently reported that members of “The Greatest Generation,” with their large families that made up the “baby boom,” have an average of 7.2 family members who might provide care for them, should they need it. The boomers, however, with smaller families, a higher divorce rate, and with many being “childless by choice,” will have far fewer options. This…

According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, most Americans will become caregivers at some point in their lives. In fact, family members provide 80 percent of the long-term care in this country—yet many feel unprepared for their role, and provide care with little or no support. Most family caregivers have other responsibilities—jobs, caring for children, and often as not, caring for…

How is your garden going this year? This is the time of year when lovely fresh produce is in abundance. But be sure to take precautions before you dig into that delicious salad or slice of cantaloupe! When we think of foodborne illness, we usually think of meat or dairy products as being the culprit. But fruits and vegetables can…

Increasing trouble navigating everything from the basement stairs to the golf course convinced Gail Richman to have the hip replacement her doctor had been recommending. The surgery went smoothly, the doctor told Gail’s son Will. But when Will arrived in the recovery room, Mom didn’t recognize him. She tried to pull out her IV, and moaned in distress. The nurse…

In the old days, seniors who were suffering from arthritis were advised to take it easy. Sit down most of the day so as not to stress your joints, well-meaning doctors would say. Sit in a rocking chair for easy, soothing motion, at the most. Rest your joints. If it hurts, don’t do it. We know now that this was…

So appropriate for Father’s Day, June is Men’s Health Month. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics shares information to help men make healthy nutritional choices throughout life. For men, every decade has its own health concerns, from weight creep to heart disease, all which change the types and amounts of food men need to eat during each life stage. The…

It happened in seconds. The phone rang while Maggie was carrying in the groceries with her mom, who has Alzheimer’s disease. By the time Maggie hung up on what proved to be a robocall, Mom was gone! Maggie was frantic. Luckily, she had alerted the neighbors that Mom was confused and tended to get lost. “Thank goodness,” she breathed as…

Does this sound familiar? Your coworker comes back after two weeks in a tropical paradise. She’s tan, relaxed and passing around photos of herself in her swimsuit on a catamaran, enjoying an umbrella drink at a luau and swimming with sea turtles. You think to yourself that the way you spent your week off—helping your elderly mom move to a…