We’ve all endured a long, sleepless night of tossing and turning, only to wake up feeling more tired in the morning than the night before. This inevitably frustrating problem can cause even the healthiest people to feel its effects. The body repairs its cells and immune system during sleep—and if it doesn’t have the chance to do this properly each night, your body loses out.
The journalist, critic, and polemicist Christopher Hitchens, who amazed his friends by staying up until the wee hours of the night and then waking a few hours later to write pitch-perfect prose, said that he knew he burned the candle at both ends, “finding that it often gives a lovely light.” The problem is that, for most people, not sleeping can impair cognitive functions. Most of us can barely brew a pot of coffee without a solid six hours, much less write an essay on Proust. We all know that there is short-term damage done to our brains from lack of sleep, but recent studies have shown it could be far more damaging than that: lack of quality sleep might be a hidden cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia.
A cancer diagnosis is undoubtedly filled with many difficult emotions. Your entire family may be experiencing fear, anxiety, or a sense of hopelessness when facing this disease together. Depending on the type of cancer and stage of progression, you might also be coming to terms with decisions your older loved one has made about treatment options. Whatever their specific approach to treatment entails, the experience of cancer understandably has a big impact on their overall mental and emotional state. In fact, symptoms of depression can creep up in cancer patients without other people immediately recognizing them amid all that’s going on. When your aging loved one is already going through so much emotional upheaval, it can be challenging to know if certain behaviors are natural and to be expected—or if they’re signs of something more serious.
“Holistic” is one of those buzzwords that’s become so trendy recently, it can be easy to lose sight of its true meaning. But the term holds real significance in health care — especially when it comes to more complex illnesses like dementia. Holistic treatment approaches involve organic healing tools and human intuition, without a focus on pharmaceutical drugs. Some of the more common holistic practices are yoga, meditation, reiki, aromatic therapy, visualization, massage, and Ayurveda.
For years, Betty had suffered on and off from small bouts of depression. One winter, though, she found herself deep in the thick of it. She’d been living on her own since her husband’s passing a few years prior, and was battling loneliness and grief after losing her spouse. The rest of her family didn’t know what to do. Betty had tried medication prescribed by her doctor, but it didn’t seem to be helping enough on its own. Sensing the need for further help, her doctor suggested a great therapist who specialized in supporting older adults. This—along with a few carefully chosen activities—eventually helped Betty feel like her old self again.
Flowers are blooming, the days are getting longer, and spring is in the air. Spring and summer are usually considered to be happy times of the year, and generally mean greater psychological well-being for many seniors. But this is not true for everyone. Scientists have discovered that there are unique, spring-specific factors known to be triggers for depression. These symptoms fall under the umbrella known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Familiarizing yourself with SAD (and how to treat it) can help you provide the best possible care for your loved ones, armed with the knowledge that the seasons may be responsible for their cloudy disposition.
When Alfred began showing early signs of dementia, his family was deeply concerned about what to do. How quickly would his mental condition deteriorate? Would they be able to communicate with him for much longer? These questions swirled in their heads, as 70-year-old Alfred began to struggle with speech and memory. He gradually became more and more withdrawn, his interaction with family diminishing as time went on.
Ray and Bob were born less than six months apart, at the same hospital on the southside of Chicago in 1936. Their families lived across the courtyard from one another, and they were friends before either of them even knew what that meant. They played games together as children, and grew up together, separating only to serve their country (Ray was in the Army, and Bob the Navy). Not long after they got out, Bob introduced Ray to a girl he met through a friend. Ray ended up marrying her, and Bob was the best man.
Lauren’s mom died in late summer, leaving her father a widower, and living alone for the first time since he got out of the Navy after Vietnam. In the first flow of grief and sympathy, relatives and friends brought over food, as people do. People from the church made casseroles. Soups and stews filled his fridge and freezer. But as the leaves began to fall, life intervened for most people, as it does. The food dwindled as the days grew shorter, and Lauren became more and more worried for her father.
Institute on Aging (IOA) CONNECT is your direct line to us and the starting point for help with your concerns about the needs of older adults and adults with disabilities. IOA CONNECT links you with our services, as well as community services available. Reach out to connect with us.
Phone: (415) 750 – 4111 | Fax: (415) 750 – 5338
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