Archive for January 2018
Staying Happy as You Age
Happiness starts early; it is not something you try to begin as you enter your elder years. Growing research shows that people who are generous live longer, have fewer diseases and are happier. Working to increase the strengths of wisdom, generosity and gratitude when we’re young will keep us from feeling so alone when we…
Read MoreLandmark Legislation: RAISE Family Caregivers Act
The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act has been signed into law on January 22, 2018. The RAISE Family Caregivers Act will address the needs of our nation’s family caregivers through the development and implementation of a coordinated national strategy. The new law directs the Department of Health and Human Services…
Read MoreHow is Competency Determined by a Court?
Only a person deemed to be incompetent by a judge can have a guardian or conservator named over him/her. The Georgia code states, “The court may appoint a guardian for an adult only if the court finds the adult lacks sufficient capacity to make or communicate significant responsible decisions concerning his or her health or…
Read MoreGuardian, Conservator, Executor, Power of Attorney—It’s all too confusing!
There are many legal terms for the roles we can play in an older adults life. Have you ever been asked if you are the guardian or the power of attorney for someone? What does it mean when you hear that someone is the executor or trustee for someone else? How about conservator—what is that?…
Read MoreUnderstanding Guardianship—What is it?
We often hear from concerned family members who are convinced they need to get guardianship over their loved one. Take this situation for example: a daughter calls our office after visiting an assisted living community. She is considering assisted living communities for her mom who has dementia, and one representative at a community told her…
Read MoreMyths About Aging
Deepak Chopra, M.D, put together a list of myths regarding aging people. You’ve probably heard a thousand times that as you age, your body and mind begin to “go.” You can no longer move the way you used to and your health deteriorates. This is a myth and those “facts” couldn’t be further from the truth.…
Read MoreThe Sleep-Loss Epidemic
Dr. Matthew Walker, a self-described “sleep diplomat” earned his degree in neuroscience from Nottingham University, UK, and his PhD in neurophysiology from the Medical Research Council, London, UK. He subsequently became a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, USA. Currently, he is Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. He…
Read More