It was not until I was a student at the same college which Mother attended for her first two years that I learned she had been a member of the Audubon Club. What did the club do? Of course, they went to the woods for bird-watching. When I asked if [...]
"Person-Centered Care for People With Dementia.” This was a forum offered during an annual conference of the American Society on Aging held in Chicago. Open to professionals from a wide range of healthcare, residential care, and home and community-based care settings, the focus was on non-pharmaceutical treatment and care. The [...]
Dr. Riane Eisler’s newest book, coauthored with anthropologist, Douglas P. Fry, PhD, is titled Nurturing Our Humanity: How Domination and Partnership Shape Our Brains, Lives, and Future (2019). At a time of great divisiveness in our culture, Dr. Eisler’s most recent publication offers an alternative to domination and division. This [...]
John Swinton, PhD, provides a perspective which offers a re-orientation from the conventional storyline of dementia care to person-centered care based on practical theology. According to Dr. Swinton, theologically speaking, well-being is about “the presence of God-in-relationship.” His powerful counter-story presents to his readers the haunting question: “Who will tell [...]
Roshi Joan Halifax is recognized as master teacher and a pioneer in end-of-life care. She is Founder, Abbot, Head Teacher of Upaya Institute and Zen Center, a Buddhist monastery located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her 2009 book, Being With Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of [...]
One of my mantras in the early days of our move to the ranch was, “It’s about dignity.” Those early days were fresh and fragile as I was very conscious of the milieu being created in our new intergenerational living experience. We had relocated in search of an environment [...]
In 2003, we were many miles apart but still in touch – two decades after being colleagues in a Chicago-area hospital. Stephanie Mayercik, my “wise sage” during our employment years, possessed finely-tuned listening skills, common sense and abundant practical wisdom, a quick wit and sense of humor, and buoyant and [...]
Introduced to Maslow’s Theory during my graduate studies, I have frequently had the theory come to mind in numerous work and personal relationships over the years. This simple and orderly model has been adapted for use in many different work settings. And so, it was not an unusual response [...]
This well-researched 2008 publication covers the concept of Alzheimer’s disease from its intriguing history to the monumental challenge it has become today. The book’s practical perspective provides a new lens by which to view the challenges of living with brain aging. Anecdotal sharing of my personal experiences of past [...]
We came from similar rural backgrounds in the Midwest, and eventually, we became part of some of the same networks. Following undergraduate studies at the same college, our paths were linked via the alumni network for which she and Ramzi, her spouse, were later named as recipients of the [...]