May 2026 - A Beautiful Voice

Featured Caregiver - Neal Shah
63 million caregivers get nothing. This former hedge fund manager is fighting back

Neal K. Shah left a $250 million hedge fund to fix a system that failed his own family. After caring for his grandfather through dementia and his wife through a multi-year cancer battle, he saw firsthand what 63 million family caregivers already know: the care system in America is completely [...]

Susan Troyer2026-05-15T23:55:52-05:00May 15th, 2026|Categories: Creating Community|Tags: 63 million unpaid American caregivers, Alzheimer's, American care system is broken, Caregivers, Dementia|0 Comments

365 Ways to Say I Care
Way #11: The Birthday Song Calendar Tradition

"A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it with me when my memory fails." (Author unknown) Why this helps: For someone living with dementia, family connections can feel distant and abstract. A regular ritual of acknowledging birthdays—through song, a phone call, or simply speaking [...]

Susan Troyer2026-05-18T13:03:20-05:00May 14th, 2026|Categories: Music as Medicine|Tags: Alzheimer's, Caregivers, Dementia, Encouraging family connections following dementia, Happy Birthday messages left on voice mail via speaker phone, Novelty journaling, Way #11 in a series of 365 Ways to Say I Care|0 Comments

Too important to not share!
Foods that prevent disease according to a 30-year Harvard study

Harvard researchers followed 105,000 people for 30 years and only 9% reached age 70 free of chronic disease, cognitive decline, and depression. Their secret wasn't genetics or supplements. It was consistently eating real food: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and unsaturated fats with almost no ultra-processed food or [...]

Susan Troyer2026-05-16T01:44:17-05:00May 14th, 2026|Categories: Food For Life|Tags: 30-year Harvard food study, Alzheimer's, Caregivers, caring for aging parents, Dementia, eating real food, Neal Shah report|0 Comments

Sanjay's wisdom on chronic pain
Lean Into the Pain: Why Journaling Is the First Thing a Top Brain Surgeon Recommends

Editor's Note: Zulekha Ali, a regular contributor to ABeautifulVoice.org, writes about Sanjay Gupta's wisdom in a voice reflective of the perspective of the ranchers. We three (my parents and I) engaged in all kinds of journaling - in addition to my own reflective writing at the end of the [...]

Susan Troyer2026-05-12T17:21:38-05:00May 10th, 2026|Categories: Mindful Presence|Tags: 50 million Americans live with chronic pain, Pain lives in the brain, The US consumes 90% of the world’s pain medication, You are the narrator of your pain|0 Comments

365 Ways to Say I Care
WAY #11: Blow Bubbles Together

Why this helps: Blowing bubbles is playful, low-energy, and deeply engaging. Watching bubbles float and pop encourages visual tracking and can bring spontaneous smiles and laughter. The deep breathing required to blow bubbles is also a natural relaxation technique, good for both of you. How to do it: Buy a [...]

Susan Troyer2026-05-09T23:43:49-05:00May 9th, 2026|Categories: Mindful Presence|Tags: 365 Ways to Say I Care, Alzheimer's, Blowing bubbles as activity with older loved one, Dementia, Living in the moment with an older adult with dementia, Novelty journaling|0 Comments

Editor's Special Report
When a Neurosurgeon Recommends Journaling for Chronic Pain

A quiet but extraordinary moment in the neuroscience of healing For years, journaling has often been dismissed as “just" expressive writing. But something remarkable happened recently at the end of an interview between Sanjay Gupta and Mel Robbins about chronic pain. When asked: “If the person listening were to do [...]

Susan Troyer2026-05-06T22:50:05-05:00May 6th, 2026|Categories: Mindful Presence|Tags: "100 Journaling Benefits", 50 million Americans live with chronic pain, Alzheimer's, Dementia caregivers, Journaling for chronic pain, Mel Robbins, Mel Robbins interviews Sanjay Gupta MD, Memory Journaling|0 Comments

365 Ways to Say I Care
The Novelty Explainer – Part II: How Novelty Journaling Changes Us

Novelty journaling is not about recording life as it happens. It is about shaping life by paying attention differently. Part I of The Novelty Explainer introduced the structure and philosophy behind 365 Ways to Say I Care and why it was created. Part II turns inward—exploring how novelty journaling changes [...]

Susan Troyer2026-05-02T12:40:00-05:00May 2nd, 2026|Categories: General, Mindful Presence|Tags: Activating brain systems, Alzheimer's, Creating moments worth capturing, Dementia care partners, Doing what is slightly unexpected in caregiving, Engaging the brain’s capacity for flexibility and creativity, Motivation & learning & emotional regulation, Novelty journaling, Seeking what is meaningful in caregiving, The NOVELTY EXPLAINER – Part I: What This Is|0 Comments

The air we breathe shapes our brains
Air pollution may directly contribute to Alzheimer’s disease – new study

"Air pollution has long been linked to heart and lung disease. But a large US study suggests it may also raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia." Author: Eef Hogervorst, Loughborough University Researchers tracked nearly 28 million older adults over six years nationwide. They [...]

Susan Troyer2026-05-01T11:23:28-05:00May 1st, 2026|Categories: A Sense of Place|Tags: Ageing, Air pollution, Alzheimer's, Brain health, Dementia|0 Comments

Monthly Archives: May 2026