With the high cost of housing in much of the United States (as well as other countries), many people are looking for ways to accommodate more family members in their existing properties.  Whether your new college graduate has returned home (but unhappy living in their childhood bedroom), or your aging parents are no longer able to live on their own, you may be wondering how you can find a way for multiple generations to live happily together in one house.   There are many more choices available today than in the past.  In fact, some home builders are building new ho ..read more

 About two years before my husband died of kidney disease, he reached the point in his health decline where we decided to hire an aide to help him.  It took four tries before we found an aide who met our needs and our schedule ... someone who could take care of my husband's personal needs, and also drive him to his many medical appointments.  One of the reasons it was so difficult was because there is such a serious shortage of healthcare aides, not just in our area but across the country. The demand for healthcare services has risen as the population has gotten older and ..read more

You may want to research a knee replacement or other medical problem you have. Whenever our doctors tell my husband or me about a new health problem, the first thing we do is ask the doctor to give us as much information about it as possible. However, in a short office visit, we are limited in the amount of time they can spend with us, and we do not always remember everything they tell us.  Occasionally, they will have a brochure which contains additional information.   In most cases, we leave the doctor's office unsatisfied with what we have learned.  That's when ..read more

  Thousands of books are available as free e-books Do you love to read, but cannot afford to constantly buy new books?  Did you know that there are ways to satisfy your needs with all the free e-books you could possibly read, including new releases, best sellers, romance novels, and classics? The list below should help you find quality books which you will enjoy reading. Sign Up at Your Local Library Most public libraries today are a great source of all types of free reading material.  Of course, there are the traditional books you can check out and enjoy.  However ..read more

  When I was a young woman, and my parents and grandparents were still alive, I could never figure out what to give them for holidays and special occasions.  "Not another sweater," they would say to me.  "We do not need more coffee mugs," they commented on another occasion.  So, I knew what they did not want, but had no idea what kind of gifts they did want.   Now that I am retired myself, with a house full of more things than I really need, I understand why my parents and grandparents did not want more sweaters and coffee mugs as they aged.  I also know wha ..read more

 The husband of a friend of mine died a few months ago. He was only on hospice for two days before he died.  Although they had paid for long-term care insurance for years, he did not take advantage of it during the months before he died, despite the fact that his death was not a total surprise.  He had metastatic melanoma, failing kidneys and COPD. He could only leave the home with assistance. He was often in pain. Unfortunately, during those last few months they did not hire a caregiver for him and his wife provided all his care, right up until he went into the hospital for t ..read more

  My husband and I have been in 12 Step Recovery programs, Alcoholics Anonymous and Al Anon, for over 40 years, since we were both in our 30s.  As young adults, alcohol abuse was already having a bad effect on our marriage, and my husband realized he had to stop.  I realized that I had to change some aspects of my behavior, too.  Although we were still young adults, we knew that we were headed for disaster if we continued on the same path. That was over 40 years ago, and we are so glad we made the joint decision to make some major changes in our lives, although i ..read more

We can still make friends as we age. Life changes as we get older, especially after retirement. We may move to a new community, far from the friends we knew in the past.  Even if we stay in the same area, some of our long-time friends may have passed away or moved to be closer to their adult children.  We no longer are connected to the people we worked with over the years and, gradually, those relationships may slip away. Being lonely can be dangerous.  It is associated with worse health outcomes, and could contribute to developing dementia at an earlier age.  H ..read more

 Unlike most topics which are covered here, I was hesitant to discuss the subject of vaccines because they have become so controversial.  However, the October 2023 AARP Bulletin reported on an interesting study about the relationship between vaccines and dementia.  It may or may not affect your decision to stay up-to-date with your routine vaccinations, but it may help some people make a thoughtful decision. The core discovery from Paul E Schulz, an M.D. and Professor of Neurology, as well as the Director of the Neurocognitive Disorders Center at the McGovern Medical Scho ..read more

Retirement is often seen as a well-deserved break from the daily grind, a time to relax, travel, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. However, for many retirees, financial concerns can cast a shadow over this period of life. The good news is that there are various ways to earn extra money during retirement, allowing you to supplement your income, pursue your passions, and maintain your financial independence. Let's explore some creative and practical ways to earn extra income during your retirement years. Part-Time Work One of the most straightforward ways to boost your income during retirem ..read more