Experiences of Loneliness, Social Isolation, & Solitude for Older Adults

In the U.S. and worldwide, there is mounting evidence that loneliness and social isolation are growing problems that lead to major health risks and personal distress. There is also growing understanding of the value of solitude and its impact on positive states of wellbeing for older adults. Related to these topics, issues that come from experiences of dementia, widowhood and grief, problems that occur in residential care or nursing homes, spirituality and faith, and lessons from centenarians will be specifically examined in their relation to loneliness, isolation, and solitude.

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Sowing Seeds

For as long as I can remember my parents have grown apple and pear trees. I grew up in Ohio, and the blooming pear trees each year showed that spring had sprung. When I was younger, I was trepid around the bees the blooms attracted. In the summer, the trees provided great shade for a young girl to sit under and read. By the fall, the fruit was ready to be picked and eaten. It was worth the time spent helping my father gather the pears and apples, as I knew it meant my mother would use some to make apple crisp.

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LifeBio Wins Innovator’s Pitch Challenge

LifeBio is proud to be the winner in the #DIGITALHEALTH category in the Innovator's Pitch Challenge at the recent Longevity, Health & Innovation Conference hosted by Life Science Nation (LSN) and Mary Furlong & Associates. Both expert judges and the audience voted for their favorite companies based on materials available on the companies’ dedicated webpages, as well as their live pitch and Q&A with the judges. The importance and simplicity of LifeBio’s solution was a key factor. More than 300 attended the event, including 150 investors.

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Right on Time

One moment time flies, while another moment takes its good old time. We can be in a time crunch, hoping to accomplish something just in the nick of time. It may feel like there just isn’t enough time to do everything, so it may be high time we start something. Other days we have too much time on our hands, so we kill time. Sometimes we can take our time or even waste time. Other days, time is of the essence or we contemplate if we can buy ourselves some extra time. Some people equate that time is money, and there is no time to lose. We may look for ways to save time. We may set a time to do certain things. We like to be in the right place at the right time. Sometimes we wish we could turn back time. We question if things will stand the test of time. Only time will tell. Time after time…

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How to Save Family Stories

If you're concerned about saving and sharing family stories, you are not alone.  The growth of the photo book industry, scrapbooking, and Ancestry.com are all signs that many people care about capturing what matters most from their own life experiences, their parents' lives, and their grandparents lives too.  Photos don't tell the whole story.  Genealogy is so incredibly interesting---keep in mind there is a whole life story behind every person in that family tree (and most of it wasn't recorded in the past).  So there is a better way.

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Glimmers of Hope

It has been a year, and what a year it has been. Since late 2019, COVID-19 has existed in our world. It was just about a year ago in 2020, that this coronavirus strain started spreading rapidly and causing a global pandemic. Many places were closed or had to take other actions for social distancing. People were encouraged to wear face masks and stay distanced or to even stay at home. People were encouraged to wash hands and clean more frequently and thoroughly. Routines were forced to change. Former norms were no longer normal.

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Don't Just Take Our Word for It

Word is out that reminiscing and sharing life stories with a loved one can improve a person's mental, psychological and emotional health. It also aides caregivers in personalizing care and better connecting and communicating with their loved one. LifeBio supports using reminiscence to share life stories, but you don't just have to take our word for it. See what Julie Hayes, the Editorial Assistant at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, had to say in this Guideposts article. 4 Methods for Collecting and Preserving Your Loved One’s Life Stories | Guideposts

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Lasting Legacies

This past week I had the privilege to read a book about a woman in her 90s. As was common for many people during that time, she grew up in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing. Her mother cooked on a wood stove, and her family used coal oil lamps for light. In the evenings they played games like “I Spy” to pass the time. With time, she saw the first telephone, then the first car, and eventually the first television come to her community.

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Recording Biographies for People with Alzheimer's

Recording the biographies of people living with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia is an incredibly important process. Some of these memories will be lost forever, and someday your recordings will be all that is left. Here are some helpful tips to make the biography of your loved one as special as possible.

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"They Know Me. They Remember Who I Am. "

“They know me,” she says proudly when we sit down to talk. “They remember who I am.”

As I meet and visit with people with memory loss, it is apparent that there is great comfort in being deeply known. We all want to be known and remembered by the people around us each day. We want to be reminded that our lives have significance and meaning. We have things to contribute.

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