Maryellen McKeon
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
Welcome to the “Dear Maryellen” Blog – Long Island’s Senior Living Conversation. To read entries and responses, simply scroll down the page. To read more of a response, click the red “more” button. Follow the prompts to leave a reply. To post your own question, use the form in the right column here and click the “Submit to Maryellen” button.
Dear Maryellen…
My mother is in her mid-eighties and has been getting progressively more forgetful, but my father and mother just won’t admit it. My mother is currently going through some diagnostic testing. Our situation is very worrisome from a lot of vantage points. Can you tell me if Alzheimer’s is hereditary?
- Joan K. from Greenwich, Conn.
Earth Day is a wonderful opportunity to get out into the sunshine, enjoy the April flowers and just have a good time together with your senior loved one. Earth day activities do not need to be expensive or physically taxing. In fact, many of them are very inexpensive or entirely free.
Earthstock: A Celebration of Earth Day
Stony Brook University is offering a week-long event that spans their entire campus. This event is open to all visitors and is completely free of charge. The festivities begin on April 15th and continue through April 19th. Events include film and discussion, a student research exhibition regarding energy conservation and sustainability and a keynote speaker on Friday: Wallace S. Broecker. Broecker will be speaking about annual rise of CO2 emissions, their implications and what needs to be done about it.
Engaging in creative activity is extremely beneficial for people of all ages, not just the young. Research shows both the acts of creative expression and social interaction are vital to the mental and physical well being of senior citizens. According to Gene D. Cohen, MD, PhD of the Center for Aging, Health & Humanities, George Washington University, “Expressing ourselves can actually improve health, both mentally and physically.”
Dr. Cohen’s research claims the following benefits:
Dear Maryellen…
My father lives in Boca Raton, Florida and was recently ill. Until now, he has been in pretty good shape for his 85 years. He is living with a few chronic ailments, such as Diabetes and COPD, and, from time to time he has an episode and has to pay attention to one condition or another. I’ve had some midnight calls from him lately that have caused me a lot of worry and him a lot of stress. It’s impossible for me to get down to him fast enough in an emergency. Are there any resources you would recommend to help me care for my dad long distance?
– Sandra, Floral Park, NY
Dear Readers,
Easter is just around the corner, Sunday, March 31st to be exact. With that comes grilled lamb chops or maybe honey glazed ham and brightly colored Easter eggs. Jeff Yeager the author of The Ultimate Cheapskate suggests these money saving eggshell uses:
1. Less Bitter Coffee
Add an eggshell to the coffee in the filter, and your morning coffee will be less bitter. The spent coffee grounds, eggshell and biodegradable filter are then conveniently ready for the compost pile.
Dear Readers,
Passover and Easter herald Spring with longer days and the end of winter’s chill. Although these holidays celebrate solemn biblical events, people everywhere feel bright and optimistic about the advent of warmer weather and the first green shoots of primrose and daffodils peeking from the soil in our gardens. Many people wonder why the two holidays are so close together…Passover from the Old Testament and Easter from the new. Read below to see why the dates for both holidays are different each year, why they align with different calendars, and why they are so close together.
Dear Readers,
According to Webster’s dictionary, music is defined as vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony. What we personally view as music might vary from person to person but the health benefits are undisputable. According to Harvard Medical School, listening to music offers the following benefits:
Whether your preference is blues, rock, country or jazz, turn it up and enjoy!
Regards,
Maryellen
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