This blog presents the ideas and creative thinking of some of Utah's talented older adult writers. Their submissions are to inform and entertain, not to present policy or opinion positions of the Utah Commission on Aging. Enjoy.
It’s almost Tax Time, that time of year when lurking behind plans for Christmas is the thought that we will soon have to face how organized—or not--our finances are. In addition to reviewing the documents and strategies we will need to be prepared for April 15th, it’s a good time to review the records and legal documents our family will need to manage our finances when we pass away, or even when we need their help because we are “getting older.”
This is the second time I will go through the Holiday Season without my husband, Dennis, who passed away from Alzheimer’s in May of 2021. Sometimes called “the holiday blues,” people of all ages and especially those who have experienced a recent loss find November through January to be their loneliest time of year. Some people don't need a lot of social interaction to be happy and healthy. Others may have contact with friends and family members all the time and still feel alone. Loneliness happens when we feel socially isolated, and it can have a powerful impact on our mental health.
This blog was meant to be. I’m writing it on Veteran’s Day, at the mouth of Utah’s famous Cottonwood Canyons on the first day of the 2022 ski season, in a veteran-owned coffee shop that donates free coffee to troops all over the world.
In Sept. 2022, my granddaughter, Kyra, asked me to join her in a local (Sandy, Utah) “Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s®.” World Alzheimer’s Day is Sept. 21st. One of Kyra’s fellow employees had recently lost her husband to Alzheimer’s, and the company was sponsoring a “Team” of walkers...
At the urging of my wise and humorous husband, Lee, and to deflect or distract from minor pains or hurts, our family always played “Which is Worse?” For instance, during a boy-cousins’ sleepover with grandpa, a 9-year-old grandson can be found panicking in the bathroom nursing a bloody nose and lamenting, “Grandpa, I’m hemorrhaging!” You cuddle the victim and give needed first aid. To settle things down even more, you demonstrate and initiate a round of “Which is Worse?”