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No! Not that “Good Word.” This blog post is not about religion. But I am writing it with a sense of missionary zeal for spreading the many compelling topics, helpful strategies and resources I learned about recently while attending the Symposium hosted by Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox, Aging with WISE Purpose: Improving Wealth, Independence, Security and Engagement. I left with a head and a notebook full of ideas for future blogs, but I just couldn’t wait to give you a taste of some of what were the highlights for me.

November is National Family Caregiver Month. Governor Cox has also declared November as Family Caregivers Month in Utah. Are you a family caregiver?

At this year’s 4th of July neighborhood breakfast, I met my new friend, Dr. Bruce Jasper, a neuropsychologist. After explaining why my husband wasn’t with me (he died 3 years ago of Alzheimer’s) and his wife wasn’t with him (the breakfast food didn’t fit into her healthy lifestyle), we had a very interesting discussion about lecanemab, the latest FDA approved drug purported to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s, and how its effects compare with those of intensive lifestyle changes.

As an elderly person, attempts to fraudulently take my money are frequent. Here are some examples and the things I’ve learned to do to keep that from happening.

In 2010, when my dad was 90, he lost $4,000.00 to a combination lottery/bad-check scam. I looked at his bank account online almost daily, but when I asked him why he had withdrawn that large amount, he wouldn’t tell me. He said something like, “I can’t tell you now, but you’ll be so happy in a few days.” Then I saw that he’d deposited a check supposedly drawn on an Idaho Falls, Wells Fargo bank for $4,000. After a 3-day bank holiday weekend, it “bounced.”