Covid-19 has changed so much at a time — and in a world — that already had plenty of change and uncertainty. And yet, change is not always bad.  It can, in fact, lead us to make better choices for our lives with long-term, positive results.   A recent eMeetinghouse blog post by contributor, Etta Hornstein, gave some great ideas of things we can do as we pursue wellbeing.
Introducing a Blog Series
The team at Friends Life Care Partners is taking this advice to heart.  This is the first post in a series we’re bringing to you.  The series highlights wellness, connecti…

I received this pithy text on April 4, 2020 and I had no idea initially who it was from:

Good Lord! Who is this? Finally, a flashback. On January 12, 2020, I was standing in front of a bookstand in the park marveling at its painted turquoise exterior covered with green and blue buttons. That’s when Carol, an energetic 78-year-old woman came along carrying an armful of books and began to restack the stand. She was bubbly and vivacious. We spoke like we had known each other forever and exchanged telephone numbers at the end. When I called Carol later, we talked again…

Five days had gone by since I sent the first email to her. We had met in one of my classes during my training as an integrative health coach. I was worried about her, because she suddenly disappeared, just as class was coming to an end and humanity’s new threat was descending. Then finally I got a response from my 73-year-old friend. She told me she had been struggling with her mental health. I totally understood. Staying mentally fit during COVID-19 is as difficult as staying physically fit.

Mental fitness and physical fitness are symbiotic states: they support one an…

“There is nothing new under the sun.”

“The only constant is change.”[1]

We older adults are familiar with change. We’ve lived long enough and had the diversity of experiences to know that yes, there is nothing new under the sun and yes, change is constant.

But this time, change, well, seems a bit different.

It’s different because we don’t know what we’re changing to, we don’t know what the results of all this change will be. Nobody seems to know.

Do not shake hands. Wear face masks. Practice social or physical distancing. Do not have a gathe…

Today is Memorial Day, when we honor the many sons and daughters of America who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. It’s fitting that this holiday is called Memorial Day (it used to be called Decoration Day) because memory is essential to honor. We can honor only what we remember.

We are also coming to the end of mental health awareness month, and the ability to learn and remember correctly is a feature of mental wellness. We do become increasingly concerned about this ability as we age. According to Harvard Health, the ability to remember changes with ag…