Tag: aging

On
Kevin Wondrash

Opportunity to experience living with dementia

JANESVILLE –– The Aging and Disability Resource Center of Rock County and the Rock County Council on Aging will host a unique opportunity for family and community caregivers to briefly experience the challenges and struggles of a person living with dementia.

This free program will be held on Thursday, Feb. 6, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Rock County Job Center, 1900 Center Ave., Janesville.

Pre-registration is required by calling 608-741-3615. This opportunity will be held in conjunction with the quarterly family night of sharing and pizza. You do not need to participate in the Dementia Live to join us for the night.

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Chris Lee

Catholic Charities’ Healthy Aging Conference

MADISON — Catholic Charities presents the sixth annual Healthy Aging Conference on Thursday, Oct. 13, at the new All Saints Neighborhood Main Street, 503 Commerce Dr., in Madison.

The daylong conference is devoted to helping seniors, adult children, and professionals who work with older adults become familiar with the scope of alternatives that lead to positive, healthy aging, and introduce them to organizations they can turn to for support.

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Jean Mueller

Advising senior parents about housing decisions

Question: I think this may have come up before, but I am wondering if there are some guidelines for choosing where to move when being at home is no longer an option.

My father is ready to move out of the family home. He admits he cannot keep up with maintenance and chores and since my mother passed away, he feels he is just occupying an empty space.

My siblings and I are so grateful he feels this way and want to support him as best we can. He does have some health issues and we have wondered if he is depressed or if he might have some memory issues because of some things he has been forgetting.

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Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

On ‘aging gracefully’

It seems odd, even a bit repulsive, when we encounter tales of elderly men running after women who are young enough to be their granddaughters.

The wheelchair-bound billionaire oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall was 89 years old when he married the 26-year-old Anna Nicole Smith. He had met the Playboy model and reality TV star in a strip club. Anna insisted that she really did love the old man and wasn’t in it for the money.

Redirecting our focus

With age should come wisdom. It’s appropriate and fitting for older men to leave behind their former ways and no longer live and act like college frat boys. It’s right to expect growth in self-control as we mature and to expect a more reflective and sober approach to life.

 

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Jean Mueller

Having an ‘adult’ conversation with a parent

I suddenly feel as though I cannot communicate with my father.

Our conversations have become more like a parent-child check-in rather than a pleasant visit. What I mean by that is I feel as though I am taking on a more parental role in our relationship.

My dad lives alone and has some chronic health conditions but nothing too serious. Lately my visits have become focused on whether or not he took his medications, or if he has eaten, or when he last did.

I want dad to be safe and happy but I don’t want to be the person drawing attention to all of the things he is not doing to care for himself.

Is this typical of aging parents? I have no siblings and most of my other relatives live far away.

(From a daughter in Baraboo.)

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Mary C. Uhler and Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

Catholic Charities conference focuses on healthy aging

Gayle Laszewski speaks on wellness  at the Catholic Charities Healthy Aging Conference. (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash)

MADISON — More than 150 people came to the Sheraton Hotel in Madison on September 9 to learn about healthy aging at the fifth annual aging conference presented by Catholic Charities (CC) Madison.

Catholic Charities’ mission

Bill Hamilton, director of Aging Services for Catholic Charities, welcomed everyone, saying the day was “a great opportunity to not only educate yourself, but also to be able to share what you learned here with others.”

He outlined programs CC offers for older adults, including: in-home support and personal care, adult day services and respite, caregiver training, and specialized care for those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

“Our mission is to help older adults remain independent in their homes and in the community for as long as they want and as long as it’s safe,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton also noted the many sponsors of the conference who had information booths set up where attendees could learn about various services for older adults.

The day included two keynote speeches and a choice of eight breakout sessions.

Learning forgiveness

Dr. Robert Enright opened the conference with a keynote address, “Learning Forgiveness: Finding Hope and Joy in the Senior Years.” Enright is a professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-founder of the International Forgiveness Institute.

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Chris Lee

Catholic Charities’ Healthy Aging Conference to be held September 9

MADISON — Catholic Charities will present the fifth annual Healthy Aging Conference on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the Sheraton Inn, 706 John Nolen Dr., in Madison.

The conference features two keynote speakers and eight workshops devoted to helping seniors, their adult children, and caregivers become familiar with the scope of alternatives that address the mind, body, and spirit of seniors as they age.

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Kevin Wondrash

Free Alzheimer’s/dementia series

JANESVILLE — The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Rock County/Dementia Care Specialist is presenting a free Alzheimer’s disease and dementia educational series at the Job Center, 1900 Center Ave.

Each program in the series, “Stepping Stones to Understanding Dementia: Diagnosis to End of Life,” is free of charge and begins at 6 p.m. Upcoming installments include:

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