Part 3: Finding Support for Caregivers and Families of People with Dementia **This is part 3 in a three part blog on mental health and aging. Click here for parts one and two.** Many of the topics that the person with dementia needs to process are also topics that their family needs to contemplate, too. The family’s role changes as the illness becomes more severe. At the onset, role shifts typically are pressing; later though practical concerns become the focus. This is the

**This is part two in a three part blog series on Mental Health and aging. To read part one, click here.** Part 2: The Effectiveness of Counseling for People with Dementia While most of the research and service on the topic has focused on giving the caregiver support, there are benefits of counseling for those with dementia or cognitive decline. In the past, persons with Alzheimer’s disease were perceived as unable to benefit from intensive therapy (Davies et. al., 1998, pg

Part 1: General Introduction to Mental Health and Aging Have you ever forgotten your keys or misplaced a monthly bill? Forgetfulness can be part of normal aging. Occasionally making bad decisions, forgetting what day of the week it is only to remember it later, or not being able to recall a particular word may be part of normal decline. However, regularly experiencing problems paying bills or losing track of time altogether may be indicators of a larger problem. Intermitten

Somatization. A word that most people have not heard of, but almost everyone has experienced. Ever been on a first date and felt “butterflies in your stomach”? How about getting off a scary ride and going temporarily “weak in the knees”? Or getting a headache or stomachache right before a big presentation? That’s somatization. Webster’s Dictionary defines it as, “conversion of a mental state into physical symptoms”. It is very common and usually happens when a person is in a

A wise person once said, “To have peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart”. For those who work in the first responder community the descriptors in the first part of that sentence may sound like a regular, if not simple, day on the job. Noise, trouble, hard work? No big deal! Try adding chaos, crises, and danger to that list! In nearly every study conducted

Although every job has an element of stress, for those who work in the first responder community, stress can take on heightened levels. Not only are first responders dealing with deadlines and paperwork, like any other job, but often with life and death scenarios where the stakes are high and split-second decisions can have monumental and life-altering results. It is an unfortunate reality that many in the helping professions unwittingly let stress and burnout creep in to bec

The events of the last few months and weeks in this country have been heartbreaking. Every day it seems that the gaps in our communities grow wider as voices in the media bring to light new and devastating incidences of violence and community dissension. Every media outlet, social, print, or broadcast seems to be filled with the cries of anger and hurt and blame. The finger-pointing, accusations, and frustration expressed on every side has reached epic proportions with seemin

This month’s terrible shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, shook the nation to it’s core. However, as the news of this terrifying event was breaking, there were immediate examples of heroic actions taken by the people in the club, emergency workers, police, bystanders, and locals; men and women who were at the scene of the event or who interacted with victims in the immediate aftermath who rushed in to help the victims and their families. In the days following this