Summertime is vacation time for many, which is why this latest edition of Seniors & Boomers: News You Can Use is a bit leaner than usual. Yet still, there is an abundance of resourceful blogs here that focus on baby boomer trends, caregiving, senior living, and more — perfect for summer downtime reading.

Senior Caregiving
It may be summer, but for many caregivers, there’s no such thing as vacation time. In fact, more and more caregivers are forgoing “me” time altogether as a sacrifice to their loved one. However, there is such a thing as “caregiver burnout,” which our SeniorsforLiving.com blogger, Michelle Seitzer, writes about in Respite Care: A Caregiver’s Best Friend.

For their continued commitment, sacrifices, and enduring love, caregivers should be heralded, says Ruth Ferris in Honoring Caregivers. Her post at Bridging Memories – Mother, Do You Remember Me? I’m Your Daughter highlights the U.S. Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee’s consideration of a stamp commemorating the role of the caregiver. Find out how you can lend your support.

For our family, the biggest challenge with learning to deal with my grandmother’s dementia is figuring out how to best communicate with her. We know that in her mind, she is making sense, expressing her opinions and lending advice in her own way – the hurdle is making her feel understood, even when we really don’t. Thanks to Patricia Grace’s article at Examiner.com, Four Ways To Communicate with a Person With Dementia, I now have some extremely helpful insight and tips to help us in this quest. If you know or love someone with dementia, this is an article to bookmark.

Senior Care
Across the board, safety is of utmost importance, but especially when it comes to our aging loved ones. Kaye Swain presents Senior Home Care Safety Tips at SandwichINK.com, filled with ways to help elderly parents in that area. “Safety needs to be an important issue in senior home care, whether our aging parents live with us, in their own home close by, or at a distance.”

When elderly loved ones are at a distance, keeping in touch can be difficult. However, Dale Carter has found a way to bridge the technology gaps with seniors, which she recounts in New Software Enabled Elderly Mother to Send First Email. This timely post at Transition Aging Parents highlights an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use product to get your aging parent online. “As I told my mother after she sent her first email, ‘Mom, welcome to the digital age.’ I’ll never forget the smile on her face!”

Boomer Fun
For SandwichINK.com’s Kaye, a trip down memory lane proved quite musical and inspiring for play time with her grandchildren. “As a member of the Baby Boomer Generation, I grew up listening to and loving the Monkees, especially Davy Jones. Imagine my pleasure in discovering he has recorded the most adorable song about penguins — perfect for myself and my grandkids to enjoy! And that’s not all!” Find out why she’s singing the song’s praises in Blue Moo for The Sandwich Generation.

Financial Issues
For a variety of reasons, more and more boomers are raising their grandchildren, which is why Hal LaPray’s post at Disability Information & Resources is so useful. Raising Children While On Social Security discusses the eligibility requirements for such benefit payments in an easy-to-understand manner.

Health & Wellness?
If you appreciate doctors who take time to discuss topics with you, you’ll want to read 200+ Health and Medical Accounts Worth Following on Twitter. Broken down into four groups: Health Media, Doctors, Medical and Corporate Institutions, and Nurses and Healthcare Professionals, this post from Medical Future provides a gateway to all the medical insight you can muster in 140 characters or less. (Speaking of Twitter, be sure to follow us there at Seniors4Living.)

Preventative care starts with a suitable diet for the particular illness or chronic disease one is trying to avoid or reverse, and most everything can be avoided or reversed with fresh, raw fruits and veggies added to one’s daily diet, explains Wenchypoo’s Health Care Proposal. This post is just one of many nuggets of insight that make perfect sense at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

Happy summer!

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