How Ostomy Surgery Gave Me My Life Back
From the time I was in high school, I had what was called a nervous stomach. Going on a date was stressful, because I never knew when that nervous stomach would begin to cramp and have me urgently seek the nearest bathroom. Going on a class trip was out of the question. Things calmed down […]
Calling all book lovers! What are your book preferences?
We want to feature your book preferences in this Summer’s edition of the Heart at Home newsletter. The next Heart at Home newsletter will be dedicated to books, the written word, and love for reading. We’re curious about our member’s preferences. We hope to find out your answers in a 10-question anonymous survey (below the […]
The ElderHealth Community Shares Treasured Holiday Memories
A version of this piece appears in the Holiday 2022 edition of the Heart at Home quarterly newsletter. Ben Thomas, Member The joy and satisfaction of Christmas Day is remembered from long ago with my parents and six children. While the youngest children were excited by Santa’s gifts, several were starting to doubt the reality […]
Reader Connections: Lessons Learned
Written by David Luery, ElderHealth Member In March 2020, my wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s by a neurology practice here in Tucson. Like most neurology practices, they were not equipped with the support services that can be so helpful for both patients and family caregivers. At the outset of my wife’s disease, she and I […]
The Dharma Box And Meaningful Communication
As a child, I kept a box under my bed as a place to hold items special to me. Some were gifts given by family or friends. Others were objects I called “my treasures,” objects perhaps found in a souvenir shop while on vacation, or by chance while out walking, like a leaf, a shell […]
Reader Connections: The Walsh Family And The Power of Patience
In September of 2021, as I was reviewing charts to prepare for my initial visit with new members Frank and Pat, I noticed the name of a diagnosis I was unfamiliar with: progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Below Frank’s PSP chart entry was a note: “Laura, I was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy in 2018…. I […]
Reader Connections: ElderHealth Member Contributions to The Heart at Home Newsletter
A care partner, as a caregiver, it can be challenging and exhausting to find meaning in life amidst the chaos and turmoil of illness. In questioning the very point of life, an existential crisis, or dread, we lose the feeling of safety and control. Our predictable world is thrown out of balance. Illness can bring […]