Older adults are a vital part of our society. Since 1963, communities across the country have shown their gratitude by celebrating Older Americans Month each May. The theme of this year's celebration is "Get into the Act," to...

A concerned parent once approached me with a myriad of questions on bullying. Why was her child being excluded from the peer group? What about name calling – is that bullying? Why is her child being picked on? What can she do to help? As the questions went on, one in particular stood out to me: "Is...

Have you ever driven home and when you were parking the car, you realized you couldn't remember anything about the drive home? Have you ever read a book and after a few pages, you can't remember what you just read? Maybe you were thinking of a conversation you just had, or an upcoming trip – your...

Well, it's that time of year again, when we not only reflect on how fast time really does fly, but also ponder the things we've done and the things we've left undone in 2015. It is likewise a time when we start to think about the upcoming year and perhaps things we'd like to accomplish. Often times...

It's Fall…..don't fall into a Flu trap or any other medical misstep for that matter. Are you up to date on your vaccinations? There are many preventable diseases that can cause people to have long term health effects, unnecessary pain, hospitalizations, medical costs and even cause death....

As we wrap up the holiday season, I am guessing there is a good chance children may have received some kind of tech or electronic gift. Whether the gift be a tablet, cell phone, TV or gaming device parents need to be mindful about how much time and where children will be using these items. In...

After the holiday season, it may feel like (and look like!) your house is just one huge toy box.  Also, does it seem like your child is just going from one toy to another without really stopping to play with any one thing?  When a child has too many toys to choose from, she may have...

A new University of Illinois study reveals that distracted dining may be as dangerous to your health as distracted driving is to your safety on the highway. "Being distracted during meals puts kids at added risk for obesity and increased consumption of unhealthy foods. In this study, we found that...

Mom and Dad, can I come back home for a while until I'm back on my feet again? or, "I really don't want to leave home until I save enough money to buy my own place."  Sound familiar?  This is a common living situation for many families, as more and more adult children are returning or...

If I asked, "what's on your bucket list?" most people would know what I mean. If not, a bucket list is a list of things that you want to try, experience or accomplish in your lifetime. There are many benefits to creating and working on your own bucket list. A few benefits of...

What's your greatest worry about your toddler's eating?  Not trying new foods?  Only wanting to eat certain foods over and over again (the "food jag")?  Refusing to eat entire groups of foods such as vegetables?  All of these behaviors by your toddler are very common and normal...

School has been in full-swing for a while and…ready or not…the report cards will be coming home soon! Do you remember how nervous you were? Did you run home and joyfully hand it to your parents or did you want to feed it to the neighbor's dog? The anxiety caused by a piece of paper can be...

November is national Caregiver Awareness month.  Most of us are aware of someone who takes care of a friend or loved one.  If so, then this person may be in need of a "lift."  The October/November 2015 edition of AARP The Magazine lists 100 ways to do an act of kindness for a...

How do you and your family spend time in the car? Does it matter whether you are driving across town or driving somewhere for a vacation or weekend road trip? Should it? American's spend a lot of time in the car. Looking at national statistics it is a little shocking at first. On average a person...

Many families are faced with the care of multiple generations. There are 43.5 million people in the U.S. providing care for someone aged 50 and older. Caregiving is often done with little understanding of the emotional strain it has on relationships. Caregivers may say they are managing okay, but...

  "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill The value of volunteerism for older adults is two-fold. First is the value to society.  According to the Corporation for National and Community Service (which oversees AmeriCorps and...

Many years ago, when I was a lot younger, I was told by several seniors that life seems to go by faster as you get older. I didn't understand what they meant at the time, but as I get older, I know exactly what they were talking about! They would also tell me that as you age, your body wants to...

To continue this month's highlighting of Brain Awareness week (March 16-22), this week's topic is on the benefits of slumber. Sleep affects both mental and physical health. According to Dr. Merrill Miller, a sleep expert and neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), "Sleep services...

April 12th - 18th is the National Week of the Young Child, sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  The Week of the Young Child is a time to recognize the importance of early learning and early literacy.Each weekday during the Week of the Young Child...

When you think of the word stress you can probably easily identify the areas of stress in your daily life - from balancing your family and work, to dealing with finances, to handling family and relationship issues – daily stress is all around us! It is also likely that you can effortlessly identify...