Aging Books

This book is an excellent reference for adults with older parents
progressively requiring more care from their children and other
care-providers. Generally, the family provides up to 80% of care
for the elderly. In my experience, this is true due to the high
cost of nursing facilities and the personalized care many older
people prefer. The authors mention that advocacy for the elderly
requires strong organizational skills. This is the understatement
of the year. Keep medical records, descriptions of key health
issues, physician rosters and any materials which will assist
you in determining what level of care parents require.
Most states allow physicians and providers to discard records
after 6 or more years. With this data in hand, create a home
medical tracking system for physicians, medications, physical
therapy regimentation, diet etc.

The book lists some classic sayings by noted personalities. i.e.

- "Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born
at 80 and gradually age to 18. " Mark Twain

- "Raise children for old age as you store grain against famine."
Chinese Proverb

This book would be invaluable to children of old age parents
about to take on the role of caregiver or partial caregiver.
It lists some classic considerations many of us overlook in the
painful yet rewarding process of caring for elderly parents in
the twilight of life.

I bought multiple books of this type and found only two really helpful - this one and "The Eldercare Handbook: Difficult Choices, Compassionate Solutions" By: Stella Henry. Both are good references I turned to again and again. A good buy.

This book is full of helpful tips and inspiring, real life stories for anyone caring for an elderly parent. A useful and uplifting book. I am a legal aid hotline attorney and own a medical supply business. I both capacities, I frequently talk with seniors and their children who are caring for them. I and recommending this book to them.

This book has all the accurate information one needs to know about retiring in the major gringo havens in Mexico. Chocked full of excellent information, much more valuable than any seminar given in Mexico. I highly recommend it.

This book gives down to earth info on relocating to Mexico; it is a great resource. Very readable style. Author reveals his love of the country and people and the reader will most likely have to discard some previous misconceptions about this country. I was ready to pack my bags after reading it.

Well-researched and thorough, Choose Mexico is a no-holds-barred primer for anyone contemplating life in Mexico.

Not even a "man of God" can watch his very much loved mother (who was once very much in charge of her life) slip off into this very cruel disease without a sense of loss and heartache, but Houston was able to see the benefit of sharing his mother's life at this time, as well. There's a lot of love and compassion here, along with the frustration and sadness. This book should be on the shelf of every adult child who finds himself in this "role-reversal" situation with an aged parent.

The book touched me with its honest and thoughtful reflection of the joyful challenges of caring for an aged parent slipping into another reality. Houston shares his frustrations, his coping or lack of it, and his small victories in a honest yet upbeat and faithful way. Anyone coping with taking care of an aged parent who is slipping away slowly will find an encouraging friend in this book.

I've known the author through many of the years covered in the book. Reading his journal of those experience gave me the feeling of returning home again, seeing familiar landmarks and sharing joint memories. That feeling reverberates as I watch my parents go through many of the same experiences witht their parents. Circle of Years should find a similar home of warmth in the hearts of other readers facing the aging of their parents or grandparents.

I highly recommend this wonderful book for owners of adult cats of any age. The information is very well presented, complete, and useful to any cat owner. I would definitely recommend that a cat owner have this knowledge BEFORE their cat is old so they can be informed and prepared what to look for in their cat and get proper supportive care before the cat is too ill.

I also think it's fascinating to know that there are certain conditions found in specific breeds. This would help anyone who would want to acquire a cat in the future to be informed about everything they would need to know about the breed they're considering.

Huge kudos to Amy Shojai for writing "Caring For Your Aging Cat."

Laura Speirs
The Kitty Sitter
Beaverton, Oregon

Cats are living longer and there's more advanced care available for them. This book clearly talks about all the issues related to the older cat. It has something for everyone in that it give details about complicated information (such as cellular aging) which will be read with interest by those who have some knowledge about cats....but it also explaine things in simpler language for the lay-person.

This book is a must read for all people who cherish their cats and want to make their cats' golden years more comfortable.

Amy Shojai has written perhaps her best work with this book--a touching, caring, hopeful tribute to the aging pet. We who are pet lovers have to face that there will be an end to our beloved pets' lives, but Shojai's book combines practical advice and emotional support to help ensure your aging cat lives out the rest of her days in comfort and happiness. Including chapters on nutrition, exercise, play, and that last sad choice we are sometimes forced to make--euthanasia--Complete Care for Your Aging Cat is a vital addition to any pet lover's bookshelf.

Amy Shojai is an author with a heart, as well as a brain. Her books reflect her love and passion for the animals in our lives, while giving us the advice we need to keep them healthy and happy.

Count Down Your Age is a very practical and down to earth guide written by two health experts who haven't lost their sense of humor (very important!) on the most important ways that we need to take care of our bodies, our minds and our souls.

It is packed with information about everything from how to get better sleep, stay connected with others, maintain a life purpose, what supplements should I take, how to interview your doctor, and exercise and nutrition. The point of the book is that all these aspects combined can help you live longer.

I particularly enjoyed the section about the importance of sleep and social connections for physical and mental health since I think these areas don't get enough attention. Many health books simply talk about what to put in your body but this book talks about how to manage your life in addition to what to do with your body.

I also found the section on supplements helpful since I often go to the health food store and don't know where to begin. Also helpful was the section on what to look for in a doctor, how to interview them and what questions to ask. Most importantly, CDYA helped me put together a personalized plan that worked for me and didn't have a lot of unnecessary steps, expense or time investment.

"Count Down Your Age" takes a personalized and wholistic view of health, from an everyday perspective. First, there's the "antiaging test" in the beginning of the book [...]

Then the book offers thoroughly researched and practical plans on lifestyle, nutrition, exercise and medical care.
The plans speak to both vegetarians and nonvegetarians. For me, the most difficult part of the diet plan is that it recommends eating no refined sugar, which would mean no ice cream and cookies. The easiest part of the diet plan is that it recommends eating whole grains, veggies and fruits, which we love. It also recommends eating fish, and YES there is a thorough evaluation of the issue of mercury contamination in fish. One interesting idea about the exercise plan is that we should take up new exercise classes or routines once in a while, in order to keep our minds and bodies sharp and learning new things. Then there are detailed instructions about how to get really effective sleep each night, what affects our sleep, and how to eliminate things which interfere with good sleep. I love about the book that it emphasizes how important it is to laugh, yes LAUGH. Ha, ha ha!!!

The books authors first reveal their own past mistakes and bad habits, and the fulfillment of becoming healthy and strong and shedding those bad habits (and shedding pounds and years!). I like this part, because Dave Bunnell is my father, and I have seen the positive changes in his lifestyle and attitude which inspire me to live better and take better care of my family. You don't have to know the authors to be inspired by the section on their personal lives, but if you have worked in the computer or publishing industry, you can read how Dave used to live during the MacWorld days, and how he's changed. It's inspiring to see how a man approaching sixty can knock off 15 years of his life, but moreso how he changed his definition of success from "having it all" to living well, peaceful and in good health.

This book is incredibly handy as a ready-reference for getting and staying on track with being healthy. It's easy to read and digest the information and takes a refreshing (and inspiring) point of view from two authors (one of whom is a heart surgeon, the other is a famous tech guy) who were overweight and out of shape at the peak of their careers. They turned their health around later in life, which reinforces the fact that it is truly never too late to start (it's intimidating in my late 30s, much less when you're 50+!).

I found the section on nutrition especially helpful as a guideline for the best anti-aging foods and supplements to take. I plan to rip that page out of the book and keep it on my fridge as a handy grocery shopping list.

The other section I really liked is on medical care. I am a firm believer in being proactive about your health, and the authors give excellent tips on conversations to have with your doctor, when to take which tests, how to keep track of your medical records, etc.

What I liked most overall is that this book is easy to understand and the health tips are easy to do. To me, most health books read like a high school biology class (I'm bored and nothing sinks in) or are too stringent (I feel set up to fail by cheating on Day Two). This book is realistic, in that it educates and empowers you to make better lifestyle choices over the long haul, and the authors are honest in what it took for them to change--what a breath of fresh air that is.

In a nutshell, I highly recommend it for anyone of any age with the desire to get or be healthy ... the added bonus is feeling and looking better than ever. Got compliments one week after starting the plan :)

Purchased and used as training for our caregiver staff. Well done.

By giving you an understanding of how the person with alzheimers views their world, this book helps the caregiver make life a little easier, happier, and more meaningful. It also reduces the stress and frustration of the caregiver because you gain knowledge of how to handle situations that before were a struggle.

Jolene Brackey spoke at the nursing home where I work with patients with dementia. She is an incredible speaker and author. This book has so many wonderful ideas for nursing home workers and people who have loved ones with dementia. It is very reader-friendly and easy to understand. Jolene includes many real life examples to illustrate her ideas. She has a sense of humor and a sense of compassion that radiates with every chapter. I've used her ideas and had amazing success in my job. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to appreciate people with dementia.

Growing up in a family consisting of two loving parents, a sister and doting grandparents, it is hard to fathom that there are others in this world not as fortunate as you are. But Sam George Arcus's book, Deja Views Of An Aging Orphan will prove to anyone who reads this most wonderful descriptive book, that there still can be love and devotion and a sense of family with children bonding together to form a "brotherhood" of long lasting and loving relationships. Intertwined with the trials and tribulations of being designated as "orphans" or "inmates", these children searching for love and acceptance do come to find their Home does have some heart.

To anyone not familiar with orphanage or institutional life, and most are not, one must first understand what is an orphan? Not all orphans had two deceased parents. Some have/had one and were called half-orphans, others might even have/had both, but abandoned because of ill health, poverty or other reasons. These children were placed in institutions through no fault of their own. Many carrying resentment of other relatives, i.e. aunts, uncles and cousins who refused to "save" them from this new and scary life. For those lucky few that still had some family, their Sunday and holiday visits meant the world to them. The caring women's auxiliaries and other organizations that went out of their way to donate their time and monies to make life as pleasant and normal as possible for these children were to be commended.

Throughout the pages of Deja Views Of An Aging Orphan, Sam Arcus brings to us 50 to 60 years of memories, stories, columns and thoughts of what life was like and how it was lived at the Hebrew National Orphan Home on Tuckahoe Road, in Yonkers, NY. Laughter and tears are contained in "all the parts" of this book that makes it "whole".

A wonderful read! "You Are There!"....just as Edward R. Murrow used to say.

In the genre of books by orphans about their respective orphanages, a new gem has just hit the market. "Deja Views" enables the reader to walk in the shoes of a fascinating man and re-live his development from an orphan in dire straits to that of an impact individual who has made strong contributions to our society. The author, Sam Arcus, details his childhood experiences of his life in the Hebrew National Orphans' Home and of its impact and influence on his entire life. His narrative is colorful, richly detailed and viewed from all sides. The reader is able to "feel" each experience, which gives rise to that enjoyable reading sensation of, "What's next?" The"Aging Orphan" in the title refers to the sequencing of the author's life. After leaving his own orphanage, he became a beloved supervisor in another one and then started a long and illustrious career in Jewish Community Centers where he developed a national reputation for creating some of the best Centers in the country. So, in a manner of speaking, he remained in related institutions all of his life and retained a good humored self concept as an "aging orphan." Given the width and breath of his total experiences, which are richly detailed in the book, the author is uniquely well qualified to add some new and valuable insights and observations to the emerging field of "orphanology".And he does so, eloquently, informatively and interestingly. Whether you are a scholar in this field, or just looking for a good read, I would recommend this book to you with great enthusiasm. It is, indeed, a gem!

Stan Friedland Syosset, N.Y.

*Professor Roy Lachman reviews Deja Views of an Aging Orphan; Growing Up in the Hebrew National Orphan Home (Xlibris, Philadelphia) by Sam George Arcus.

For the first time in over 50 years, there is a resurgence of interest in a "faith-based" approach to social services, driven by the current administration in the White House. Sam George Arcus' book, a retrospective on his childhood and youth in a pre-WWII Hebrew orphan home, provides invaluable data and insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of the faith-based services delivered by these homes.

During the first half of the twentieth century, institutions dealt with several constituencies: orphans, criminals, and what were then called the "insane". The care of criminals and the insane was the province of government, except for a few private clinics serving the well to do mentally ill. The care of orphans, on the other hand, was almost exclusively the province of faith-based institutions such as the Hebrew National Orphan Home (chronicled by Arcus), Academies of the Sacred Heart, institutions sponsored by other denominations and the well-known Boys Town located in Nebraska.

Today, these roles are very different. The mentally ill are treated by private, for profit institutions providing they have insurance. Government handles the criminally insane. There are relatively few asylums for the uninsured mentally ill; these people make up a disproportionate number of what are now called "the homeless," who are served largely by faith-based, not-for-profit organizations. There are virtually no orphan homes any more; instead, orphaned children without family are usually assigned to foster homes under the auspices of the state. Criminals are still the province of government, with a prison population that has expanded beyond the wildest predictions that could have been made, say, in 1950. Into this milieu President Bush has declared his intention to invite faith-based institutions once again to deal with contemporary social problems. So how can a book like Deja Views of an Aging Orphan enlighten our approach to the social issues of today? Although the data presented are anecdotal, they are very rare. No controlled studies exist comparing the effectiveness of orphanages with that of foster care - there was limited temporal overlap, and the social contexts of the different historical periods in which they occurred rendered comparison futile. However, the anecdotal evidence, as well as some of the reflections offered by Arcus, suggests that group homes may well work better than foster care in terms of protecting the children from the type of abuse that contributes to the burgeoning prison population. If government funds are to be funneled to faith-based programs while foster care is still the primary method of serving orphaned or dependent children, and if some of these programs return to traditional group homes, a golden opportunity exists to equate many of the variables that affect outcomes, thus permitting a principled evaluation of foster care as opposed to congregate group care. Arcus' book provides a rich source of hypotheses for such work. In fact, it can be perceived as a benchmark for the genre labeled "Orphanology" by Dr. Stanley Friedland, co-author of an earlier work An Orphan Has Many parents (KTAV Publishers, NY) to which Arcus also contributed. Besides its value in support of research, Deja Views is an entertaining and often touching account of one man's journey to adulthood through a non-traditional path. Arcus has captured the flavor of the orphan homes in which he was placed, as well as their lasting influence on him as a person and the definition of himself as an "aging orphan." It is well worth reading.

*Dr. Roy Lachman, is Professor and Director of Graduate Training of the Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston TX,...

While surfing the Internet, I discovered a site where for $2.00 you can purchase excerpts from books on their list. Because of my interest in anti-aging issues, I purchased three excerpts from a book titled Don't Stop the Career Clock: Rejecting the Myths of Aging for a New Way to Work in the 21st Century by Helen Harkness, Ph.D. I was so impressed by what I read in the excerpts that I immediately purchased the book.

If the excerpts were impressive, the book blew me away. I finally found someone who understands how to successfully manage the aging process.

Dr. Helen Harkness is well past retirement age but wisely refrains from revealing her chronological age. However, I can tell you that after meeting her at her office in Garland, TX, she functions as a dynamic, fifty-year old. She maintains an active professional schedule as president of Career Design Associates, Inc., which specializes in individual and organizational renewal through career and management training programs. She has been an English professor, department chair, director of adult education, acting dean of business development, and academic dean and provost at the University of Plano in the 1970s. When I last corresponded with her, she was off to Australia to deliver a keynote address.

Don't Stop the Career Clock is filled with meticulous research to support the author's thinking and beliefs about aging and working. There is something on every page worth highlighting. Particularly helpful for those vacillating between retirement and continuing to be productive in one capacity or another, is the chapter "Seven Steps for Resetting Your Career Clock." In this chapter, Dr. Harkness provides numerous exercises to help you think about what you are good at, and what you might really want to do with the rest of your life. The exercises alone are worth ten times the cost of the book.

What I personally found most helpful is the chapter "Learning a New Way to Tell Time." In it, Dr. Harkness says, ". . . because of our social and cultural expectations, we program ourselves to begin to fall apart at a certain designated age, and we oblige.". She then gives her "live long, die fast" contemporary model for aging which should give hope to anyone over age 65 who has bought into the myth that "it's too late for me".

If you are "middle aged" or older, this is a "must read" book. If you are younger, get a head start on designing a fabulous future for yourself. Don't Stop the Career Clock will show you how to do it.

I found out about Helen Harkness from a business colleague who has a graduate degree in business from Harvard University. He highly recommended her books and career counseling. Having taught in public schools for 5 years and then worked in commercial real estate for more than 20 years, I came to a place where I needed a change and a new challenge. I purchased this book and could not put it down! It helped me so much that I purchased her other books. I found all of them helpful.

If you are dissatisfied with your present career and looking for a career change, finding a career for the first time or retiring and wanting to start something new, this is the book for you. Helen helps you sort through and begin to see there are no obstacles (certainly not age)to becoming true to yourself in your work. Helen will help you get in touch with your "true authentic self" and help you see your natural gifts and interests in a way you may never have seen yourself before. Her research is timely and the information will give you insight for your future career. I applaud her work and highly recommend this book.

This book is testimonial on how to grow in this day and age. My thanks on teaching me how to become a better person.

This book has definitely helped in my search for good health. Dr. Mindell has done it again! The information he gives is straight forward and simple. I have read most of Dr. Mindell's books and have found this man knows what he is talking about. I have personnally met Dr. Mindell on several occassions and this book is an example of the tremendous knowledge that he has discovered in his research. If any of the readers of this book would like to Dr. Mindell, I can arrange this by you contacting me via e-mail.

This is an indispensable reference to me in my role as holistic healer. The 100 odd substances listed here are a good recipe for health, even if you just take at least 30 of them on a regular basis (many of them are found in fresh fruits and vegetables). They're presented in a very user-friendly way, giving the foods in which you're most likely to find them and listing the conditions for which they may be helpful. There are additional chapters about specific vitamins & minerals for men and women, plus an extensive index. I hope that the author will include anti-aging hormones such as DHEA and Pregnenolone as well as Colloidal Silver in the next edition.

Earl Mindell burst on the nutrition scene a couple of decades ago with his first book, Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible. It was a huge success -- and desrvedly so for it undoubtedly saved many lives and relieved much unnecessary suffering by introducing people to the power of vitamins and minerals to prevent and heal many illnesses. The latest version is entitled Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible for the 21st Century. The various editions of Earl Midell's Vitamin Bible have taken away much of the mystery regarding nutrient supplements and improved the health of millions of readers. Now Dr. Mindell has written a book which specificallly adresses the role of vitamins, minerals, and other natural substances in preventing many of the deleterious effects of aging. It is a worthy companion to his Vitamin Bible and should be read -- and kept handy for reference -- by everyone, either for themselves or an aging family member. There is no magic to vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients -- they simply allow our bodies to perform the functions they need to perform in order to remain vigorous and healthy for many more years than we have come to expect.

Author Barry Jacobs has done his homework well and speaks of his subject matter with both expertise and the human touch of one who knows this territory first hand from having lived it both personally and professionally. As a practicing clinician, I have recommended it to many patients who are struggling with issues around the aging and declining health of their parents. Jacobs provides a prospective that steers a middle course between acknowledging the guilt that adult children feel around the need to take care of themselves while taking care of their parent, and the real physical and emotional demands of caretaking. Besides all that, he is a good writer and tells us about the central lessons of caretaking through the story of two sisters facing the serious illness of their mother. This subject is one most of us have to face sooner or later, and Barry Jacobs gives us an excellent guide as to how to navigate the terrain as well as possible.

Jan Goldman, Psy.D.

The Emotional Survival Guide for Caregivers is an amazing book focused around the difficulties faces by two sisters taking care of their ailing mother. Real people can relate to the characters and their struggles are real to many people across America and the rest of the world. I think that anyone who is a caregiver should definately read this book.

Barry Jacobs has written an excellent book not only for caregivers of aging medically ill parents but for professionals who work with patients and families coping with chronic illness. Several things stand out in this book. First is the approach which involves following a ficionalized pair of adult sisters who are caring for and coping with an ailing mother. Jacobs writes this account with great depth and creativity and is able to capture the kinds of feelings and describe the kinds of patterns that are often missing in other 'self help' books. Second, Jacobs also utilizes his own expereince, personal and professional, including advice columns he has written over the years. Third, the book covers evrerything from how to decide how much care you can provide to how to consider spiritual and other issues. Fourth, along the way are plenty of very valuable "how to" suggestions that will be of great benefit to any reader. If you are looking for even one caregiving book for your bookshelf, choose this one. Excellent read. Excellent resource.