Senior Health Books

Thank you, Valerie, for sharing your expertise with us in this highly recommended book that is both easy to read and to understand.

If you are are an adult child with aging parents, this valuable book is a must to read!

Joanne Harmon(WI)
Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)
Certified in Long Term Care (CLTC)

I highly recommend this book for everyone that loves their parents or grandparents and want to help them stay at home as long as possible. The amount of information in one single source is fantastic. I found the book easy to read and informative, great for anyone who is looking for help.

I found "The Senior Solution" easy to read, filled with practical information that I can use and bring to the attention of the people I serve as a loan officer and insurance producer. Now is the time to think ahead and prepare for your own possible long term care needs. Long Term Care Insurance is the way to ensure your peace of mind and protect the assets you've worked so hard for.

I've recently had the opportunity to read "The Senior Solution" by Valerie Van Booven-Whitsell, RN, BSN, PGCM. This book looks at the issues faced by seniors and their adult children, it covers all aspects of challenges that seniors face and gives clear, concise workable answers to them. This is a book whose cost is a worthwhile investment for seniors and their families as well as the advisors that work in the senior marketplace.

Kenneth R. Clark
Certified Senior Advisor

Having seen four of my family members, including both sets of parents and in-law parents who have needed special care and attention during periods of aging, disability and dying, I had to learn by trial and error. Unfortunately, many times it was by error.

Valerie has clearly and concisely covered a very difficult subject in a very easy to read, relatively short book. She is to be commended for including such areas as VA Home Aid and Attendant Services Grants. I had never heard about them before. She also establishes reverse mortgages as a viable way of handling financial needs for seniors aged 62 and over. At the end of the book is a very comprehensive reference guide to several outstanding websites.

All in all, this book is outstanding....especially as more and more people are aging and joining the "sandwich generation"!

Suza Francina's book "The New Yoga for Healthing Aging" is a must-have for anyone over 50 as well as for those of us who work with the aging baby boomer population. This book is chock full of inspiring photos of seniors in different asanas, sage advice and some sample routines. I can't believe that some of these people are over 90! Wow!

Francina is Iyengar-based, so many of the poses are shown with props and there is good information on how to use the props safely. In this book you can also find medical research and advice on using yoga for a variety of conditions including arthritis, osteoporosis, hip replacements, alzheimer's and parkinsons. Many of the seniors in the book share their stories on how yoga has helped them with their issues, and this can be very encouraging for people who may be fearful of trying yoga.

Especially helpful are the suggestions for getting up and down from the floor and the section on teaching seniors. Any teacher who works with the aging population will find these parts invaluable! I hope that this book can not only help me to be mindful of my teaching skills but also about my own aging body.

As a brand new yoga teacher (at age 62), I find Suza Francina's latest book, "The New Yoga for Healthy Aging", to be a great resource. I teach in the 55+ community where I live, so many of my students have health challenges. I often refer to the chapters on teaching seniors, as well as those dealing with specific health issues, like hip replacement (I have two in class), arthritis and osteoporosis. I also like to share quotes from Suza and the other senior teachers featured in her book with my students. I highly recommend this book for new teachers and older students as well.

Carin Seebold, RYT

With the innumerable yoga books on the market and the attempts of companies trying to make a buck of the yoga boom I am leary of buying any products, including books, marketed for yoga. Also, from my own experiences I feel many reviews give an exaggerated view of the books.

However, this book is truly a good book. I am 49 yrs old and have been practicing yoga for almost 5 years, two to four times a day. I am constantly trying to find out more about books, DVDs, websites etc on yoga related items in order to improve and deepen my practice. I am glad I bought this one.

For someone who recovered from a severe and incapacitating lower back injury with the practice of yoga asanas, this book is a reaffirmation of my own experiences. Had I not taken to an asana pracitce, I know for a fact that my injury would have made a "cash cow" out of me for the "medical professionals" in our health care system. More importantly the book offers tremendous inspiration, hope and encouragement to the aging -- which includes all -- and people recovering from chronic pain. It does this by sketching the lives of those who have been practicing yoga asanas.

I assure you that if you are serious about your mental, physical and emotional health, and if you have had a year of yoga and want to give your practice a boost then this book will not let you down. It will confirm your realizations and build on them regarding the healing potential of yoga asanas. I have already bought two copies and will be buying numerous more to give to everyone I know. This will save them a lot of pain and suffering as they grow older, not to mention the expenses of a medical system that is absolutely out of control. In my opinion and experiences medical science itself is shallow and flawed despite the many sincere practitioners. People suffering from chronic ailments are a testimony to this claim.

The writer has done a very good job of writing this book. Thank you Suza.

"The New Yoga for Healthy Aging is one of the most exciting yoga books ever published. Its promise is one that millions of baby boomers will find comforting--that yoga is a natural prescription for reversing the aging process. The proof is in the lovely and inspiring photographs of yoga students in their later years in poses of beauty and strength. This outstanding resource addresses the common ailments of aging and is as encouraging as it is informative and practical. Suza Francina shows how even challenging yoga poses become "do-able" through the use of props and modifications. Her extensive knowledge and experience teaching yoga is evident and her wisdom and deep caring shine through her words and stories. "

---Peggy Cappy
Author, Yoga for All of Us, and creator of the popular video series Yoga for the Rest of Us, as seen on public television, and the guided relaxation audio CD series Deep Relaxation for the Rest of Your Life. www.peggycappy.com

Suza Francina goes beyond inspiring once again with her newest book The New Yoga for Healthy Aging. As a yoga teacher of senior adults I really like the organization of the chapters, the mixture of instructional information and heartfelt stories I associate with Suza's writing style; offering practical guidance and personal anecdotes to help motivate older students. I read the section on Suza's mom, how she had this very emotional family emergency during the writing of this book. I'm sure she worried at times about losing her. Suza too shared a very personal story. I read from this book to my students as I find the stories uplifting and recently taught from the sequence for heart health.
www.yogamudra.com

This book set is both appropriate for teens and adults to read. If you are interested in nursing you will probably be interested in these books.

Cherry Ames makes a comeback. Fresh, lively confections that enthralled me as a kid don't hold up quite as well to the adult reader, but that's not the point. Mystery Writers of America member Helen Wells fleshed out a peppy prewar characterization of a high-spirited eighteen year-old nurse whose high-spirited, curious ways get her in entertaining fixes as she pursues her nursing degree and a few dreamy doctors. I bought the first few books at a garage sale in the early 80's for 25 cents and they still have a place of honor on my bookshelf. The later books tended to have a churned- out, formulaic quality with a bevy of different writers who can't capture the zeitgeist. I think today's kids would definitely have a snoozefest with these books. In addition, my mother, who graduated from nursing school in the early 60's, tried to get through the first book, but couldn't. I guess there weren't enough draconian spinster teachers, full shifts on the floor, and egomanical doctors for that realistic kick!

I bought this for my grandniece age 9. She likes them very much.
I read them as a child and also enjoyed them.
I'd recommend them for any young child.

What a delight to rediscover our courageous nurse Cherry Ames all over again! Let Cherry take us back to an era of simple virtues where honesty and integrity mattered. Cherry Ames is a series most of us baby boomers remember reading, along with Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Vicki Barr, Dana Girls, Bobsey Twins, Hardy Boys and the like. A true treasure to explore and pass on to our own children or just to read and discover the magic of series books all over again. I would recommend these books to any young girl and I am delighted to see my old friend and nurse Cherry again.

I have fond memories of reading the Cherry Ames series in 3rd grade and was delighted to see them republished. Although I pursued a career in mental health, rather than nursing, I can still make the correlation having absorbed that nurturing atmosphere prevalent in these books. Highly recommended!

This is a practical guide for new and seasoned Yogis. It includes the basics for breathing, meditation, and even provides two home practice flows along with a template for adding variety. There are inspirational personal experiences, step by step asanas, and much more for all ages and Yogi levels. My new copy has become my personal Yoga guide and has inspired me to develop a home practice which I began after buying the book 8 weeks ago. Now I practice daily.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to practice yoga while attending college in the 70's; I never forgot leaving that hour and a half usually feeling the best I ever felt. Yes, it was a physical experience, but witout explaination or introduction, it went beyond the physical. Just recently (age 59), I decided to get reacquainted with the practice.

As I studied and searched, I came into contact with Stephen Copes fantastic book "Yoga and the Quest for the True Self". This fantastic book led me to learn about and come to understand the Kripalu yoga method [ yes folks there is much more than just the hatha yoga we all seem to come into contact with]; this great practice is a combination of the physical hatha yoga and meditation. Please don't be overwhelmed; it's, in my book, the perfect combination.

As one who finds himself progressing on a daily basis, I highly recommend these two books. I suggest the reader, searcher, learner to explore a basic hatha yoga book or experience while reading "Kripalu Yoga" and branching out to Stephen Copes book for the "icing on the cake".

Stephen Cope, by the way, is one of the Senior teachers at the Kripalu Yoga Center.

I'm pleased to make this discovery myself and even happier to share my experience.

Namaste ........

This book was so informative really explaining Kripalu Yoga. It explained yoga in such a simple way, that made it easy to understand the concept.

As a Kripalu Yoga Teacher I had been waiting for a book that summarizes yet comprehensively explains the Kripalu Yoga tradition. Without minimizing the asana practice the book manages to cover the essence of Kripalu Yoga and taking the practice off the mat to encourage a healthy and spiritually rich lifestyle. I must mention that Kripalu Yoga is accessible to people of all ages and levels of practice. It can be as gentle or rigorous a physical practice as one wants it to be but it can also be as spiritual a practice as one wants it to be. This is the beauty of Kripalu Yoga and the book, Kripalu Yoga, makes this abundantly clear.

Along with affirming the other reviews on this book, I would like to add that I have recently begun teaching yoga and have found this book to be an excellent tool for developing my class formats and information sharing. There is a wealth of information, presented in clearly stated, understandable and comprehensive text, that I can quickly commit to memory to share with my students, or jot down in an outline to reference during class instruction. Having purchased and read volumes of books on yoga, this is the first I have come across that has been helpful in that regard. Kripalu is a beautiful form of yoga that brings the true essence of the practice to life.

This book is fabulous! While I am not currently caring for an aging loved one, I know that someday I will face the difficult events and choices so eloquently described in the book. Dr. McCullough empowers the reader to anticipate downstream issues and his book is stocked with strategies to help prepare us to deal with the complex issues of fragmented care. I recommend this book to everyone!

If a loved one has Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, this book is an especially useful guide for finding your way through the process of his(her) aging and dying. You need to make sure those entrusted with your loved ones care, know the best way to look after him(her). Thus you need to know the information this book will give you

The useful advice he shares is certainly applicable to an elderly person with dementia.

"Slow medicine" is a must in this case.

The caring experience when dealing with a dementia person, still can be broken down into the stages (compromise, crisis, recovery, decline) that Dr. McCullough discusses.

After reading this book, you will have some of the tools necessary to care for your loved one better. You will also have to gain knowledge of the Alzheimer's disease and dementia process to best help your loved one through their aging journey.
by Susan Berg author of Adorable Photographs of Our Baby: Meaningful, Mind Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones, and Involved Professionals

For the past five years, I have watched my mother's health decline. My sisters and I had to make some decisions about her care and medicine. After I read this book,I felt very good about the path we chose for her. I was lucky that my Mom had a Living Will and let us know what action should be taken along the way. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking after an elderly relative or friend. I sometimes have felt that I was the only one who has gone through this, but now I know there are many who are facing the same decisions.

If I had an unlimited amount of cash, I would buy thousands of copies of MY MOTHER, YOUR MOTHER. Here's who I'd give them to:

Every doctor, nurse, aide, medical assistant, physical and occupational therapist, specialist, psychologist, counselor, social worker, medical insurance person, Medicare and medicaid worker, pharmacist, physician's assistant....I'd give a copy to every medical student, dentist, lab tech, optometrist, and to every adult with a parent over the age of 50, with any relative or friend in frail health. I'd give it to my neices and nephews, my mailman, the funeral director over on Main Street...

You get the idea.

MMYM is practical and wise. Dr. McCullough returns something we mistakenly handed to modern medicine: how to care for our loved ones, and be part of their lives during their frail final years.

I usually never underline books. I did underline this one since I intend to keep it. Dr McCullough writes from his heart. He shares his experience as a gerontologist and as a son helping his mother in her last years. He gives us lots of suggestions and tells us what to expect when the time comes for us to do the same. One thing I miss though is a photo of his dear mom.

My senior parents really loved this book. They found it to be a very useful and comprehensive guide.

At the best of times, aging is not easy and this handy guide to the "where and what-fors" is almost essential. Planing your next trip to the doctor, knowing what to eat, and the whys our body goes through as it ages gives one a sense of comfort. When your parents aren't around to ask the pertinent questions about aging, this book is like having a good friend at the elbow to calm one during moments of dis-ease. I'm grateful for the advice and the organization and know my friends will also be grateful for the advice shared within "Guide for the Senior Corps.".

This book offers an at-a-glance perspective on how to age gracefully. It's easy to obtain information about everything from how the body ages to how to work with the aging process. The illustrations and graphs make the information easy to understand, and I especially appreciate how the book is layed out to cross reference illustrations with facts. Toy's book offers a wholistic guide for the senior corps. She intelligently addresses the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of aging.

I highly recommend this book for everyone who intends to live life to the fullest and grow old with grace and elegance.

Indispensable reference manual for seniors, "newbies", everyone. Wish that I had this book while my parents were still alive.

This is such a small book but with lots of valuable information my wife
& I read it & have no hesitation in giving it a five star rating. It,s
clear & concise& much easier reading than many medical books we have
read.Everything you need to know about your body & the diseases that
may afflict you is all there in a clear & concise manner.We strongly
recommend it for all seniors.

This book is a compact, well written guide to helping those who care for seniors and seniors who care for themselves. It is short, simple, and well written. It is packed full of good advice and essential resources for seniors and those who help care for them

The book is divided into logical sections that deal with caregiver and senior issues. These issues are presented in simple bite sized pieces. They are easy to understand and easy to use. Most of the information is good advice for not only caregivers but all of us.

Not only are the authors obviously experienced caregivers but they have inserted thoughtful anecdotes from people who are caregivers throughout the book. The authors are also quite obviously caring and concerned. One of their most salient points that they make over and over is that we will all be seniors at one point or another and we should look at the things we do from the point of view of the people who we are helping.

This book is a must read for all of us. As the world population grows older, the advice in this book will become more and more topical for everyone.

An excellent resource directory is presented at the back, packed with essential resources for seniors. These are great resources and highly useful to both seniors and caregivers.

This is a terrific book and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a caregiver or a senior.

The book is a gresat resource for seniors, living on their own, as well as for caregivers. It is easy to read and there are tips that I never would have thought of.

I am a legal aid hotline attorney who frequently assists seniors as well as the owner of an online medical supplies and equipment business. This well researched and comprehensive book is full of helpful suggestions and a many excellent resources. If you are caring for a senior you will find alot of great ideas in this book. Seniors may also want a copy for themselves.

Ordered this book from seeing it online. It was an easy read and I got a lot of tips from it (I started helping take care of my mother this year). Definately recommend.

This is an extrememly insightful and eminently readable guide for the many of us who are struggling to care for our aging loved ones. As as clinical psychologist working with families and specializing in child therapy, I have been uncertain how to advise parents when they describe the challenges they face with raising their children while also caring for their own parents and aging relatives. Now, with The Caregiver's Essential Handbook, I have an excellent source of practical information and advice to offer overwhelmed families. The 1,200 tips are clearly organized and easy to locate. There are invaluable phone numbers and web sites listed in the Appendix. All in all, one can just pick up this book for a few moments and gain a lot of invaluable information.

I am extrememly grateful that my colleague Sasha Carr and Sandra Choron have provided this wonderful resource. It will make a great difference in many families' lives.

My husband and I read your book and loved it! How wonderful that you are creating a new paradigm of the elder years to be self-actualized, empowered and energetic. Your book helped me re-think some of my own negative attidues about aging. Ellen, you are a blessing and doing important work!

For anyone who wants to apply the Law of Attraction principles to growing younger, this is an excellent resource. Just look at Ellen -- she's 70 years old and looks 45. This book will convince you that you have an inner fountain of youth and will empower you to access it. Ellen offers various processes inlcuding: choosing youthful thoughts, having more fun, affirmations such as "With every breath I take, the cells in my body grow younger," visualizations, a youthfulness collage, a creation planner, and six habits to guarantee your success. In this age of instant gratification, she even offers a 30-second grow younger method. As you follow the steps in this book, connecting with and trusting your inner spiritual guidance, not only will you access an inner fountain of youth, but you will also access "that incredible fountain of joy deep inside you -- that manifestation of Spirit." Ellen was inspired to write this book and I'm sure you will be as inspired by it as I was.

Kate Corbin
Law of Attraction Coach
[...]

In "The Secret Method for Growing Younger" Ellen Wood takes the Law of Attraction (power of positive thinking) combines it with the strength produced by a directed meditation to create a younger more viable YOU! Throw off negative thinking and develop methods to create a healthier, younger body. You'll find this book is an quick read and the methods easy to incorporate in your daily life. The joy of living shines through this book and Ellen wants to share that JOY!

Ellen Wood easy-to-read book gives you positive and simple ways to make yourself younger in every way. You will find her method of casting away all negative thoughts to be uplifting immediately and as you practice it every day, you will find yourself growing younger in thought and in deed. It's a wonderful book full of messages of love and truth. I loved it!

This book is exciting and uplifting! I found myself reading until the book was finished (in one day). Ellen made it more interesting by giving
her own life's examples. Coming at a time when baby boomers need some reiforcement techniques,I'll say it is a winner.

I was searching for a book for a friend and ran across other books on running for seniors. Those reviews weren't very good, then I remembered this book that I read a couple of years ago. I realized that it was still timely, informative and the best info I've read on how to run safely until you're 100. I've followed the information in this book and it has allowed me to resume my running passion, place in races for my age group and just be content with finishing.
For those who say it may be a little difficult to follow the eating suggestions, it is much more difficult to watch friends and family succumb to the diseases of affluence...routinely having their chest cracked open for heart disease, going blind from diabetes, and enduring chemo. Ruth's program really works, you feel so much better, and interestingly, is similar to how the Olympic Kenyans eat. Well-researched, she quotes the works of Dr. John McDougall and Dr. Neal Barnard. Their work and books ought to be worthy of Nobel Prizes, for all the hundreds of thousands of people those doctors have helped over the years! Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes Without DrugsTurn Off the Fat Genes: The Revolutionary Guide to Taking Charge of the Genes That Control Your WeightA Physician's Slimming Guide: For Permanent Weight ControlBreaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons Behind Food Cravings---And 7 Steps to End Them NaturallyDr. McDougall's Digestive Tune-UpMcDougall Made EasyThe Mcdougall Quick and Easy Cookbook: Over 300 Delicious Low-Fat Recipes You Can Prepare in Fifteen Minutes or LessThe Mcdougall Program for Maximum Weight LossThe McDougall Program for Women : What Every Woman Needs to Know to Be Healthy for LifeThe McDougall Program for a Healthy Heart: A Life-Saving Approach to Preventing and Treating Heart DiseaseThe New McDougall Cookbook: 300 Delicious Ultra-Low-Fat Recipes

I have just finished reading Ruth Heidrich's latest publication. Found it an inspiring read for a vegetarian who aspires to veganism "most of the time". Ms Heidrich has obviously written this book to encourage readers to take that first step in thinking about their nutrition differently. May I say though that Ms Heidrich's dedication to veganism and competative running could present as daunting to the average punter who is looking for direction around lifestyle changes. This is acknowledged by Ms H. who does encourage her readers to start off slowly and work towards goals. I am planning to order Ms H's. cookbook and work towards refining my diet using ideas already discussed in this publication. MmmmmYum Yum...Kale & Celery for Breakfast..??? Reframe that (a technique Ms H. discuses in her book)... So much better than Beta Blockers & Anti inflammatories for brekky. More Please.

Lisa
Australia

Dr. Ruth's personal battle resulted in extensive research done by her for the benefit of all of us (male or female). She wanted answers to why she was ill and discovered that her illness (and its causes) were not all that unique. The rarity is in applying the information to one's lifestyle. Don't sit back and wait for yourself to become ill, use preventative measures to promote good health long into your "prime years" so that you won't have to be at the mercy of drugs, doctors and nursing homes like many of our parents.

This book was very inspiring, and motivated me to start a daily exercise program of walking and running.

This is an incredible book. I purchased it in June of 2006 and as of July 2006 I have already lost weight without any pain and frustration. It is easy to follow the advice and the facts are backed up by the research that was done. I am happy to say I have lost almost 12 lbs and the pounds are continuing to come off.

This is an easy read book and it is working for me. I have even given my 20+ year old son a copy. You are never to young to start taking care of you body.

This book--this author--has changed the lives of several people I know including my own. The information contained within far exceeded my expectations for this book. It should be read by everyone. I would have given it 10 stars if I could have.

You should know that you will not get this information from your doctor. Most doctors know very little about the impact of nutrition and exercise on the most common diseases since it has not been until recent times that nutrition and fitness has been taught in medical schools. I especially recommend it especially to people of any age who are trying to prevent or overcome cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis, alzheimers, obesity.

I promise you will be inspired by this book! [...]

Tai Chi for Enlighteners is by far the best "self~teach" dvd I have ever used. Stephanie's gentle teaching of the Wu style of Tai Chi is a wonderful way to REALLY learn Tai Chi. Her knowledge, learned from Mr. and Mrs. Chow, is a beautiful style of the art. I am a student of Stephanie's and I find the dvd a great way to Master the steps at home. I highly recommend this dvd to anyone that is interested in learning Tai Chi. It also makes a great gift to anyone that wants to share the benefits from all the healthy side affects of the practice, of which there are so many!

How exciting to finally find an EXCELLENT DVD program that only promotes health as we try to age graciously. Master Tai Chi teacher, Stephanie brings her incredible knowledge to us and has simplified the steps needed to easily understand and learn what I now call, 'The Dance of Health'. I highly recommend men and women to purchase "Tai Chi for Enlighteners", for it most likely will be the best investment they could make in their lifetime.

This is the best "how to" program I have ever tried. The instructor explains every movement in easy to follow detail. She is graceful to watch, and very motivating. After a few lessons, I already feel a better sense of balance. I recommend this program to everyone with an interest in tai chi, and / or achieving balance and a sense of well being. This instructor is a born teacher.

Tai Chi is a time tested means for achieving balance and harmony within.Stephanie guides you through the steps effortlessly.For those of us curious to know it is informative. For those of us who want to learn her guidance is seamless. The tape is a must have for beginners as well as those who have strayed.Effects are felt after a few practice sessions.A good Chi experience . A great homage to the Chows....I hope the next CD is coming soon.......

"Tai Chi for Enlighteners" is an amazing program for anyone beginning Tai Chi or learning the Wu Style Tai Chi. Stephanie led me through the steps in an easy to follow routine as I practiced with her DVD. I appreciate how each lesson builds upon the previous one and found the repetition helpful with my retention of the patterns. My posture and flexibility have improved and I am more conscience of how I move in my everyday life since doing the program. I recommended the DVD to a dear friend of mine in her 80's. She began the DVD after injuring her wrists and hands. She told said she feels more balanced and stands and walks with improved posture since beginning the program. I highly recommend this program for anyone wanting to improve their health, flexibility and well being.