Aging Gracefully

03/11/2025

Got a friend or family member with Macular Degeneration?

Depending on how bad their M.D. is, here are a few tips that could help when you are with them:

When walking in the dark or even in darkish stormy weather, ask if you can offer them your arm. Then walk them to the car door and open it for them. Point out uneven pavement or elevation changes. It only takes a couple of seconds to lose your bearing, so if they don’t want to talk AND walk, understand that they are just trying to get from point A to B without injury.

If at a party, wedding, receiving line, etc., stand next to them and tell them names of people who are approaching. Faces of even loved ones become indistinguishable to someone with M.D. I personally recognize voices before faces, but it can look to the casual onlooker like you might be ignoring them. I tell people to get right up in my face and even tell me who they are to make sure I recognize them.

Just as they can not recognize faces, most cannot see their own faces in a mirror. If you see something out of place on their face, please tell them! It might be embarrassing, but it is better than me wondering how long I have had a bougie in my nose!

When watching tv or a movie, ask if they want you to read things on the screen like cell phone conversations. It is hard to follow a story when you can’t read things that are written on the screen.

There are a lot more tips, but just imagine if you were losing your vision what kinds of things might YOU need help with, and at least offer. It can be hard for previously independent people to ask for help. It is a lovely gesture when someone offers it willingly!

Have other tips? We are all ears.

23/10/2025

😟

One of the hardest parts of grief is watching your kids grow up, knowing someone who would've loved them isn't here to see it. The milestones, the laughter, the tears – all these moments that bring joy and sadness, knowing that person won't be there to share in the experience.

It's like having a constant ache in your heart, a reminder of what's missing. You wonder what they would say, what they would do, how they would react. You imagine the bond they would form with the kids, the memories they would create.

As a parent, it's hard to navigate these emotions, to balance your own grief with the needs of your children. You want to be strong for them, to provide a sense of stability and security. But it's okay to let them see your emotions, to let them know it's okay to feel sad and miss someone.

It's a bittersweet feeling, watching your kids grow and thrive, knowing that someone special is missing from their lives. But you can keep their memory alive, sharing stories, looking at photos, and passing on the values and love they instilled in you.

You don't have to go through this alone. Lean on loved ones, friends, or support groups for help and guidance. And remember, it's okay to take care of yourself, too. You're doing the best you can, and that's something to be proud of.

15/10/2025

During the filming of Hampstead (2017), Diane Keaton had a moment that perfectly blurred the line between acting and life. There was a quiet scene where her character, Emily, looks out over the heath — lost, aging, and unsure if she still matters. Between takes, Keaton stayed in character, staring into the distance long after the director called “cut.” When someone asked if she was all right, she smiled faintly and said, “I’m just thinking how strange it feels when the world stops needing you — and you have to start needing yourself.”

The crew went silent. It wasn’t in the script, but it summed up everything Hampstead was about — loneliness, courage, and the rediscovery of self-worth. Later, when Brendan Gleeson joined her for a scene, Keaton whispered before they started, “Let’s make them believe that two lost people can still find home.”

Off-camera, Keaton talked openly about how much she related to Emily’s vulnerability. “People think confidence is something you have forever,” she said during an interview. “It isn’t. You rebuild it, piece by piece, every time life breaks a part of you.”

Her honesty moved even the hardened crew members. One lighting technician recalled, “That day, she wasn’t just acting. She was showing us how to survive being human.”

By the time Hampstead wrapped, the film had become more than a gentle love story — it was Diane Keaton’s quiet manifesto: that it’s never too late to start over, never too late to be seen, and never too late to be brave.

14/10/2025

The more you know....

11/10/2025

Russ Wallace Berrie Figurines from the 70s
They were popular gifts

03/10/2025

Love your children as hard as you can, because eventually, this will be their thoughts as well.

The grief doesn't get lighter.

29/09/2025

We're wrapping up National Falls Prevention Awareness Week with an oldie but a goodie from our Flourish blog: When should you go to the doctor after a fall?

Read the full post at the link below. Tell us how you prevent falls in your day-to-day life!

https://yourjuniper.org/flourish/9-27-24-when-should-you-go-to-the-hospital-after-a-fall/

28/09/2025