Breaking News

Building empathy for dementia patients

As dementia rates continue to climb across Ohio — particularly in the Mahoning Valley — a new hands-on training is helping caregivers and community members better understand what it’s like to live with the condition. According to the Ohio Department of Health, dementia is not a single ...

Bucket list helps older adults reflect on past, embrace future

A bucket list is often thought of as a collection of grand adventures, such as skydiving over oceans, traveling across continents or meeting lifelong heroes. But at its heart, a bucket list is something much simpler and far more meaningful. It is a personal roadmap of goals, dreams and experiences that give life a sense of direction and fulfillment. For older adults especially, creating a bucket list can be a powerful way to reflect on the past while still looking forward to the future. Many people reach a certain stage in life and begin to measure time differently. ...

Senior News

RETIREES TO MEET: Howland Schools Retirees will meet at 11:30 a.m. May 5 at Shepherd of the Valley, 4100 North River Road, Warren. All retired school employees and spouses/guests are welcome to attend. The cost of the lunch, payable at the door, is $10. Please note that if you plan to attend, we need a count to give SOV by Wednesday. Call/text Sue at 330-207-7672 or email at sueuitto@gmail.com. SENIOR FARMERS MARKET: The Ohio Department of Aging has a new season of the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. Eligible Ohioans will once again have access to $50 in fresh locally ...

Dear Annie: Brother-in-law just laughs off accountability

DEAR ANNIE: My brother-in-law is constantly making offensive and over-the-top jokes. Whenever I call him out, he tells me I’m “too sensitive.” To me, that’s the same as saying, “I don’t care about your feelings and I’m going to blame this conflict entirely on you!” I always point this out, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. This is gaslighting of the worst kind. How can I respond in the future to make him take some actual accountability? — Oversensitive DEAR OVERSENSITIVE: Your brother-in-law’s trick is to shift the spotlight from his joke to your reaction. ...

Hints from Heloise: Bringing kids to a wedding

DEAR HELOISE: How do I tell my brother and his wife that their two young boys aren’t invited to my wedding? I’m getting married in a fairly small, formal ceremony on July 4. It’s an evening, candlelit ceremony for adults only, starting around 8 p.m. A reception will follow after the ceremony. I know that only people whose names appear on the inner envelope are invited, but this has never stopped my brother and his wife from bringing along their two young children. I probably wouldn’t mind it if the boys were well-behaved, but they aren’t! They are 7 and 5, respectively. Last ...

To Your Good Health: Vagus nerve stimulation for arthritis

DEAR DR. ROACH: I want to know what you think about vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), both the surgically implanted type as well as the external noninvasive device for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other indications. What kind of doctor does this? Just reading about it gives me hope that less drugs are being used to treat these conditions. — L.L. ANSWER: VNS uses electrical impulses to trigger some of the many actions of the vagus nerve. VNS is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for some types of drug-resistant epilepsy, headache disorders, and drug-resistant ...