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Fit at 50: Live in Love

Thanks for reading my “Fit at 50” series of posts, written for the benefit of long-term caregivers. Hopefully I’ve validated some aspects of your experience, and encouraged positive path(s) forward. The New Year is a good time to set an intention and take a first step. Please share with any friend who is also in […]

Fit at 50: Live Strong

I noticed this fall 2020, after a full season enjoying and working in the garden, that my hips and back could use a daily strengthening program, to help me last longer in the garden, and to support my physical fitness for life in general.  I purchased a few books and I read about others over […]

Fit at 50: Live Pain-Free

Living pain-free before and after 50 is my motivation to start a daily practice now at age 48. In the process of losing, gaining, losing weight, 2015-2018, I began noticing left sacroIliac (SI) joint pain waking me up between 2-5 times each night.  I lived with this situation for several months, then I researched Integrated […]

Fit at 50: Live Light

At any age, living light is a nice goal. At mid-life, most of us have experienced significant ups and downs, and acquired some baggage – spiritual, mental, social, emotional, physical, and/or material. The holiday season offers a great time to consider how heavy we feel, and how we might change this feeling for the better. […]

Fit at 50: Hope, Balance, Strength

It’s been 12 years since I lost my mom Margaret to FTD, and 10 years since I founded MaryMac Missions, to be a witness to the dementia-caregiving experience – before and after caregiving, and to create different and better experiences for care-partners and the people they care for, each day of life. The next few […]

Collette and John Hanlon Enjoy Fish Tales

John Hanlon of Rowley ~ Age 54 ~ Passes 3-19-18

“S/he died too young…” Is this before age 100? 85? 65? 45? 25? 15? Is “too young” before we’ve had a chance to say the Four Most Important Things (Ira Byock) to our friend or loved one: 1. I love you 2. Thank you 3. Forgive me 4. I forgive you Is “too young” before […]

Expressive Writing Options: Peace Prayers, Promise Letters

Service, Duty & Honor is Risky Business

Thank you Veterans and Dementia Care Partners for your service. Whether we serve for love of country or family, if we end up on the front lines, we are risking life and long-term health. This past weekend, I tuned in closely to the TV programs about post 9/11 veterans living with the invisible wounds of […]

Dementia Friendly Topsfield Year-round Begins with a Memory Café

Dementia caregivers age 8-88+ (and survivors of dementia-caregiving) are welcome year-round to join us at our Topsfield Memory Café which will be hosted at least once-a-month outdoors in our beautiful wheelchair-accessible garden at Rest.Stop.Ranch, or indoors at the cozy and warm wheelchair-accessible Trinity Church. Come alone, as you are, for socialization, information and networking with […]

Dementia Caregiver (DCG) Stress and Substance Abuse: Impacts Kids & Teens

This week (February 12 – 18, 2017), and perennially, Valentine’s Day (Feb 14) week, is Children of Alcoholics Awareness Week. If you are an individual choosing alcohol or another addictive substance, as a coping mechanism for life’s stressors… there is help. If you are a child or teen of an alcoholic (COA) or an adult child of an alcoholic […]