Every fall my parents would get their flu shots. At the time, it was considered necessary for people over 65 and those with certain illnesses, plus their caregivers, to be vaccinated against the coming winter's strain of influenza. I not only was a caregiver for elders, I had a son with asthma, which is one risk category, so I always got my shot.Read full story:

This February, I got my first ever summons for jury duty. It's amazing I've lived these many decades without being summoned. My first reaction was negative. Why now? I'm too busy! However, I knew I had no choice, so I made peace with it. Then I got my appearance dates. The first was cancelled. My second was not.  A funny thing happened on my way to the courthouse. I thought about my mother. Not my mother with dementia. Not my mother with her head sliced o…[more]

A press release on pharmalive.com is intriguing. Titled “Alzheimer’s Drug Research: What if the Major Drug Companies Are Betting on the Wrong Horse?” this release focuses on alternative theories to the generally accepted ideas about what causes Alzheimer’s disease.The company featured in this release is a small biotech firm, Anavex, which is working developing a product to fight oxidative stress in the brain.Read full article:

You won't find many cross-posts between my original Minding Our Elders blog and my health and travel blog, but this is a subject thread that I'd like all of my readers interested in their health and the health of their care receivers to follow, so yes, today you will find this post on both my health blog and my caregiving blog. Both are Minding Our Elders and both are about better lives for boomers and seniors as well as caregivers and care receivers. If I'd had access to…[more]