As you and your parent work through all the sorting that happens after the loss of a parent and spouse, at some point you begin developing a new foundation to move forward in life with. One way my mother and I have found helpful to build  new foundations of strength is to tap into old “knowings” where you felt on top of the world(especially images that you can have around the house to remind you), empowered and filled with curiosity and wonder about life. One such memory for my mother was when she was a Pan Am Stewardess in 1967. We were discussing those days recently because of ABC’s new TV show airing this fall called PAN AM.  

Here are a few images we came across recently that help Mom remember her inner strength to continue to incorporate into her life today…..

HBO is presenting a 3 night series on Alzheimer’s next week. All cable subscribers, even those without HBO, should be able to view the series on the HBO channel for their cable company.

Schedule:
* The Memory Loss Tapes — Sunday, May 10 at 9 PM
* Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am? — Monday, May 11 at 7:30 PM
* Momentum in Science — Monday, May 11 at 8 PM
* Caregivers — Tuesday, May 12 at 7 PM
* Momentum in Science, Part 2 –Tuesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. EST

This PBS special documentary on caring for aging parents was forwarded to me by a friend very active in the caregiving and dementia advocacy community-

“…As the population ages, many adult children are grappling with an unprecedented social, cultural, economic, and personal revolution as they transition into the primary caregiver role for their aging parents. Produced, written, and directed by award-winning filmmaker Michael Kirk, Caring for Your Parents is a moving two-hour special that draws much-needed attention to this universal reality. (more…)