By Rona Barrett | Published on 03.09.2015 1:30 p.m. “A very interesting thing happened today,” my girlfriend told me in a conversation a few years ago. Her son Max had come home from school excitedly and exclaimed, “Ma, I had a fun time today. We went to see the old people. I talked to … [Read more...]
When Harry Met Max — Intergenerational Programming Connects Young and Old
September 16, 2015 By Rona Barrett
Filed Under: Rona Barrett 's Gray Matters Tagged With: Intergenerational Programming, rona barrett, Rona Barrett Foundation, Senior Living, “Gray Matters”
Where Words Fail, Music Speaks*
September 16, 2015 By Rona Barrett
By Rona Barrett | Published on 03.25.2015 11:00 a.m. Here’s a question for you that I’m betting will put a smile on your face: What is the very first song you remember? Got it? Good. See, you’re smiling, aren’t you? How old do you think you were? Was it sung to you, or did you … [Read more...]
Filed Under: Rona Barrett 's Gray Matters Tagged With: Music, rona barrett, Rona Barrett Foundation, Senior Living, “Gray Matters”
A Mindful Way to Be ‘In the Moment’
September 16, 2015 By Rona Barrett
By Rona Barrett | Published on 03.30.2015 1:43 p.m. When your brain acts like a washing machine, whizzing away, ruminating about the past and worrying about the future, what can you do to stop it from spinning out of control? When all the bells, whistles and tweets demand you do this, that … [Read more...]
Filed Under: Rona Barrett 's Gray Matters Tagged With: Mindfulness, rona barrett, Rona Barrett Foundation, Senior Living, “Gray Matters”
All Our Community Is a Stage — So Get Up There!
September 16, 2015 By Rona Barrett
By Rona Barrett | Published on 04.07.2015 2:50 p.m. “If you don’t try it, you’re not going to know.” That’s what Al Pacino said in a recent Charlie Rose interview. The “it” he referred to were the roles he’s played, and is playing, on stage or in the movies. As an actor, … [Read more...]
Filed Under: Rona Barrett 's Gray Matters Tagged With: Community, rona barrett, Rona Barrett Foundation, Senior Living, “Gray Matters”
Old Is Cool, Not Old School
September 16, 2015 By Rona Barrett
By Rona Barrett | Published on 04.22.2015 11:45 a.m. Raise your hand if you know what Throwback Thursday means. About.com tells me — and any of you who didn’t raise your hand — that it’s “the name of a weekly social media posting trend game that users participate in to share and … [Read more...]
Filed Under: Rona Barrett 's Gray Matters Tagged With: Old is Cool, Old School, rona barrett, Rona Barrett Foundation, Senior Living, Throwback Thursday
Family Caregivers Serve as Unsung Heroes on the Homefront
September 16, 2015 By Rona Barrett
By Rona Barrett | Published on 05.05.2015 1:35 p.m. "The greatest casualty is being forgotten." Let’s offer a hearty salute to the Wounded Warrior Project for using this call to action as a catalyst in its 12-year battle to bring out from the shadows a disorder suffered by 15 percent of … [Read more...]
Filed Under: Rona Barrett 's Gray Matters Tagged With: Family Caregivers, rona barrett, Rona Barrett Foundation, Wounded Warrior Project
We Don’t Stop Laughing Because We Grow Old …
September 16, 2015 By Rona Barrett
By Rona Barrett | Published on 05.20.2015 11:27 a.m. … we grow old because we stop laughing. Welcome to spring, a time for birth and mirth. Or, as Robin Williams said, "Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'" That's why I thought now would be a good time to share this … [Read more...]
Filed Under: Rona Barrett 's Gray Matters Tagged With: Laughing, Puns, Quips, Quotes, rona barrett, Rona Barrett Foundation, Senior Living, “Gray Matters”
Caregivers Boot Camp Would Give Our Homefront Warriors a Fighting Chance
September 16, 2015 By Rona Barrett
By Rona Barrett | Published on 06.03.2015 12:45 p.m. You’ve parachuted down onto the frontline of a battle. You’re untrained and on your own. You need supplies, but you don’t know how to access them. Someone in front of you needs medical attention. You're not a doctor nor do you play … [Read more...]
Filed Under: Rona Barrett 's Gray Matters Tagged With: Caregivers, Caregivers Boot Camp, rona barrett, Rona Barrett Foundation, Senior Living, “Gray Matters”
Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It’s Over the Brink I Go — Caregivers Need Respite, Too
September 16, 2015 By Rona Barrett
By Rona Barrett | Published on 06.16.2015 12:00 p.m. So, tell Dr. Rona how you’re feeling. Exhausted? No time to rest? Working full-time? How about life changes? Caregiving your elderly parent in your spare time? Bingo! The average “spare time” we 60-plus caregivers spend caring for our … [Read more...]
Filed Under: Rona Barrett 's Gray Matters Tagged With: Caregivers, Caregiving, Respite for Caregivers, rona barrett, Rona Barrett Foundation, Senior Living, “Gray Matters”
Ding Dong! The Witch Is … Me
September 16, 2015 By Rona Barrett
By Rona Barrett | Published on 07.01.2015 12:30 p.m. All in good time, my pretty, all in good time. Remember when Dorothy faces The Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz? Well, that’s exactly how I felt when I finally got up the courage to ask my boss if I could take a day off. By the way, I … [Read more...]
Filed Under: Rona Barrett 's Gray Matters Tagged With: rona barrett, Rona Barrett Foundation, The Wizard of Oz, Time Off, “Gray Matters”
