Notes from Youville: On Creativity and Health

Seniors can take advantage of many health benefits related to a connection to creativity, and it’s never too late to get in touch with your inner muse. If you’ve stayed away from the arts in earlier life, you may be ripe with material just waiting for its

In 2007, Lonnie Sue Johnson’s life was turned upside down by illness. A rare form of viral encephalitis struck without any warning, wiping out her memory and ability to speak. After months of slow progress, Lonnie Sue asked for a pen and paper. She had been an artist all of her life, and her doctors and family discovered that in spite of severe cognitive impairment limiting her speech, she was still able to draw.   Lonnie Sue’s story is exceptional, but it can be seen as a parable of the healing power of art. Creative expression, in its various forms, can foster healing and self-renewal in people from all walks of life. Whether you draw, sing, paint, sculpt, write poems or dance, chances are that your creative passion will bring you not …

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Notes from Youville

Notes from Youville: Facing up to Vision Loss

Joanne Parsons, president and CEO of Youville Assisted Living, provides a brief overview of common visual ailments affecting seniors today.

  When was your last eye exam? If it’s been so long that you can’t remember, now might be a good time to call your ophthalmologist–– especially if you are over 60. Today, over 7 million seniors suffer from decreasing vision. Over the next few decades, that tally is expected to double as the senior population increases.  Research is still making important discoveries about the causes of vision loss.  Some conditions, like cataracts, now have surgical cures that work for almost everyone. Others, like macular degeneration, have less effective treatments and the root causes are still unclear. The following is a brief overview of common visual ailments affecting seniors today: Age-related macular degeneration: This is the most common type of …

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