Breaking News

Lifestyles

DEAR ANNIE: Caregiving for mom without giving up my life

DEAR ANNIE: My father passed away earlier this year, and afterward my mother and sister moved to be closer to me. Since then, I have tried to help my mother as much as I can. I take her to doctors’ appointments, help with everyday needs and do my best to make sure she is cared for. Recently, my husband had to go out of state for work, and my children and I went with him. My mother came along for a while, but she has decided she wants to return home. My sister, who has special needs, will be going back with her. My mother is in her 70s and, thankfully, is in fairly good health. My ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Bag the tags; ask for names

DEAR HELOISE: Just read an avid reader’s suggestion about employees/staff wearing name tags so that people can know their names. Why not just ask them? It is more personal and shows that you really care. —- Al S., via email DEAR HELOISE I have a suggestion for Alice, in New York, on removing fountain pen ink. I used expensive specialized products with limited success, until my sister told me about Pears soap. She uses it to remove red wine stains from cloth napkins, so I thought it’d be good to get fountain pen ink off my hands. It works great! I buy the gold transparent soap ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Extreme heat leaves older man speechless

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m an 82-year-old man with osteoporosis, a pacemaker and a vegetable garden, which I worked in yesterday for five hours in the extreme heat. I consumed a large bottle of ice water. When I came back into the cool house, I was unable to select or even pronounce the proper words. I felt like my brain’s gears were all in neutral. My wife had me drink a sports electrolyte drink, and I got back to normal in about 15 minutes. Did I damage myself in some way yesterday? — Prof. G ANSWER: The major concern in an older person with confusion after prolonged sun exposure is ...

How to help your children make friends at a new school

For students starting at a new school, the first day holds many questions: Will they see any familiar faces? Who will they sit with at lunch? Who will they play with at recess? “I’m this much nervous,” said Iman Fair-Seldon, 5, holding her hands about 4 inches apart. Iman will start ...

Pills vs shots: The best option for losing weight

Q. What is a good, reliable pill for losing weight? A. The landscape for weight loss has shifted dramatically in the last several years. The buzz around self-injected semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) for Type 2 diabetes and obesity demonstrated a highly effective strategy for weight loss utilizing the GLP-1 agonist pathway. There are now two GLP-1 prescription pills that can help people shed pounds. Wegovy is available as a weekly injection or a daily pill. The oral form of this medication must be taken with 4 ounces of water at least 30 minutes before eating food or drinking other ...