If you’re age 60 or above, you’ve probably experienced more than one disaster. Earthquakes, wildfires and mudslides are more common in our neck of the woods; hurricanes, ice storms and tornadoes occur in other parts of the country. Wherever you or your loved ones live, a disaster can happen anytime, anywhere, and anyplace to anyone. Older adults can be assets during a disaster, using their experience, good judgment and resilience to help others. However, some older adults, such as those with dementia, are particularly vulnerable during a disaster.Since one in eight people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, there’s a high probability that if you’re involved in a disaster, you’ll likely be in the proximity of an older person with reduced cognitive functioning. Emergency-preparedness experts have begun to recognize the special needs of older adults with dementia following a disaster. Whether your loved one lives in a residential facility, by themselves in a...

Yes, I mean you in front of the TV, you in front of the computer, you sitting in your armchair reading and you whiling away the day playing Sudoku. If the majority of your week is spent with sporadic or no physical activity, you are a couch potato. According to “American Word Origins,” few terms of our generation have an exact date of creation, but “couch potato” is one that does.In 1976, according to its trademark registration, Tom Iacino of Pasadena used the phrase “boob tubers” in a phone conversation when referring to people relaxing in front of the TV. He then substituted the word potato as a synonym for tuber. Picturing where a potato might sit watching the tube, Iacino came up with the term “couch potato,” and the rest is history. Actually, it was Iacino’s friend Bob Armstrong, another member of the “boob tubers,” who drew a cartoon of a potato on a couch, registered the trademark and made money selling couch potato Tshirts, books and newsletters. Goes to show you,...