Dr. Patrick Arbore

End of Life Care Issues and Challenges for Caregivers: Support Aging Loved Ones in Life and Death

There’s a Buddhist saying that suggests: pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Every single one of us on this road of life will experience pain. We experience physical pain, emotional pain, and perhaps even spiritual pain—and our pain is a natural and generous teacher of life’s ups and downs. But we spend a lot more energy resisting it than we do allowing for the experiences and the discoveries within it. Our resistance and avoidance are what lead to suffering as we become cut off from our real experience of life, the light and the dark.

How to Help an Elderly Person with Depression: Tips for Family Caregivers

Kendra could tell that her father was suffering. He’d dropped several pounds in the last few months, never changed out of his robe, and kept canceling their weekly lunch date at his favorite fish and chips restaurant. His once infectious energy and zest for life had all but disappeared, and she no longer recognized the man who stood before her.

Granny's Got a Gun: How to Prevent Senior Suicide

Earlier this month, we celebrated Grandparents Day, which took place on Sept. 10. That date also marked the beginning of National Suicide Prevention Week. If these events seem unrelated, brace yourself for bad news.

Presence by the Christmas Tree: Help Fight Bay Area Seniors’ Holiday Loneliness

There’s a magic alchemy to the holiday season, some kind of diffuse miracle that transforms the darkest, longest, and coldest nights of the year into some of the warmest and happiest. That miracle, that warmth, is the thrill of being surrounded by the people we love and the friendly goodwill abundant on the bustling city streets.

Sex, Love, and Aging at Home: Dating for Older Adults

We’ve seen a spike in stories about sex in nursing homes over the last few years—and they always have titillating headlines, almost designed to induce a giggle, as if the thought of romance and intimacy post-retirement was something out of a corny 80s sitcom.

Grief and Loss for Professional Caregivers: Facing Death and Sorrow as Part of Work

There aren’t many professions where you develop a deep, emotional, and truly personal bond with a client, to the point where they no longer seem like a client, but more like a friend. There are still fewer professions where you develop that bond near the end of your client’s life. This professional-personal connection is part of life for a professional caregiver for older adults. Professional caregivers enter into someone’s life, help them through what could be their worst moments, interact with family members, and possibly spend more time with someone facing their final days than anyone else. And when they die, your job is over, and it is time to move on.

Physician-Assisted Death: What California's New PAD Laws Means for Older Adults

The legend of Prometheus is — as most ancient legends are — somewhat confusing. We all know the basic story, that Prometheus stole fire from the gods and was punished for doing so, but one little detail that’s often forgotten is why he stole the fire: he did so to give it to mankind. As a god, Prometheus had given undue knowledge and power to mortals, and for that, he was chained to a mountain to be tormented for eternity.