Women have been put through the ringer for centuries. Yet, they have always risen to the challenge, coming out stronger each time. Collectively through history, women have gained ground, winning the vote, publishing books, raising families. Today, women are becoming powerful leaders and professionals who can pursue any dream - CEOs, Prime Ministers and Chancellors, Congresswomen, therapists, designers, managers, entreprenuers etc. At Golden Horizons, we are primarily run by women. We were founded by a woman, we are headed by a mother-daughter team, our office staff is all women, and our field team has many women (Here we insert a big thank you to all the men on our team as well. You are greatly valued.) We are proud to be professional women. But, with great power comes great responsibility, and with both can come great stress. 

We have a fantastic resource here in "4 Ways Women Can Manage Work-Life Stress Like a BOSS and Get On to Living Their Amazing Life (Part 1)". Lauren Drago is a licensed psychotherapist with a practice, in Old Saybrook, CT, geared toward women. In her article, she shows us how we can reduce our stress using the easy to follow acronym, original to Lauren Drago: 
- B - Be aware of your needs.
- O - Open up about them.
- S - Share the load.
- S - Say your strengths and successes.
Remembering this can help you in every day situations to destress and know you, as a woman, have this. Click on the title above to read Lauren's full article. We highly recommend it.

Some of the interesting topics discussed in the Senior Spirit edition from the Society of Certified Senior Advisors:

• 10 Top American Vacation Destinations for Older Adults
  
• Stay Fit to Slash Dementia Risk
• Look Who Is Turning 65
  

Click/Tap on Image to Read More.

The American Psychological Association reveals that as our golden loved ones approach the end of their lives they, their families and care givers face tasks that include a broad array of choices or major decisions. Tasks include psychological, spiritual, legal, existential and preliminary medical. A dying person can be faced with choices about what kind of caregiver help they need at home or away from home in a facility.

All end-of-life medical decision choices have complex psychological ramifications and consequences that have an impact on the quality of the living of whom are dying. Each of these decisions should be discussed in terms of a value for the individual dying. Stress comes in when the system of medical care has its own primary values that does not coincide with the values of that person. Therefore, treatment or care possibilities by health care providers may overlook the dying person's wishes. Alzheimer's or other dementia plays a huge role it the misunderstanding of treatment plans. It can be a stressful situation. To aid in this dilemma, there is help. If you, your loved ones or the care giver are feeling stressed, get support from family, friends and these important resources bulleted here:

• Call the 24/7 ALZ.ORG Helpline: 800.272.3900
  
• Locate a support group in your community
  
• Visit the message board of alz.org  

In 2015, 10% of fatal crashes were distraction affected. The National Safety Council estimates that cell phone use alone accounted for 27% of the car crashes. American Automobile Association studies indicate driver distraction is responsible for more than 58% of teen crashes. Traffic expects classify distraction in 3 main categories:

1. Manual (hands off the wheel)
2. Visual (eyes off the road)
3. Cognitive (wandering mind and stress related)
   

NHTSA leads the fight nationally against distracted driving by educating Americans about its dangers and partnering law enforcement to help keep it safe out there. The NHTSA has stepped up running campaigns and public service announcements regarding this 'grave' situation. Manual, visual and cognitive distractions are no laughing matter.

One of the highlights comes during April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month advertising campaign with a law enforcement crackdown called "U Drive. U Text. U Pay." Texting is the most alarming distraction. According to NHTSA sending or reading a text even "LOL" takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. They make a strong point... At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of a football field with ones eyes closed.

April 2018: Betty F. Six months ago, we received a call from a contact about a lovely woman looking for some work as a companion or homemaker. When we called the woman referred to us, we had no idea about the fantastic addition to the Golden Horizons team we would be getting. In her short time with us, Betty has proven an invaluable asset. Her punctuality and mastery of the telephony system demonstrates her commitment to her work, her clients and our company. She is a excellent caregiver and a 
pleasure to work with. Thank you for all you do, Betty.