Optimum Life Blog: November 2011

If you are entertaining guests this holiday season, there is a good chance you will have a person who eats gluten free among them. This can pose quite a dilemma for the cook-as preparing gluten free food is not as easy as it might seem. There are a few reasons for this-first, a gluten free person can become ill by eating a very small amount of gluten and it is easy to cross contaminate food in your kitchen. Second, many foods contain “hidden” gluten, so understanding which foods are safe is a little tricky. Lastly, you will want to make foods that can be enjoyed by all guests.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  With very little commercialism and no religious controversy-it stands as a simple but profound idea-setting aside a day to be grateful. 

There are 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease in the US today. What we read about this condition is largely negative and bad news.  No doubt Alzheimer’s is a devastating diagnosis that slowly robs people of their memory and eventually their ability to function. However, there are many who are doing all they can to LIVE with the disease and make the most of the life they have. Here are some inspirational stories.

At Brookdale Senior Living we have the privilege of partnering with Leeza Gibbons and her Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation. We are committed to the good work her foundation does to support the caregivers of those with memory challenges. Through Leezas Places and the LGMF online resources and blog caregivers have a place to “belong” and “be well”.  But the relationship goes much beyond that, we are bonded by our collective vision and mission to enrich the lives of those we serve.