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Paula Spencer Scott, Senior Health Writer

Paula Spencer Scott is the author of Surviving Alzheimer's: Practical Tips and Soul-Saving Wisdom for Caregivers and much of the Alzheimer's and caregiving content on Caring.com.

Scott has specialized in women's life-stage concerns (baby care, family care, self-care, elder care) from her first job as an editor at 50 Plus Magazine through stints as a Woman's Day columnist and coauthor of health books with doctors at Harvard, UCLA, Duke, and Arizona State. She's a 2011 Met Life Foundation Journalists in Aging fellow, awarded by the Gerontological Society of America and New American Media, and completed a National Press Foundation's Alzheimer's Disease 2012 fellowship.

In the late 2000s, she lost both her parents, in their 80s, to cancer; her father also had dementia and stroke. "In short order during that phase," she says, "I experienced just about everything that's on this site, from dealing with their illnesses to selling the family home and moving Dad, plus advance directives, end-of-life planning, hospice, death -- and stress."

Follow her on Twitter @PSpencerScott.

Recently Published on Caring.com

5 Signs of Alzheimer's That Sometimes Show up Before Memory Loss — Jun 23, 2011
Memory loss is the symptom everybody worried about Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia seems to focus on. After all, it's distressing -- and increasingly obvious...
TIP: How to Cope With the Uncertainties of Severe-Stage Alzheimer's — May 11, 2011
It's said that "what we don't know is what kills us" -- that is, the stress of facing the unknown. The uncertainty of this phase of dementia care can be unbelievably taxing...
TIP: Bring the Outdoors in for Someone With Dementia — May 11, 2011
Are the bed and/or chair where your loved one spends most of the day near a window? If not, consider a move. Making this small change can bring a big boost to someone who h...
TIP: What Severe-Stage Dementia Caregivers Need to Do to Rediscover Themselves — May 11, 2011
Deep into a dementia caregiving journey, most caregivers have seen many parts of their pre-sickness lives chipped away. This can happen almost without your realizing it. T...
3 Creative Ways to Get a Loved One to Accept Help — May 10, 2011
Is your loved one resistant to having any kind of help from "outsiders" (often, anyone who isn't you)? Sometimes the person you're trying to help can be your biggest impedi...
9 Ways to Soothe Someone With Dementia Who Wants to Go Home — Apr 12, 2011
"I want to go home!" This common expression can be painful -- and mystifying -- to hear from an aging loved one who's already home, whether in a longtime residence or a new...
What to Know About Memory Disorder Centers — Mar 03, 2011
Memory disorder centers, or memory clinics, specialize in Alzheimer's disease and other dementias as well as in other neurological disorders. Some of the best are connected...
Signs of Unsafe Driving in Someone With Dementia — Mar 03, 2011
The question of when to give up the keys is an emotional minefield, but being aware of the dangers at the earliest stages of dementia might help you intervene early enough ...
Tip: Practice Makes Perfect When Facing a Tough Talk — Mar 02, 2011
Whether the topic is as serious as incontinence or as simply annoying as TV watching habits, nobody relishes a difficult conversation with an older adult in their care. Reh...
Tip: Telephone Reassurance Programs Offer Social-Emotional Help — Mar 02, 2011
For older adults who can manage pretty well independently but are left alone for long periods (and for their caregivers who worry about them), thoughtful check-ins can be a...