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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

7 Keys to Growing Old in Your Own Home — Dec 12, 2011
Want to live in your home for the rest of your life? Boost your odds by "future-proofing" now. Older adults who are most likely to remain in their homes have successfully a...
7 Signs Santa Has Alzheimer's — Dec 09, 2011
Doctors know well that the holidays bring an upturn in families noticing worrisome signs of memory loss in older adults. No disrespect to Santa intended, but Jolly Old St. ...
Power Struggles and Dementia — Sep 27, 2011
Power struggles are contests of will between two parties. They can escalate quickly when one of the parties is a stubborn loved one with dementia who's impervious to logic ...
Caregivers' Top 10 Pet Peeves — Sep 27, 2011
How annoyed are we? Let us count the ways! Caregivers are surrounded by potential irritants. The good news: Thinking about them and talking about them actually helps you le...
How to React Safely to a Dementia Sufferer's Sudden Meltdown — Sep 27, 2011
"He just blew up at me!" "She threw a tantrum and lost it!" When someone with dementia seems to turn angry or aggressive in an instant -- shouting, becoming upset, pushing ...
Be a Pain Detective: 3 Wordless Ways Pain Is Expressed — Sep 27, 2011
By moderate-stage dementia, caregivers have to become pain detectives. That's because memory loss and other thinking changes can make it hard for someone with the disease t...
3 Surprising Fire Hazards in the Home of Someone With Dementia — Sep 27, 2011
Fire safety is basic whether you have dementia or not -- but cognitive changes can raise the risk of certain types of dangers. Like these: Gas stove burners Because gas s...
3 Questions That Can Help You Avoid Emotional Eating — Sep 27, 2011
Remember the "freshman 15" linked to college students? Beware the "caregiver 20" -- or 25, or 30 -- extra pounds that can quietly accumulate when caregiver stress manifests...
How to Share Bad News With Someone Who Has Dementia — Sep 27, 2011
Should you tell someone with dementia that a relative or friend has died? It's ultimately your call, but most dementia-care experts recommend in favor of being truthful. It...
5 Solutions for Mealtime Problems Common to Those With Dementia — Sep 27, 2011
If meals are a source of tension rather than pleasure when dining with someone who has dementia, you might have to rethink the way the food is presented and served. Small c...