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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

Tip: How to Defuse Difficult Conversations — Aug 31, 2011
Nervous about bringing up a difficult conversation with a loved one? Giving up the car keys, using incontinence products, making advance health care plans, and considering ...
Tip: A Surprising Key to Losing Weight — Aug 31, 2011
Experiencing "the caregiver 10" (or 20)? That's the catchphrase for those pesky extra pounds often brought on by the stress and relative inactivity of home care. But here'...
Tip: Help for Hoarders — Aug 31, 2011
Does your loved one hang on tight to possessions -- more, perhaps, than fit in your living space? Whether he or she is a hoarder or just someone who clings to stuff, here's...
Tip: Don't Panic Over High Blood Pressure Spikes — Aug 31, 2011
You take your loved one to the doctor, and the finding is abnormally high blood pressure -- despite the fact that he or she is already being treated for hypertension. Is bl...
Tip: Use a Phone Tree to Do the Talking — Aug 31, 2011
Keeping others informed can be a time-consuming task for primary caregivers, especially during a crisis. Sometimes an old-fashioned solution is simplest and works best. In ...
Tip: How to Avoid Losing Time Running Errands for Others — Aug 31, 2011
Managing your own life is hard enough. Running errands -- picking up prescriptions, shopping, and driving to hair appointments -- for someone else consumes even more precio...
Tip: Three Words to Get Your Loved One Talking — Aug 31, 2011
Through wonderful conversations with loved ones, you can learn things you might not have known and build new cherished memories. Trouble is, many older adults balk at broad...
Tip: Add Cushions to Make Rising From a Chair Easier — Aug 31, 2011
Helping a frail older adult out of a chair is fraught with the potential to do more harm than good. Bending over to lift a heavyset person can hurt your back, and you also ...
Tip: How to Avoid Refighting Old Sibling Battles — Aug 31, 2011
In a family crisis, siblings' old childhood roles often re-surface -- at least in terms of how we view one another: the lazy one, the chronic complainer, Mom's favorite. So...
Tip: Consider Claiming Your Parent as a Dependent on Taxes — Aug 31, 2011
One way to save money on your taxes as a caregiver is to count your live-in parent or other family member as a dependent. The exemption can add up to significant savings on...