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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: For Great Social and Brain Stimulation, Send Your Loved One Back to Class — Aug 31, 2011
What feels better than accomplishing something, meeting new (and eventually familiar) faces, and learning something new? Not much. And you can help your loved one achieve t...
Tip: Six Must-Do Basics for Elder Foot Care — Aug 31, 2011
The lowly feet are often neglected even by well-meaning caregivers, and yet foot health matters hugely to your loved one. Feet that aren't well cared for can introduce infe...
Tip: How to Make Better Decisions as a Caregiver — Aug 31, 2011
One of the difficult parts of eldercare is that most of us have little training or experience with it. So we're terrified of making the wrong move or wrong decision that wi...
Tip: How to Find an Elder Companion — Aug 31, 2011
It's not enough to keep your loved one safe. Health and well-being depend on strong social interactions, too. How can you avoid having your loved one be shut in alone a...
Tip: How a Simple Toilet Seat Can Prolong Independence — Aug 31, 2011
Small changes can reap big differences. The height of a commode, for example, is something most of us seldom think about. But for someone with mobility issues, switching to...
Tip: How to Clean Urine From Bedding — Aug 30, 2011
What's the best way to get out the smell and germs when your loved one has an episode of incontinence? Try this: To wash bedding: Strip the bed of sheets and mattr...
How to Find Time for Yourself — Aug 30, 2011
Without "me" time, a caregiver can burn out. But with all that's on your plate, how can you find 10 or 15 or 30 minutes just to yourself? Start by scheduling it into your p...
Tip: How to Lower an Older Adult's Heating and Cooling Bills — Aug 30, 2011
Many older adults simply pay their energy bills as they always have, and when they can't pay, family members make up the difference. But many programs are designed to give ...
Tip: How to Turn Around Negative Thinking — Aug 30, 2011
Negative thoughts have a way of sending emotions spiraling downward. Here's a way to catch and reorient yourself when you find yourself saying, "Nothing is going right. . ....
6 Kinds of Alzheimer's Tests: Pros and Cons — Aug 15, 2011
First, the bad news: No single test can tell with certainty if someone has Alzheimer's disease. If that surprises you, you're not alone. Almost half of adults surveyed in f...