Francie Stavish & Associates

06/15/2026

"If you’re over 70 and starting exercise for the first time, you’ll quickly realize that not all workouts are suitable for you.

Some routines online are too challenging, while others are focused on getting big, bulging muscles. It’d be understandable if your goals might be more about staying mobile enough to get your groceries in from the car unaided."

Check out more about "A longevity-focused physical therapist says these are the five exercises you need to be doing as a senior to build strength and maintain independence."

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And you only need to do them once a week

06/08/2026

"Last month, the HHS outlined plans to prevent what it called the “overmedicalisation” of mental health by curbing “psychiatric overprescribing”.

Kennedy said he was taking “clear and decisive action to confront our nation’s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications – especially among children”.

A department letter to providers encouraged them to reduce antidepressant use for treating depression, and instead consider “evidence-based non-pharmacological interventions”, including diet changes, social interaction, psychotherapy and exercise."

Continue to read this article on "RFK has a radical new health policy – which could have consequences for millions."

Trump’s controversial health secretary is known for inaccurate and sometimes dangerous claims about modern medicine

06/02/2026

"Dementia affects millions of people worldwide, presenting profound challenges to individuals, families and health care systems. While we often associate cognitive decline with older age, the underlying changes in the brain actually begin during midlife. Subtle shifts can emerge decades before any clinical symptoms appear. Because these changes start early, we have a critical window of opportunity to take action and support our brain health long before memory issues become apparent."

Continue to read this article on "These Hobbies Could Lower Your Alzheimer’s Risk, New Study Suggests."

And it’s not just brain games and word puzzles.

05/27/2026

Francie Stavish & Associates, LLC takes pride in telling seniors and their children that they are not alone. We live for easing the burden of downsizing and supporting family members in transition following the death of a parent. Empathy, management of personal affairs, and expert organizational skills are baked into our DNA, which shines through our service delivery approach in the following categories:

● Decluttering and Downsizing
● Estate Clean Outs
● Supporting Bereaved Families

Service includes a complimentary one-hour consultation to establish your needs and how we will address them.
DOWNSIZING & DECLUTTERING

Downsizing is difficult. Your home connects you to the past and present, and moving somewhere new presents a future of some uncertainty. For many seniors, these changes are painful to confront, but Francie is with you every step of the way by providing the following peace-of-mind services:

Preparing Your Home for Sale

Creating a timeline for the move

Sorting through, organizing and shredding paperwork

Searching drawers, closets, cabinets, books, clothing pockets, etc., for misplaced, hidden, or overlooked valuables

Engaging interior designers for floor and space planning
Redirecting mail, cancelling services like subscriptions,
memberships, cable, phone and utilities
Properly disposing of hazardous household products
Recommending third party services such as elder law attorneys, appraisers, estate sale companies, auction houses, realtors, trades people, and moving companies to facilitate the sale of your home

Facilitating Moving Day

Supervising the packing of the

Directing movers on placement of furniture

Assisting with unpacking and organization of the kitchen, living room, bedrooms, bathrooms, and even helping you decide where to hang pictures

Schedule Your Free One-Hour Consultation
847-498-6910

05/18/2026

"The Trump administration is reportedly weighing a policy that would make private Medicare Advantage (MA) the default enrollment option for every new Medicare beneficiary. Officials are billing it as a technocratic nudge toward better, more coordinated care. If that were truly the goal, payment models already lowering costs through the coordination of care could be more aggressively expanded in traditional Medicare. Instead, MA auto-enrollment is a stealth effort to privatize Medicare by making for-profit insurance the path of least resistance for millions of seniors who never asked for it."

Learn more by reading the entire article on "Auto-enrollment in Medicare Advantage isn’t a nudge. It’s a trap."

I research health policy for the Center for American Progress. Auto-enrollment is privatization by inertia.

05/11/2026

"SPRINGFIELD — In March, April and May of this year, 3,500 Massachusetts residents aged 60 to 65 are being cut off from the SNAP food assistance program due to new work requirements and other restrictions.

That’s about half the total number of people in the Commonwealth expected to be cut off from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, said Caitlin Hodgkins, policy director and subcommittee staff director of the House Committee on Rules for U.S. Rep, James P. McGovern, D-Worcester."

Continue to read this article on "Not just an issue for old people: Trump domestic policy bill challenges elder care."

SPRINGFIELD — In March, April and May of this year, 3,500 Massachusetts residents aged 60 to 65 are being cut off from the SNAP food assistance program due to new work requirements and other restrictions. That’s about half the total number of people in the Commonwealth expected to be cut off fro...

05/04/2026

"Some commonly used medications have been linked to memory issues and severe forgetfulness."

Learn more by reading the entire article on "7 Common Medications That Can Ca

Seniors taking three or more drugs with cognitive side effects face higher risks of confusion and memory loss.

04/27/2026

"Some brains resist Alzheimer's, even when the disease is already present. Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have found that this likely depends on how specific brain cells, known as immature neurons, respond to damage caused by the disease. These insights are helping scientists unravel the mystery of cognitive resilience in aging."

Continue to read this article on "Not all Alzheimer's leads to dementia: The mystery of cognitive resilience."

Some brains resist Alzheimer's, even when the disease is already present. Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have found that this likely depends on how specific brain cells, known as immature neurons, respond to damage caused by the disease. These insights are helping scientis...

04/20/2026

"People who garden tend to do better across measures of mood, health, and thinking – a pattern shown in a broad analysis.

The analysis recasts a familiar hobby as a habit that may support healthier aging on several fronts at once. The research was led by Masashi Soga at the University of Tokyo."

Read more about "Gardening linked to better brain health and fewer memory problems."

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People who garden tend to have better mood, memory, and health. New research shows this simple habit may support brain health as we age.

04/13/2026

"New research led by the University of California, Riverside, suggests Alzheimer’s disease may not be driven solely by plaque buildup in the brain, as widely believed. Instead, it may result from one protein disrupting the normal function of another."

Continue to read this article on "New Study Challenges Alzheimer’s Theories: It’s Not Just About Plaques."

A new study challenges the long-standing view that Alzheimer’s is driven primarily by amyloid plaques, instead pointing to a subtle but critical competition inside neurons.