Johns Hopkins Health Alerts has just released a new free special report on memory loss and aging to help answer two common concerns as we live longer than ever before:

• Does memory loss signal the onset of Alzheimer's disease, or another form of dementia?

• How can you protect your memory well into your later years?

Forgetfulness is one of the most common complaints of middle age and beyond. You're in the middle of a conversation about a book when you realize that you can't remember the title or the author's name. You start to introduce your best friend to an acquaintance and suddenly can't remember either name. You find yourself standing in front of the refrigerator wondering exactly why you opened the door.

The difference between normal memory loss that increases with age–known clinically as age-associated memory impairment–and serious dementia such as Alzheimer's disease is that the former is frustrating, but NOT disabling.

In "The Johns Hopkins Guide to Memory Loss and Aging," The Johns Hopkins Memory Bulletin editors explain the complex science behind human memory, and how age-related memory loss occurs, in clear, plain English.

The good news is that most memory loss has nothing to do with Alzheimer's disease. Nearly all of us take more time to learn and recall information as we age. This occurs because as we get older, the transmission of nerve impulses across cell membranes (synapses) in the brain inevitably slows down.

For more information, visit johnshopkinshealthalerts.com

Aging services provider Ecumen, one of the country's largest non-profit senior housing companies, has released its newest whitepaper describing how churches are preparing for the age wave and expanding their ministry by developing congregational housing that promotes successful aging.

"A New Wrinkle on Aging - Congregational Senior Housing", written by Elder Magazine journalist Kay Harvey, articulates the story of the congregation of First Lutheran Church in Sandpoint, Idaho, who, when gazing at the open land and mountain view at their place of worship, envisioned housing and care for the senior members of their church and community.

One of Ecumen's first steps in the senior housing development process is to conduct a preliminary market study and pre-development plan. Through Ecumen's careful pre-development research and planning, First Lutheran Church of Sandpoint saw their vision evolve from a restrictive nursing home model, to a full scale catered-living community, complete with independent living, full assisted living services, memory care, multi-generational activities, and easy access to both community and church events.

For more information, visit ecumen.org

Elder care expert Esther Koch, founder of Encore Management, will speak at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on Thursday February 28th as part of a three-person panel on the topic "Mom is Moving In: The Rewards, The Concerns, and The Realities". Esther Koch's last Commonwealth Club appearance, "What You Need to Know Before You're 65", was SOLD OUT.

Koch and two other top geriatric care managers, all with extensive personal and professional experience, share the ins and outs of when to move a parent in with you and when to look for other options. They will show you how to save yourself lots of time, money and heartache by thinking through the action before you step into what could be a significant life change for yourself and your family.

For more information, visit tickets.commonwealth.org or encoremgmt.com

Celebrate Aging?! That's an oxymoron to most people. Yet, Gail McConnon's approach to aging is that of a celebration. She is a Professional Aging Coach whose company, Celebrate Aging Ltd., helps the adult children of aging parents clear out the old baggage that interferes with their truly connecting with their parents at a time when those connections are most needed.

"Aging" and "Old" have long been considered negatives in our society. Despite some shifts in attitude, the second half of life is still believed by many to be a time of illness, slowing down, loss of independence and loss of value. These images are so strongly internalized in the American culture, that it's no wonder mid-life adults who are also adult children of aging parents feel a double whammy.

Gail understands what mid-life adults who have aging parents are going through, because she was one of them. Gail passed life's halfway point while serving as her mother's primary caregiver for the last 6 years of her mother's life. That experience inspired the work she does today.

For more information, visit celebrateaging.com