Commentary
October 5, 2021
Giving Up My Office 2020 began with a major life transition for me. My beloved mother had just passed away. At nearly 98 years old she was a vital, curious person who engaged friends and activities from an apartment in New York City not far from my office. […]
September 1, 2021
Disconnecting From Technology One Day Each Week Unplugging one day a week. Our day of rest. With technology available at our fingertips 24 hours a day, the boundaries have become blurred in our lives between work and rest. This can lead us to feel distracted all the time, […]
August 2, 2021
Mental Health and the Olympics “Suck It Up” is an unkind, unempathetic, and wrong message to send when it comes to mental health. With the spotlight shining so brightly on Simone Biles this week, the world is becoming ever more aware of the incredible mental and emotional stress […]
July 5, 2021
As some of you know, my father, Jerry Atkins, at the age of 74, died after living with Alzheimer’s Disease for 13 years. A passionate music lover with an extensive record collection, he sang, danced, played the drums, and always had a song in his heart and on his lips. […]
June 3, 2021
Each of us experienced COVID-19 in our own unique way. We have an opportunity to create our new normal which can reflect a healthy and balanced way of thinking about the multiple aspects of our lives. Our increased numbers in vaccinations across America are allowing us to emerge from our […]
May 11, 2021
As have many of you, I have had the experience of attending ZOOM memorials for people who have died. Some of these on-line gatherings were graveside funerals while others occurred weeks, months, or as in the case of my mother, a year after the person’s death. These memorial tributes, organized […]
April 6, 2021
T.S. Elliot wrote that April is the cruelest month. Many people may be inclined to agree with him, especially this year. What a year we’ve experienced individually and collectively. We’re exiting the 2nd winter of COVID-19, this one with vaccinations opening up to more and more people, yet, once again, […]
March 10, 2021
We have long realized that patients with long-term illnesses such as cancer or Alzheimer’s Disease go through phases of inevitable decline that require the medical team to continually adapt treatment to meet their changing needs. Through my work with caregivers who oversee the daily care of family members with such […]
February 17, 2021
In commemoration of Random Acts of Kindness Day, Amanda and I am proud to announce the release of our audio book on Audible. The Kindness Advantage: Cultivating Compassionate and Connected Children by Dr. Dale Atkins & Amanda Salzhauer, MSW, is a practical guide for parents to teach kids empathy, to […]
February 9, 2021
I get it. Unless you are Batman, Darth Vader, Spiderman, The Lone Ranger, or Zorro, or you are trick-or-treating at Halloween, or attending a fancy masked ball, you probably do not like wearing a mask. Safe to say NOBODY LIKES WEARING A MASK. But, like crosswalks and stop signs, we […]