Pilar Hernán

Teenage embarrassment toward parents is generally presented as a normal part of adolescence, driven by peer approval, insecurity, self-consciousness and the development of an independent identity rather than a lack of love. Public displays of affection, infantilising language, embarrassing jokes, discussions of private matters and parental activity on social media can intensify these feelings, especially in socially exposed settings such as schools, sports and online platforms. Parents are advised to respect reasonable boundaries without taking the behaviour personally or turning it into a conflict. Persistent contempt, rejection or efforts to conceal the family may instead signal deeper problems such as excessive control, humiliation, unresolved conflict or family dysfunction.

Psychologist Feliciano Villar advises adults caring for ageing parents to avoid infantilising them or taking control of their lives without consultation. He recommends preserving their autonomy, involving them in decisions, communicating openly with siblings, and sharing caregiving responsibilities rather than assuming daughters should provide most of the care. Villar also discusses the anxiety, silent grief and anticipatory grief that can accompany parental decline, urging families to accept vulnerability, value the time they still have together, and learn from their parents' experiences while planning for their own future care.

Research from Spain suggests that patterns in the gut microbiota may be associated with APOE4, the strongest known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, years before symptoms appear. Lead co-author Carlo Bressa explains that these microbiome changes are not yet reliable diagnostic biomarkers and require larger, longer-term and more diverse studies. Future personalised prevention could potentially involve dietary changes, fibre, prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, exercise, smoking cessation and adequate sleep, but routine gut-based Alzheimer’s risk testing remains premature.

Psychologist and author Juan Antonio López Gómez describes how his grandmother Francisca’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, first revealed when she forgot how to prepare a familiar family meal, introduced him to anticipatory grief during adolescence. He explains how the disease reshaped family life and their relationship, emphasizing presence, touch and emotional connection when memory and language decline. López Gómez also addresses caregiver guilt and exhaustion, arguing that carers need support and self-care rather than impossible perfection. He encourages families to connect with the person who remains, cherish brief moments of recognition and accept fear, sadness and anger as normal parts of the experience.