DR. WALLACE: My mother is out of control! She has started drinking iced coffee this summer, and she's gone so far as to fill up ice cube trays with coffee so that she has coffee ice cubes in her iced coffee!

Now she's doing the same thing with our morning orange juice, any lemonade we drink, and even with any soft drinks or flavored water we drink. Is this safe? I think it makes us look crazy when one of my friends visits our house and sees all of our "decorator ice cubes" on full display. — An Embarrassed Daughter, via email

AN EMBARRASSED DAUGHTER: I personally don't see any problem with it, and I actually think it's a great idea. In fact, I thought enough of her custom ice cubes to include your letter in this week's set of columns, so feel free to direct your mother to any newspaper or website our column appears in!

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO HELP HER?

DR. WALLACE: My grandmother has many difficult health issues, and I've read that she can survive longer and recover better or sooner if she keeps a positive attitude. Is this true? If so, how can I help her? I love her so much; she's been great to me my whole life. — Her Granddaughter, via email

HER GRANDDAUGHTER: Indeed, positive thinking and a good attitude can help us in many aspects of our daily lives, even trying to recover from illnesses and health challenges.

Of course, there are still the underlying medical issues that should be dealt with directly and professionally, but around that core care, keeping the spirits up of the patient and engaging the patient to enjoy daily life is a very important factor as well.

Therefore, I suggest you engage her in a cheerful but realistic way and let her know daily how you feel about her. Spend time with her when you can and ask her to recount some of her favorite memories. You'll be able to learn a lot of great family history, and I trust she'll enjoy telling you stories from her past that she feels passionate about. Also, obtain her favorite foods for her, to the degree that they are medically approved for her condition, and be sure that she enjoys not only her meals but good camaraderie at mealtime.

Finally, let her know that when she feels a bit better, you'd like to take her somewhere special that the two of you would enjoy. Having something to look forward to provides a goal and a motivational factor that can help some patients in certain conditions as they battle ongoing health issues. Our readers and I wish you and her the very best for her speedy recovery.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Ethan Sykes at Unsplash