Dear Annie: I enjoy reading your column in the Indianapolis Star. Today, I read the column, “How Do I Tell My Kids Our Dog Died?” I believe you were right on target when you wrote that one should avoid saying that the pets just went to sleep. After that suggestion, though, I think your ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you elaborate on “long COVID”? Specifically, do people experiencing long COVID carry the virus for an extended period? Are they contagious during long COVID, or does the term refer to lingering symptoms but not necessarily testing positive? -- S.E. ANSWER: People with ...

Dear Annie: I have a child with a woman who is 20 years younger than me. Having a child was not planned. I’m grateful for our child, but I’m not in love with her mother. I’ve tried to explain to her that I love her for the mother she is but that I’m not in love with her. She found ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: Recently, in the middle of all the news about the newly circulating delta COVID-19 variant, a friend of mine flew to Mexico with her husband and teenage daughter for a five-day resort vacation. After she returned, she went to an outdoor concert with a group of friends, and the ...

Dear Annie: My mother died at the age of 67 from COVID-19 in January. My stepfather wanted to wait a year to have the memorial so everyone could attend. Since my mother’s death, my stepfather has remarried. Yup, remarried. And now his new wife has moved into the house. My stepfather is now ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: My friend is taking care of his 89-year-old mother. She has been drooling for the past two years or so. I read that aging causes muscles used for swallowing to become weaker and causes dysphagia, which in turn causes drooling. Is this true? -- G.P. ANSWER: Drooling in older ...