The Possibilities Even Where Our Darkest Fears Reside March 18, 2021 - My new talk, “Still Kicking—Confronting Ageism and Ableism in the Pandemic’s Wake,” debuted earlier this week at n4a, the national conference of Area Agencies on Aging—to rave reviews, yay! Here’s a look at some of the ground it covers: Remember…
Guilt: The Dark Shadow of Responsibility March 10, 2021 - A couple of years ago, at a meeting of an Alzheimer’s caregivers’ support group I lead, one topic dominated. Doris, who is caring for her mother, began: “My mother trails me around the house all day long! So, every afternoon…
Why Biden Won: The Missing Reason February 19, 2021 - The 2020 presidential election took place at arguably the most anxious time in the nation’s history, at least as threatening as the Civil War, the flu epidemic of 1918–1919, or the distant world wars.
The Memories That Escape Me February 17, 2021 - The other day, I took my cat to the vet. When we were done, I needed some prescription cat food from the practice’s pharmacy, and the vet’s assistant offered to collect it and meet me at my car. But then…
Just a Code, No Secret Handshake Required February 9, 2021 - The global pandemic in 2020 brought many changes to our way of life. Over the summer in some places, when it was moderately safe enough for us to leave our homes—masked up, travel-size hand sanitizer at the ready—many of us…
Age Justice Requires Disability Justice—and Vice Versa February 5, 2021 - A terrific special section of the New York Times [in July 2020] was devoted to the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act. There is no mention of age or ageism. It would be convenient to…
Facing Mask Realities January 22, 2021 - Most of us have accepted the new normal of mask-wearing to help curb the spread of COVID-19. The benefits, sketchy at first, are now widely accepted, and masks are mandated apparel in more places than not. I jumped on the…
What Was the Silent Generation Silent About? January 15, 2021 - I’ve never much liked the fact that I’m part of the Silent Generation. Sandwiched as we are between the heroes of the Greatest Generation and the rebellious, idealistic Baby Boomers, we silents sound so boring. And when I stopped to…
Discrimination Is Intersectional. Activism Can Be Too January 9, 2021 - … What 2020 brought home for me was that being anti-ageist means supporting every movement for equal rights. It’s a big ask, but we cannot dismantle ageism without dismantling ableism, and racism, and sexism and all the rest, because these systems reinforce…
How Old Would You Want to Be in Heaven? January 8, 2021 - Many religious faiths propose different versions of heaven as a location: there are walled gardens with streams, flowers, pleasing scents, pretty angels, rapturous music or delicious, accessible food.
Age Justice Requires Disability Justice—and Vice Versa December 22, 2020 - A terrific special section of the New York Times [in July] was devoted to the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act. There is no mention of age or ageism. It would be convenient to attribute…
Books to Give or Keep, 2020 December 2, 2020 - A year like no other, 2020 had many of us finding our way to the reading chair to escape the stress of the lockdowns and the fear brought on by the news. While fate played a cruel trick on me…
Forest Bathing November 20, 2020 - The house where I grew up had miles of woods behind it, and my brother and I spent a lot of time walking the paths there or hiding in the brush, pretending to be early settlers or Indians. Those woods…
How Testing Sells People with Dementia Short November 17, 2020 - Jane and Henry went to the memory center for a diagnostic workup because Jane had been having increasing problems with her memory. She underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests, and a week later they returned to meet with the diagnostic…
Breonna Taylor Did Not Get to Grow Old November 4, 2020 - Breonna Taylor, a Black EMT, was murdered in her bed at 26 years old. Michael Brown was 18. Tamir Rice was 12. Why am I writing about these young victims of police brutality in a [blog] about ageism? Because systemic…
Real Doctors, Virtual Visits October 29, 2020 - I recently deliberated about making an appointment for a routine colonoscopy. Not only are we in the middle of a pandemic, I had to change gastroenterologists, and I just wasn’t sure what to do. My primary care provider insisted there…
The Benefit I Earned October 22, 2020 - I was thinking the other day about how thrilled I was, shortly after I turned 65, when I signed up for Social Security. It was a watershed moment, and my husband took me out for lunch to celebrate. I was…
Being Old Is Not a Death Sentence, Even Now October 20, 2020 - Contrary to popular opinion, no one living in a nursing home needs to die of COVID-19.
Hire a Shopper September 25, 2020 - My college-age daughter is home. With orders to shelter in place, she lost her campus job and her restaurant job, and few opportunities were available when she arrived back in town. So she gamely decided to be an Instacart shopper.…
We’re All Old People in Training, Whether We Know It Yet or Not, Part 2 September 16, 2020 - In a world increasingly segregated by race and class as well as by age, reaching over those divisions to acknowledge the one path we’ll all travel is a radical act.
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