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Should Older Seniors Risk Major Surgery? May 25, 2023 by Judith Graham - Nearly one in seven older adults die within a year of undergoing major surgery, according to an important new study that sheds much-needed light on the risks seniors face when having invasive procedures.
A Possible Solution for the Staffing Crisis in Long Term Care May 8, 2023 by Michelle Andrews - When Margarette Nerette arrived in the United States from Haiti, she sought safety and a new start.
Questions to Ask before Major Surgery April 25, 2023 by Judith Graham - Larry McMahon, who turned 80 in December, is weighing whether to undergo a major surgery. Over the past five years, his back pain has intensified. Physical therapy, muscle relaxants and injections aren’t offering relief.
Living with Disabilities April 5, 2023 by Mary Jacobs - Until a few years ago, doctors told Deanna Mann, 85, she was “healthy as a horse.” She lived independently in an apartment and enjoyed playing bridge with friends twice a week. Then one leg suddenly swelled up. The other followed…
Is Dying at Home Becoming the New Normal? March 23, 2023 by Phillip Reese - The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a surge in the proportion of Californians who are dying at home rather than in a hospital or nursing home, accelerating a slow but steady rise that dates back at least two decades.
Friendships Are Good for Your Health March 15, 2023 by Mary Jacobs - As a human resources executive, Carole Leskin traveled around the world and worked with a diverse group of interesting people. She never married and never had children, but life was full. Then a recession ended her career at age 65.…
A Family Grapples with Death February 28, 2023 by Judith Graham - It wasn’t the Thanksgiving holiday any of us had expected. Two weeks before, my 94-year-old father-in-law, Melvin Zax, suffered a stroke after receiving dialysis and was rushed to a hospital near his residence in western New York.
What Happens When Someone Dies without a Will? February 8, 2023 by Mary Jacobs - Years later, the story still haunts attorney Jennifer Cona. A man—in his 70s and in good health—retained her to draw up a will. He wanted to bequeath his sizable estate to his grandson and to a few charities. He did…
Nursing Home Patients Caught in a Squeeze January 25, 2023 by Susan Jaffe - After 11 days in a St. Paul, MN, skilled nursing facility, recuperating from a fall, Paula Christopherson, 97, was told by her insurer that she should return home.
Celebrating Aging January 4, 2023 by Mary Jacobs - After her mother passed away, Jeanette Leardi invited female friends to her home for a special gathering. It wasn’t exactly a memorial service; many attendees never knew her mother. Instead, it was a healing ritual for Leardi. The group lit…
Changing the Way You Think about Aging Can Improve Your Life December 28, 2022 by Judith Graham - People’s beliefs about aging have a profound impact on their health, influencing everything from their memory and sensory perceptions to how well they walk, how fully they recover from disabling illness and how long they live. 
Needed: New Ways to Prepare Older People for Disasters December 8, 2022 by Judith Graham - All kinds of natural disasters—hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, dangerous heat waves—pose substantial risks to older adults.
A Photographer’s Rich Portrait of Aging November 22, 2022 by Judith Graham - What happens when a 70-something professional photographer sets out to record her own body as she ages and the bodies of other, older people, sometimes naked and sometimes not? In this article, Journalist Judith Graham interviews the photographer, Marna Clarke,…
Older People’s Mental Health Undermined by the Pandemic November 2, 2022 by Mary Jacobs - In early 2020, Sarah Crouch started a tally on her cell phone: a list of names of family members and friends who died since the pandemic began. As of July 2022, there were 51 names. About half died due to…
Ageism’s Toll in the Age of COVID October 28, 2022 by Mac Daniel - In a powerful interview, the distinguished scholar and author Margaret Morganroth Gullette exposes ageism’s reach into the highest levels of government and its lethal consequences during the pandemic, She draws on research she has done for her work in progress,…
‘It’s Becoming Too Expensive to Be Alive’ October 19, 2022 by Judith Graham - Economic insecurity is upending the lives of millions of older adults as soaring housing costs and inflation diminish the value of fixed incomes.
The Struggle to Find Home Health Care October 4, 2022 by Judith Graham - Frail older adults are finding it harder than ever to get paid help amid acute staff shortages at home health agencies.
Many Older People Can’t Afford Basic Necessities September 15, 2022 by Judith Graham - Fran Seeley, 81, doesn’t see herself as living on the edge of a financial crisis. But she’s uncomfortably close.
Seasoned Warriors September 6, 2022 by Mary Jacobs - Every Monday morning for nearly a year, Judy Sherry, 82, has called the office of her senator, Roy Blunt (R-Missouri), with the same question: When is he going to get the courage to do something about gun violence? “He’s retiring…
Colorado Passes the First Right-To-Repair Bill for Wheelchairs August 18, 2022 by Markian Hawryluk - Robin Bolduc isn’t the type of person who takes “no” for an answer—particularly when it comes to fixing her husband’s wheelchair.
What Happens When Someone Dies without a Will? - Years later, the story still haunts attorney Jennifer Cona. A man—in his 70s and in good health—retained her to draw up a will. He wanted to bequeath his sizable estate to his grandson and to a few charities. He did…
For the Umpteenth Time: ‘Too Old to Be President’ - Wondering how to respond when people equate a political candidate’s age with their fitness for office? You’ll find plenty of answers in “Biden is now America’s first octogenarian president,” which appeared in Salon. The writer reached out to experts like physician Louise…