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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.
Your Medicare Drug Plan Can Hike Its Prices Almost Anytime August 3, 2022 by Susan Jaffe - Something strange happened between the time Linda Griffith signed up for a new Medicare prescription drug plan during last fall’s enrollment period and when she tried to fill her first prescription in January.
Villages: Boutique Options for Aging in Place July 28, 2022 by Judith Graham - Twenty years ago, a group of pioneering older adults in Boston created an innovative organization for people committed to aging in place
Apps Can Open Up a World of Possibilities for Older Adults July 6, 2022 by Mary Jacobs - John Brandt is still on good terms with his ex-mother-in-law—so good that he gave her an iPad for Christmas last year, along with a promise to provide tech support. The learning curve turned out to be a bit steep. At…
Retooling the Nation’s First Long Term Care Insurance Program June 29, 2022 by Michelle Andrews - Patricia Keys, 71 and a stroke survivor, needs help with many everyday activities, such as dressing and bathing. Her daughter Christina, who lives near her mom in Vancouver, WA, cares for her in the evenings and pays about $3,000 a month for help from other caregivers.
Advance Care Planning for Guns June 7, 2022 by Judith Graham - Kerri Raissian didn’t know what to do about her father’s guns when he died of COVID-19 in December at age 86 and left her executor of his estate.
Top Experts Question the Value of Advance Care Planning May 24, 2022 by Judith Graham - For decades, Americans have been urged to fill out documents specifying their end-of-life wishes before becoming terminally ill—living wills, do-not-resuscitate orders and other written materials expressing treatment preferences.
Smashing Stereotypes on Social Media May 11, 2022 by Mary Jacobs - When she retired 15 years ago, Tzipporah “Zippy” Sandler was floundering and unsure what was next. Then a tech-savvy friend suggested she start a blog and even offered to build it for her. “I didn’t even know what a blog…
How to Preplan Your Own Funeral - When Amy Martin’s mother-in-law died last year at the age of 96, the funeral arrangements were easy. Her mother-in-law had discussed her wishes with her two adult children. 
Is the Term ‘Senior Abuse Prevention’ Ageist? - I hardly ever cross-post questions from my Yo, Is This Ageist blog. I’m making an exception because the question below occasioned such a meaty discussion during this week’s Old School’s Office Hours meetup. It also helped me understand why the phrase…