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Playbook for Later Life April 20, 2018 by Mary Jacobs - In July, 2017, Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel rocked the sports world with a stunning announcement: he was retiring from pro football, at the top of his game, at age 26. Urschel, once dubbed “the NFL’s smartest man,” will…
Aging Boomers May Need a Little Help from Their Friends March 11, 2018 by Lois Collins - Family members already form an invisible work force that cares for America's frail elders. But changes in policy and family structure—from later-life divorce to smaller families—suggest that friends and extended family will play even more important roles as caregivers in coming years.
Martha Holstein: Feminism and the Future of Aging March 8, 2018 by Leigh Ann Hubbard - Conventional wisdom doesn’t mean much to Martha Holstein, PhD. “I never set out to be a devil’s advocate,” she says. She just happened to be one. “I always saw the opposite of what other people saw.”
Boomerang Seniors—They’re Moving to Be Near Mom or Dad March 7, 2018 by Sharon Jayson - Like many peers in their 70s, Lois and Richard Jones of Media, PA, sold their home and downsized, opting for an apartment in a nearby senior living community they had come to know well. For 13 years, they have visited Lois’ mother, Madge Wertzberger, there.
Marc Agronin: There’s Power in Growing Old January 21, 2018 by Leigh Ann Hubbard - Marc Agronin, MD, knows old age—as much as a 51-year-old could anyway. In particular, he knows difficult old age.
Save on Health Care at the Playground January 20, 2018 by Mary Jacobs - When Ronni Bennett discovered elder playgrounds online a few years ago, she immediately fell in love with the concept.
Medical Tourism: Are Local Doctors Always the Best Choice? January 18, 2018 by Mary Jacobs - Patients travel from around the United States and the world to see Richard Guyer, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon at the Texas Back Institute in Plano, TX, because he is a recognized, widely published expert in disc-replacement surgery. But when…
Faster Aging through Space Travel January 11, 2018 by Elizabeth Payne - When Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield returned to Earth after nearly five months in space in 2013, he described his physical state as “tottering around like an old man.”
How to Deal with Your Digital Afterlife January 10, 2018 by Mary Jacobs - Sara Ivey, 63, calls it one of the few gifts of cancer: time to plan. When her husband, Jerald Sluder, was diagnosed with advanced melanoma, the Dallas couple had time to organize his affairs before his death in December 2016…
Grandpa Gets Around…Using Uber April 4, 2017 by Mary Jacobs - When Kerri Couillard founded Babierge, she expected the business would mostly attract young families who were traveling. The Albuquerque-based fledgling company connects people who need baby gear for a few days with those who have equipment to rent. Couillard was…
It’s Never Too Late to Exercise—but Starting by Midlife Is Best April 4, 2017 by Leigh Ann Hubbard - Harrison Caldwell had a good excuse for not being athletic: one of his legs was about a quarter inch shorter than the other, thanks to a childhood bout with polio. Plus, his feet were so flat that the Army turned…
Can Your Cherished Possessions Shorten Your Life? March 28, 2017 by Dana DiFilippo - In a corner of Sarah’s living room, a decades-old phonograph sits ignored. Sarah doesn’t use it anymore, doesn’t even know if it still works. Only the housekeeper pays any attention to it, or to the dozens of records stacked nearby,…
What to Do If You’re Not the Athlete You Once Were March 28, 2017 by Leigh Ann Hubbard - At 55 years old, Heidi Christensen relishes the chance to defy stereotypes. “You didn’t just get passed by an old person,” she says of the 20- and 30-somethings she zooms by on bike paths. “You got passed by an old…
Loneliness Can Lead to Health Problems March 28, 2017 by Holly C. Corbett - Wednesday mornings are all about spending time with friends over coffee and eggs for Frank Colvin, 66, of Warwick, NY. The former teacher has breakfast with about 25 men from his retirement community, at a trading-post-turned-restaurant called the Country Dream,…
Nursing Home Residents Risk Abuse—by Other Residents March 28, 2017 by Barbara Peters Smith - The horrific possibility that their loved one has been abused in a nursing home can dawn on family members after the appearance of an unexplained cut or bruise.
Their Lifelong Savings Could Be at Risk March 28, 2017 by Pamela Yip - Barbara Macari’s husband, Frank, always handled the investments in the family. Then one day, Frank, a real estate broker, gave his wife the shock of her life.
The Struggle over Medical Decisions at the End of Life March 28, 2017 by Paula Spencer Scott - When retired professor Jeffrey Butler suffered a stroke at age 79, the prevailing concept of “the best medicine” kicked in to save him. He survived, though unable to complete full sentences. During stroke rehab, he developed a painful intestinal hernia. To qualify for the surgery recommended to repair it, a cardiac exam was ordered. When it showed a slow heartbeat, a pacemaker was urged.
Vulnerable LGBT Elders Are Going Back into the Closet March 28, 2017 by Ellen Rand - Lawrence Johnson and Alexandre Rheume were an interracial couple who had been together 38 years until Rheume—22 years older than Johnson—needed professional care as his health declined.
When There’s Big News about Health, Should You Believe It? March 28, 2017 by Leigh Ann Hubbard - To be fair, at first glance, it did sound like a huge story.
“Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cases Skyrocket,” proclaimed the press-release headline in July of 2016. New cases of an incurable form of prostate cancer rose a whopping 72 percent from 2004 to 2013...
Death Cafes Are All about Life March 28, 2017 by Leigh Ann Hubbard - Death comes to all. But heaven forbid it be mentioned.
Certainly not over tea and cake.