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The Home Care Revolution: Are Robots the Answer? April 4, 2017 by Barbara Peters Smith - If you are 55 years old, you could wake up 30 years from now to the warm, affectionate voice of your personal care robot, asking what you would like for breakfast and why you slept for only 5.8 hours last night instead of your usual 7.3.
They’re Old, They’re Sick—and They’re Homeless April 4, 2017 by Margot Kushel - On any given night in the United States, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, over half a million people are without a home. That number may have decreased nationwide in the past few years, but California remains on the forefront of the problem, accounting for 20 percent of the country’s homeless in 2014.
Membership Medicine: When the Doctor Is Always In April 4, 2017 by Leigh Ann Hubbard - Adina Cook’s teenage son was skateboarding one evening. He tried to jump 10 concrete stairs and landed smack-dab on his shoulder. Instead of rushing him to the emergency room, Cook, 52, called the family’s doctor, Tracy Ragland, who met them…
Is Medical Marijuana Good Medicine for Older Adults? It’s Complicated April 4, 2017 by Liz Seegert - After Jane broke her ankle, walking even short distances was a painful challenge. The 63-year-old had been an avid hiker and gardener and was stifled by her limited mobility. To make matters worse, she couldn’t tolerate the side effects of prescription painkillers.
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.
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.
At the Mercy of Strangers March 28, 2017 by Wendy Lustbader - In a culture that values independence above all, many are terrified of growing dependent on the care of others. What could bring dignity and even meaning to the frailty we may face at the ends of our lives?
Want to Live in a Great Place? Find an Age-Friendly City—or Town March 28, 2017 by Leigh Ann Hubbard - Among other things, an age-friendly community is walkable and safe, with opportunities for older people to find a job or volunteer, and to connect with others.
It Takes a Village to Age in Place March 28, 2017 by Robert Miskimon and Flora Davis - When Janet Swenson enrolled her 87-year-old mother in Lincoln Park Village, a Chicago organization for older people, she was delighted with the results. Suddenly, her mother had help with household maintenance, someone to call for transportation or to find a…
Tim Carpenter: Retirement Can Unleash Creativity March 28, 2017 by Leigh Ann Hubbard - When you’re talking to Tim Carpenter about how he envisions the future of old age, at some point it strikes you: he’s talking about older people as … people. They’re not “seniors.” They’re not “the 62-and-older crowd.” They’re not … other.
Katherine Freund: Imagining a Time When Older People Won’t Need to Drive March 28, 2017 by Leigh Ann Hubbard - Her knees aren’t great. She uses a cane. She doesn’t walk as quickly as she used to. And the nearest bus stop is a couple of miles away. She promised her kids she wouldn’t drive. So what now?
Three-Generation Households: Are They History? March 27, 2017 by Flora Davis - Nestled within the American psyche is a nostalgic image of a three-generation household: an older couple sitting by the fire with grandchildren playing about their feet while the children’s parents look on fondly. Yet in the 21st century, so few…
How to Keep Parents Safe and Respect Their Independence March 23, 2017 by Lisa Esposito - Your parent prizes his or her independence and insists on living at home, alone. However, you see signs of vulnerability and a precarious situation with the potential for falls and injury, poor nutrition and your parent becoming neglected or housebound. You want to help, but you live at a distance and don't know where to start.
We Age in Bursts - In his early 40s, Vinny Minchillo noticed he needed to work harder in the gym just to maintain his usual level of strength. Then, when he turned 60 a few years ago, he noticed a big change in flexibility. “I…
On the Unsung Pleasures of Very Long Friendships - I made my first real friend when I was 11 and she was 12. Marsha moved in on the block. Soon after, her mother saw my mother in the backyard and said she had a daughter about my age. My…