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What Will It Take to End Ageism? Part 1 June 10, 2019 by Ashton Applewhite - Most Americans aren’t optimistic about getting older and think the source of the problem is aging itself. So do most policy wonks: they frame population aging as a set of choices about how to care for an avalanche of “frail…
Going It Alone in a Job Much Too Big for One Person May 7, 2019 by Maggie Sullivan - When people develop dementia in the United States, we rely on their families to take care of them. And a family member, most often a spouse or a daughter, almost always does step up. Then, as a culture, we appear…
A Homemade Superstition April 26, 2019 by Flora Davis - I recently turned 84, and I’m not happy about it. It’s not that I mind being old. My problem is that my dad died when he was 84, and it’s in the back of my mind that I might too.…
Living Longer with a Pet April 18, 2019 by Pepper Evans - We bought a puppy when the girls were small, and she was the perfect dog for us. I didn’t think I’d get another dog after she died. I wanted to be able to come and go worry-free. But as the…
Shared Stigma, Separate Silos, Part 2 April 3, 2019 by Ashton Applewhite - In my last post, I wrote about the regrettable tendency to act as though older people and people with disabilities form two separate groups. When groups within companies don’t share information or knowledge, it’s called a “silo mentality.” It reduces efficiency…
Ramping Up: The Problem That Went Deeper Than We Knew March 18, 2019 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - Last year, it finally became obvious that we needed ramps at our summer cabin on Sawdy Pond. The architectural part was straightforward, but it turned out we needed self-examination and conviction to solve a deeper problem. The acres we own…
The Pros and Cons of Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids March 13, 2019 by Flora Davis - Many years ago, my husband invented his own hearing aid. Mike was totally deaf on one side—the best hearing device in the world wouldn’t have helped his right ear.
Reading by the Numbers March 8, 2019 by Pepper Evans - I’m off to the family reunion this weekend, and along with the burgers and dogs, I’ll be bringing my list of books to share with the cousins. The reunion has been going strong for many years—so long that I’m no…
It May Be Time to Question the Pills You Take February 21, 2019 by Flora Davis - I realized the other day that I’m taking fewer and fewer pills. For years, I’ve swallowed a handful of capsules and tablets every night. Most of them are over-the-counter drugs or supplements, intended to keep me from developing heart trouble, cancer or some other disease.
Shared Stigma, Separate Silos, Part 1 February 18, 2019 by Ashton Applewhite - People with disabilities come in all ages, and almost all of us encounter some change in physical or mental capacity as we grow old. Yet, as I wrote in an earlier blog, “We act as though old people never become disabled and…
Dementia: The Greatest Caregiving Challenge of All February 13, 2019 by Maggie Sullivan - A man in one of the Alzheimer’s caregiver support groups I lead wrote the following in a note to me: We caregivers come into this job ignorant and unprepared but we accept the load thrust upon us. There is no training course but we try to do our best. 
Organizing Your Documents, Part 1: In Case of Emergency January 18, 2019 by Pepper Evans - When I’m not working for the Silver Century Foundation, I help families with care management solutions. Most often, this involves meeting with an older person and a family member to coordinate resources that help my client continue to live independently.…
Is Ageism Ever Funny? January 15, 2019 by Flora Davis - How should I react when comedians on TV, or organizations I respect, make appallingly ageist jokes? I’m 83, so the joke’s on me. Should I object? I’ve been a fan of Saturday Night Live practically since the program first aired,…
How Much Do People with Dementia Understand? December 27, 2018 by Maggie Sullivan - In the small crowd at the Alzheimer’s fundraiser, I spotted Frederick, who attended one of the support groups I lead. I went over to say hello. He was with his wife, whom I had not met before.
He Wants the Law to Change His Age December 5, 2018 by Flora Davis - A 69-year-old man has petitioned the courts in the Netherlands for the right to say he’s 20 years younger than his actual age: he wants his birth certificate altered to show that he was born in 1949 rather than 1969.…
Books to Give or to Keep, 2018 December 3, 2018 by Pepper Evans - I am an unapologetic bookworm, and it’s that time of year when I’m asked to recommend books for gift lists. My first love is fiction, but I enjoy deviating for an interesting memoir or something new in nonfiction. Each of…
Becoming an Informed Patient November 24, 2018 by Pepper Evans - My health care provider admonishes me for my excess weight and lack of exercise, but my lab results have been no cause for alarm. So I was taken aback when she called after my last exam...
The Future of Words November 20, 2018 by Flora Davis - As an editor, I have to pay close attention to the way words keep evolving. I hate some recent changes but I love others. First of all, there’s the way so many words these days begin their lives as friends,…
Less Ageism = Less Dementia. It’s That Clear November 13, 2018 by Ashton Applewhite - What affliction do Americans fear most? Alzheimer’s disease. I’m one of them, but facts comfort me. Abundant new data shows that our fears are way out of proportion to the threat—and that those fears themselves put us at risk.
Out with the Old October 27, 2018 by Pepper Evans - I was recently given a generous monetary gift to splurge on something that made me happy. After much deliberation, I decided to refresh the long-ignored state of my domicile, to make it a sanctuary for me and the new chapter…
Time, Fast and Slow - When she graduated in 1996, Amy Forbus’ four years at Hendrix College felt like a miniature lifetime. College had been the biggest undertaking of her life thus far. But when she returned to the same liberal arts school in Arkansas…
Tough Break - My long-time friend of over three decades is an avid exerciser and has been as long as I have known her. She has a gym membership (maybe two) and attends classes daily. Her reasoning was not to look good in…