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Where’s the Fire (Extinguisher)? August 1, 2018 by Pepper Evans - Some 40 million fire extinguishers sold between 1973 and 2017 were recently recalled, prompting me to check not only mine but those in homes where I am helping people live independently. In almost every case, the fire extinguisher was affected…
Is It Just Human Nature to Dread Aging? July 26, 2018 by Flora Davis - Is ageism inevitable? Is it just plain human to dread old age—and to disparage older people? That’s the conclusion writer Tad Friend comes to in a New Yorker article called “Why Ageism Never Gets Old.” Friend’s article deftly describes how…
When Things Aren’t What They Seem July 20, 2018 by Maggie Sullivan - One day at the Alzheimer’s day program he attended, Herman suddenly got up and left the room. As he charged down the hall and out the front door, Wendy, the program’s director, ran after him calling, “Herman, stop!” She caught…
If the Shoe Fits June 22, 2018 by Pepper Evans - Many years ago I worked for a sarcastic boss with a wicked sense of humor. He loved to tease, and even when I was the target, I found him funny. Once, noticing that I had small feet, he said it…
Going Steady Later in Life June 15, 2018 by Flora Davis - I see them in my retirement community all the time: couples who are almost always together. There’s an easy intimacy between them—sometimes they hold hands or he drapes an arm over her shoulders.
The Workplace Needs #MeTooAgainstAgeism June 7, 2018 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - The #MeToo movement is mainly about work situations, and so it should be. Being treated like a skirt—or a headless skirt, depending upon the level of vileness—by a male boss or peer can ruin a workplace...even a life.
The Beauty Industry Is Shifting from Anti-Aging to Anti-Anti-Aging. So What? June 6, 2018 by Ashton Applewhite - The New York Times Magazine opens every Sunday with an essay about what a given word or phrase reveals about the moment. On September 17, 2017, the word was “anti-aging.” The line at the top of the print version read,…
Books to Give or Keep in 2017 December 6, 2017 by Pepper Evans - Friends all know I’m an avid reader, and it’s that time of year when they ask me to recommend books for holiday gift lists. I primarily seek out new fiction, but I enjoy deviating for an interesting memoir. Each of…
Emotional Contagion Is a Mixed Bag December 1, 2017 by Flora Davis - In 2008, my husband fell backward down a flight of stairs and suffered a brain injury. When I brought him home from rehab three months later, he was childlike and often confused. He sank into a deep depression—and I caught…
Not Your Mother’s Genes? November 15, 2017 by Pepper Evans - I once had a discussion with a friend, who is a geneticist, about his research. Perhaps a bit tongue-in-cheek, I suggested that he rethink his current cell experiments and instead study someone healthy—like me.
Dementia in Films: Getting It Wrong November 8, 2017 by Maggie Sullivan - Fiona, a woman in her 70s living with Alzheimer’s disease, announces to her husband, Grant, “We are at that stage.” She means the point at which she belongs in a nursing home. Her husband, like almost all family caregivers, finds…
If Aging Is So Awful, How Come No One Wants to Be Younger? October 18, 2017 by Ashton Applewhite - You hear people say “I wish I were young again” all the time. Yet I’ve never met anyone who would actually choose to move their game piece back on the board.
Ageist Trolls on Social Media and in the New Yorker Too October 4, 2017 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - The Internet is notorious for commenters who feel grossly entitled to dismiss vulnerable others. This past summer, Harvard University hit hard against racist and sexist speech on Facebook, rescinding admissions to some potential first-year students.
Dementia in Films: Getting It Right September 14, 2017 by Maggie Sullivan - I loved the novel Still Alice because it was an accurate portrayal of Alzheimer’s disease. And the movie Still Alice got it right too.
My Car Still Needs Me August 30, 2017 by Flora Davis - For years, I loved the idea of a self-driving car. I could hardly wait until they were available because so many friends my age (over 80) had been forced to give up driving. I didn’t want to be next. Most…
Lying to Mom? August 14, 2017 by Pepper Evans - A few years ago, a New York Times New Old Age blog had me thinking about my mother's later-life driving. The blog is about lying to an older person, ostensibly for his or her own good. In one tale, a grown daughter sabotages her mother's driver's license renewal to avoid confrontation over concerns about waning driving skills.
Let’s Get Intergenerational! August 4, 2017 by Ashton Applewhite - A century ago, Americans didn’t need programs to connect the generations: homes and communities housed people of all ages. But as people started living longer and moving into cities, we started thinking differently about those at both ends of the…- Helping Hands, Joined Online July 21, 2017 by Pepper Evans - When you’re coping with the needs of someone who is hospitalized or convalescing, you may wish you could clone yourself to handle everything on your plate. Take heart—a website can become your personal assistant.
What a Living Will Can—and Can’t—Do for You July 18, 2017 by Flora Davis - My friend Anne taught me some important things about dying. Anne had congestive heart failure. In January 2012 her cardiologist told her regretfully that she probably wouldn’t live past the end of the month, so she went home to set…
Green Old Age July 7, 2017 by Flora Davis - A friend of mine recently questioned something she read on this website that presented what she called “a depressing view of aging.”
Know Your Numbers - Every year, millions of older adults roll up their sleeves for an annual physical. Blood is drawn, a cuff tightens around the arm, and a stethoscope taps against the chest. A few days later, a patient portal pings with test…
Dementia: The Numbers Are Climbing but the Risk Is Not - I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it: dementia rates are dropping. There are more cases because there are more older people as a percentage of the population, and age is the biggest risk factor. But your risk is lower…