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I’ll Have What She’s Having—Minus the Internalized Ageism March 21, 2016 by Ashton Applewhite - “There is also something profoundly liberating about aging," Dominique Browning wrote in the New York Times.
If I Lose My Hearing, Will I Also Lose My Memory? March 20, 2016 by Flora Davis - I don’t hear as well as I used to. For the past few years, I’ve had to strain to follow the conversation in a crowded room, and I’ve watched television with the help of closed captions for the hearing-impaired. But…
In Dog Years March 2, 2016 by Pepper Evans - Have you met my dog, Ruffles? At her annual well-dog visit, my vet referred to her as geriatric. Ruffles is almost a decade young, and sure, she is a little grayer and sometimes doesn’t make the leap onto the bed…
The ‘Grandpa in a Nightclub’ Problem February 15, 2016 by Ashton Applewhite - A while ago, Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab ran a piece about the New York Times’ digital branding efforts. It quoted a series of tweets by Max Pfennighaus..
Check This Out February 12, 2016 by Pepper Evans - One day last summer when I was wearing cropped pants and flip flops, I thought my ankles looked swollen. Was I retaining water? Standing too long? Did I need a new pair of shoes? (Let’s hope.) Looking for a quick answer, I…
Time on the Run February 5, 2016 by Flora Davis - The woman sharing the elevator with me looked to be in her 70s. “How can it be the end of the week already,” she asked, “when I feel as if Monday was just yesterday?” I felt the same way—and probably…
Mentors for Med Students February 2, 2016 by Pepper Evans - When my mother was alive, her medical care was spread out among specialists. She had an internist as her go-to, primary doctor, but she had a Rolodex of others to manage specific health issues: dermatologist, podiatrist, cardiologist. At one point…
Having the Talk—Not the One about Sex, the One about Dying January 20, 2016 by Ashton Applewhite - A close friend’s grandfather is dying, though no one knows how close to death he is—perhaps months away. Even his doctor seems clueless, although perhaps he’s just not saying. In any case, he’s not asking. And even if everything were…
Books to Give or Keep December 7, 2015 by Pepper Evans - I am reprising my blog from 2014 with new suggestions for books to give or to keep this season. I have a few I’ve loved and can’t wait to share, and I get unparalleled joy from matching a book to…
How (and When) to Say ‘No’ to Your Doctor December 1, 2015 by Flora Davis - In the 1950s, a doctor convinced my mother he could remove my sinus polyps with a brand-new, painless therapy: radiation. In those days, kids with adolescent acne were also getting radiation treatments. The polyps went away but the therapy was…
Addicted to Tech November 24, 2015 by Pepper Evans - My teens are considered “digital natives,” because they grew up with computers and other tech marvels. I, on the other hand, am considered a “digital immigrant,” because computing is a foreign language to me and people in my age bracket.…
How Do I Get Old Faster? November 23, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - That’s a question that Laura Carstensen, PhD, regularly fields after explaining why older people are happier than younger ones—the basis of the ubiquitous Happiness U-curve. I didn’t really believe the curve existed until I understood why. Carstensen, a psychologist and the founding…
I Shopped, I Dropped November 15, 2015 by Pepper Evans - Not too long ago my daughter needed some retail therapy. She works part time, had just gotten paid, and she could hear the stores calling her. The mall was the last place I wanted to be on the weekend, but…
What’s Missing from Marc Freedman’s Plan to Make the Most of Longer Lives? November 8, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - Growing old isn’t new. What’s new is how many people routinely do it. The institutions around us were created when lives were shorter, and the culture hasn’t had time to catch up. The way we respond to this demographic shift…
Coming Up Short October 22, 2015 by Pepper Evans - Can you talk about your finances without feeling uncomfortable? Let's face it: some topics are still off limits, even among the closest friends. I'm going to talk about income disparity, even if it IS the last taboo. I am on…
The Case for Cars That Don’t Need Drivers October 20, 2015 by Flora Davis - I seldom go out at night, not because I’m such a homebody (though I am) but because my night vision is poor, and I can’t drive after dark. That definitely puts a crimp in my social life. Someday I’ll have…
Want Older People to Be Healthy? End Ageism October 19, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - There’s a lot of disagreement around how to frame the last century’s unprecedented increase in human lifespan. Is it a crisis or an opportunity? Will a “grey tsunami” of incapacitated freeloaders sweep us off our feet, or will we tap…
Good Scents October 12, 2015 by Pepper Evans - As I get older, I find it harder to get a good night’s sleep. I know I function better on seven (or more) hours of uninterrupted sleep, but it’s elusive. Night sweats wake me or the furry friends purr too…
Skin Hunger October 7, 2015 by Flora Davis - Many years ago an anthropologist I interviewed suggested that older Americans probably experience something called “skin hunger”—the need to be touched more often. Once their children are grown and gone, and especially if they live alone, they crave physical contact…
So I Dyed My Hair White September 28, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - I’m the incredibly square and lazy woman who has never colored her hair. I inherited my mother’s no-gray-hair gene, and except on my right temple, my hair is brown. For an anti-ageism activist, though, that’s kind of a liability, because…
Dementia: A Diagnosis Too Often Delayed - Last year, a bank officer phoned Kelli Brown’s brother with a concern: a lot of money was going out of their 87-year-old father’s bank account. Their father, a retired accountant, lived alone in Cincinnati. He seemed to be functioning well…
The Pooled Income Trust - By the time my parents were in their mid-80s, they had gone through their savings and were living off Social Security. My mom received around $1,700 per month and my dad, who often worked as an independent contractor, received around…