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The Upside and Downside of Being Owned by a Cat September 10, 2024 by Flora Davis - I love my cat, but until now, I hadn’t thought of her as a way to stay healthy. In fact, when I first brought Velvet—a small, feisty black kitty—home, I thought of her as a dog substitute. My beloved dog…
Good News That’s Also Disappointing August 28, 2024 by Marc Blesoff - The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a report titled “Aging in the United States: A Strategic Framework for a National Plan on Aging.” The report outlines steps to create a national effort to foster positive…
100 Feet August 20, 2024 by Howard Gensler - When you’re caring for someone in their late 90s, you can become fairly familiar with the local emergency room. One night while I was out, Mom fell by her front door. She pushed herself about 15 feet on her back…
What Do You Say to Someone with Dementia? August 6, 2024 by Maggie Sullivan - I got a call from my neighbor Marion. “I need to talk to you. My friend Jean was just diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I want to visit her, but I don’t know what to say to her. What do you say…
Could the Key to Successful Aging Be Yodels and Beer? July 30, 2024 by Anastasia Canell - If you had asked my 96-year-old grandfather, “What is the key to successful aging?” he would probably have said, “Yodels and beer.” He was never one to pass up a chocolatey dessert, and he loved a cold lager. The term…
The Parade of Aides July 16, 2024 by Howard Gensler - Working as a caregiver for a friend or family member is a rewarding but stressful job. When my mom qualified for an aide (thanks to the pooled income trust and Medicaid), it gave me a break during the day to…
What’s Your Biological Age? July 10, 2024 by Flora Davis - I used to feel young for my age (89). At times, I felt almost guilty about that as I passed other residents in the hallways of our retirement community, walking fast because I was always late and because walking fast…
‘Othering’ Other People June 25, 2024 by Marc Blesoff - My friend Jack called me a few weeks ago to share an experience. He’d been at a public meeting at the library, seated at a table with three forward-facing chairs. He was sitting in the chair on the left, a…
It’s about Competence, Not Age June 21, 2024 by Ashton Applewhite - [In February], a gratuitous swipe ramped up the ongoing discussion about Biden’s age to a fevered pitch. When the Department of Justice declined to prosecute the President for his handling of classified documents, the special counsel went on to call Biden…
Retirement as Identity Crisis June 19, 2024 by Flora Davis - My sister taught in elementary schools for most of her adult life. She was in her 50s when she was laid off by the private school where she’d worked for years—an involuntary retirement. She was terribly upset. “Teaching isn’t what…
An Unusual Friendship May 29, 2024 by Anastasia Canell - I was sitting in my college dorm room, looking out the window as fluffy snow slowly fell from the sky. Snow in Baltimore was a pleasant surprise, a well-needed respite from my busy sophomore-year course load. I was interrupted when…
What a Waste May 23, 2024 by Ashton Applewhite - The luxury skin-care firm Estée Lauder just announced a partnership with the Stanford Center on Longevity. According to the press release, the goal of this new “longevity expert collective” is to “reframe the conversation from anti-aging to visible age reversal.” Let’s…
The Pooled Income Trust May 15, 2024 by Howard Gensler - 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…
I No Longer Speak the Language May 9, 2024 by Flora Davis - I’m feeling old, incompetent and frustrated. Over the past few days, my devices all failed me. The TV wouldn’t stream, my cell phone wouldn’t text, the printer refused to print, my tablet failed to download an Audible book I’d bought…
Mom’s Hip and My Road to Becoming a Caregiver April 25, 2024 by Howard Gensler - When your parents reach a certain age, or a particular physical or mental state that makes it harder for them to live independently, there are difficult decisions to be made: assisted living, nursing home, home health aide, move in with…
Grandma-Sitting April 18, 2024 by Anastasia Canell - Group text message thread of five teenage girls: Hey, would anyone want to come over tonight to hangout? My parents bought Cosmic Brownies and we can rent a movie from Blockbuster. I’m in! What time? I can come over after…
What Size Is Your Pill Case? April 9, 2024 by Pepper Evans - I have been committed to leading a healthier lifestyle, which has led me to purchase smaller clothes. However, I did buy my weekly pill case in a larger size, as the cubbies that held my daily vitamins no longer accommodate…
Ageism Shortens Lives—New Studies Confirm It March 26, 2024 by Ashton Applewhite - “Ageism, and an older person’s perception of aging, may hold the keys to a longer life.” That’s the first sentence of “Why age bias has real world health effects,” just published by the Association of Health Care Journalists, which supports excellence…
To Drive or Not to Drive March 19, 2024 by Flora Davis - Back when my husband was in his 70s, he kept having fender benders. He was losing his eyesight, and I knew he should stop driving, but he refused. After each minor accident, he rationalized that it could have happened to…
At the Heart of Good Care March 12, 2024 by Maggie Sullivan - This is the last in a series of five blogs about nursing home care. My old friend Billy called me recently to ask: “What the hell is ‘person-centered care’ supposed to mean? I toured three nursing homes and each of…
A Hidden Epidemic Threatens Older Adults: Malnutrition - For most of her life, Jenny Anne Horst-Martz’s mother worked hard to stay slender. But now, at age 90, her mother struggles to keep enough weight on. The problem started a few years ago when her mother was injured in…
The Parade of Aides - Working as a caregiver for a friend or family member is a rewarding but stressful job. When my mom qualified for an aide (thanks to the pooled income trust and Medicaid), it gave me a break during the day to…