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Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow May 23, 2023 by Pepper Evans - The change was subtle enough that I didn’t notice it at first. My hair scrunchies were slipping off my ponytail, and I began to see more hair in the drain after a shower and in my brush. Next, I look…
Everyone in a Nursing Home Deserves a Single Room May 19, 2023 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - This hard-hitting essay was first published on March 15, 2023, in the Boston Globe. It’s re-posted here with the author’s permission. This concerns all of us. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many residents of nursing facilities died…
It’s Not Because You’re Aging May 17, 2023 by Flora Davis - Once you reach a certain age, it’s hard not to blame your problems on aging. Even when you know better. That’s what happened with a seemingly trivial difficulty I had the other day. That morning, when I picked up my…
When the Balance Tips May 3, 2023 by Maggie Sullivan - Thud! Lydia had fallen again. Every time Sylvia left the room, her sister got up to follow her. If Sylvia went to fix dinner, Lydia, who has Alzheimer’s disease and vertigo, would try to tag along but forget to use…
So This Is My Life Now? April 19, 2023 by Pepper Evans - After decades of being underinsured and, luckily, remarkably healthy, it had been quite some time since I participated in regular health care. I signed up for Medicare on turning 65 and found a new primary care provider. Thinking long term,…
For the Umpteenth Time: ‘Too Old to Be President’ April 11, 2023 by Ashton Applewhite - Wondering how to respond when people equate a political candidate’s age with their fitness for office? You’ll find plenty of answers in “Biden is now America’s first octogenarian president,” which appeared in Salon. The writer reached out to experts like physician Louise…
Daylight Saving Forever? March 7, 2023 by Flora Davis - Daylight saving time will begin on March 12, and I’m not looking forward to it. Every year after we lose that hour of sleep, I feel groggy for days. Now that I’m in my 80s, it hits me harder than…
I Think Aging with Intention Saved My Life March 3, 2023 by Marc Blesoff - We have a Berkey water filter in our kitchen, and it seems to be empty whenever I’m thirsty, so I’m used to filling it back up. It takes three full blender pitchers to fill it, and it’s just one of…
Gallows Humor February 14, 2023 by Flora Davis - I live in a retirement community, and when somebody turns 90 here, we like to celebrate. A few months ago, a friend had a 90th birthday party that made me envious. I’m just 88, but I announced that I too…
‘Ravages of Age,’ Really? That Phrase Has Got to Go February 3, 2023 by Ashton Applewhite - [Last October] the New York Times Magazine opened with an essay by Elizabeth Nelson about whether we’re missing out on [something] when elite athletes—Roger Federer and Serena Williams in this case—retire from their sports. This sentence in the first paragraph made me…
Never Too Late for a Good Shave January 26, 2023 by Marc Blesoff - Last week I noticed that I was running really low on shaving cream and I made a mental note to buy some more. That reminded me of when and how I bought the almost-empty tube in the first place. It…
How Dry Eye Am January 20, 2023 by Flora Davis - I’ve just spent a couple of hours on my computer, and the words on my screen are beginning to blur. I have something called dry eye disease (DED), as do quite a few of my friends. Sixteen million Americans have…
Why Are Nursing Homes So Depressing? January 17, 2023 by Maggie Sullivan - Parents beg their children, and spouses entreat each other, “Promise you’ll never put me in a nursing home!” It’s a promise hard to refuse and harder to keep. Newcomers to the Alzheimer’s caregiver support groups I lead often will make…
Can You Afford to Die? January 10, 2023 by Pepper Evans - My two sisters, two brothers and I knew our mother’s condition was terminal. Together with her, we gathered to have a painful conversation about her final wishes. Grieving for a loved one is acutely hard enough; the last thing anyone…
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: It’s a Thing. It Shouldn’t Have to Be December 21, 2022 by Ashton Applewhite - World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which was launched in 2006, falls on June 15. That happens to be my mother’s birthday, which I find darkly amusing and which probably has something to do with my ambivalence around the event. It’s…
Ageism: A Public Health Issue December 13, 2022 by Marc Blesoff - Smoking cigarettes causes cancer. Secondhand smoke does too. Most people read this and think, “Duh. Everybody knows that.” It wasn’t that long ago when people smoked cigarettes on airplanes. Do you remember when the people sitting at the table next…
Books to Give or Keep, 2022 December 1, 2022 by Pepper Evans - Silver Century regularly recommends books—fiction, nonfiction, memoirs—that reflect our mission through a positive portrayal of aging or that offer insight from thought leaders in the field. Here are some of our favorites for holiday giving or to save for the…
Can’t See the Stars During the Daytime November 11, 2022 by Marc Blesoff - I just finished reading a really good book, entitled Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long & Well You Live (2022), by Becca Levy, PhD. I recommend it. It is about Levy’s groundbreaking research at…
Memory Hacks November 8, 2022 by Flora Davis - When I was young, I could memorize epic poems with ease and recite the Gettysburg Address years after I learned it in school. I seldom forgot the names of books I’d read, the films I’d seen or who starred in…
Is Old Age Overrated? October 14, 2022 by Flora Davis - Yes, that’s a joke. It has to be, in a culture where most people expect the worst of their later years. But that wasn’t me. I launched myself into my 70s and 80s with gusto. Lately, though, I’ve been wondering…
How to Navigate Our Fragmented Medical System - For three years, Lil Banchero’s 86-year-old mother struggled with pain due to advanced arthritis. She tried yoga. Doctors prescribed medications and tried injections. Nothing worked. The pain got worse, and her mother became depressed. “Months passed,” said Banchero. “Nobody was…
‘Othering’ Other People - 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…