Flora Davis has written scores of magazine articles and is the author of five nonfiction books, including the award-winning Moving the Mountain: The Women’s Movement in America Since 1960 (1991, 1999). She currently lives in a retirement community and continues to work as a writer.
Aging in Place: Is It a Pipe Dream? May 11, 2016 - On surveys, most older Americans say they want to age in place: to stay right where they are in the home they’ve lived in for years. Whenever I hear that, I wonder whether they realize just how difficult that can…
80 and Counting May 9, 2016 - I’ve turned 80 and it’s a little scary. I’m healthy and still working, but I’m well aware that medical problems began for many of my friends once they were in their 80s. In many ways I’ve changed since I was…
Age Is Just a Number April 20, 2016 - I live in a retirement community that’s age-restricted: you have to be at least 62 to move in. A 50-something friend asked me the other day why on earth I would want to live in a place that has only…
If I Lose My Hearing, Will I Also Lose My Memory? March 20, 2016 - 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…
Time on the Run February 5, 2016 - 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…
How (and When) to Say ‘No’ to Your Doctor December 1, 2015 - 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…
The Case for Cars That Don’t Need Drivers October 20, 2015 - 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…
Skin Hunger October 7, 2015 - 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…
The Joy of Joining September 13, 2015 - A rumor is making the rounds at my retirement community: we’re going to organize a flash mob. I can hardly wait. In case you don’t know what a flash mob is, according to Wikipedia it’s a crowd that suddenly gathers,…
Do Older People Deserve Senior Discounts? August 5, 2015 - When I flew to Montreal for a college reunion, senior discounts helped me pay for my airfare and hotel room. While I was happy to take advantage of these perks of my years, was I more deserving of such modest…
My Greatest Fear June 4, 2015 - From my living room window, I look out on a pretty little park—and the nursing home across the way. I know someone who lives there but I haven’t visited her, I’m ashamed to say. The place scares me because it…
Giving Back June 4, 2015 - In my husband’s last months, he fought stubbornly for his independence even when the things he insisted on doing for himself were extremely difficult for him—or were against doctors’ orders. I had to be available to care for him all…
Going Nuclear in a Family Way May 18, 2015 - I grew up in a nuclear family—parents, kids and that was it—but I had the impression that practically everyone else in America lived in three-generation extended families. When grandparents grew old, I believed, their grown children automatically took them in,…
Baring All for a Good Cause April 10, 2015 - The other day, a friend told me she planned to leave her body to a medical school when she died so that students could dissect it to learn anatomy. She wanted to know whether I’d consider doing the same thing.…
A Life or Death Decision February 23, 2015 - The other day, I went to the vet with my 15-year-old dog to talk about euthanasia. A couple of my friends thought Korku was suffering and that I should free him from his infirmities. Many people refer to this as…
One-Way Conversations January 15, 2015 - I often talk to myself, and for a long time I couldn’t figure out why. I never did my thinking out loud before my husband died. I wondered: do I do it now because I live alone or is this…
Spring Swingers December 1, 2014 - I lived in Montreal for half a dozen years in the 1950s, and I recall winters when the snow seemed endless. There was so much of it that the city didn’t just plow, it trucked the stuff away and dumped…
Do I Smell Old? October 24, 2014 - When I was a teenager, I worried sometimes about whether I had bad breath or BO (body odor). Advertising campaigns regularly demonized these and other normal, human smells, and that sold a lot of toothpaste, mouthwash and deodorant. My concerns…
How Old Is Too Old? October 23, 2014 - I am a fan of short, online videos—the kind you see on YouTube. I often follow the links that come flooding in with my emails. I’m willing to give them a try, trusting the judgment of people in my chain…
A Shortage of Heroes July 18, 2014 - I think my doctor is a hero and I once told him so. He’s a geriatrician—a specialist in treating older people—and a rare find. From what I read, I can guess he earns less than most specialists and has less…
