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.
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…
The Community of Me June 22, 2014 - When I was a child, my father bragged that my mom kept our kitchen so clean, we could eat off the floor. Mother often warned me about germs, something she worried about a lot because, back then, there were no…
Playing the Old-Person Card June 3, 2014 - I was making breakfast when I heard the man from the phone company knock on my neighbor’s door. (I live in an apartment building in a huge retirement community.) I thought nothing of it—the neighbor had just moved in. But…
Multitasking after 40 April 10, 2014 - I’ve always prided myself on my ability to multitask—I hate to do just one thing if I can manage two at the same time. I never go anywhere without a book just in case I get a chance to read.…
Recalculating My Expiration Date March 16, 2014 - At 79, I’m old enough to understand that I’m not immortal. Put it this way: I don’t take out five-year magazine subscriptions, but I’m still willing to buy green bananas. I might have to rethink my position on magazine subscriptions. …
What Not to Say to Someone Who’s Grieving October 23, 2013 - A few months after my husband died, a friend said to me, “I’m glad you’re feeling better and moving on with your life.” She meant well, but her remark made me acutely uncomfortable because grief still washed over me in…
Are Men an Endangered Species? September 12, 2013 - Why is it that almost everywhere on the planet women outlive men? And how come that’s been true for centuries, at least in Europe, even though childbirth used to be a really risky proposition? These questions grabbed me while I…
Good News for Those with Chronic Conditions May 16, 2013 - In 2008, my husband pitched backward down a flight of stairs and suffered a brain injury that cost him his sense of balance. Despite the walker he reluctantly used after that, he often fell, and I was told that if…
