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What We Actively Participate in Shaping February 14, 2025 by Marc Blesoff - I do most of the shopping at our house. Sometimes, I shop at Costco. Not every week, but when we’re low on paper towels or cans of black beans or maybe granola, I schedule a stop. Last time, I bought…
A Final Piece of Advice February 11, 2025 by Anastasia Canell - My 86-year-old great aunt, Astrid, was the definition of “cool aunt.” She traveled to every continent except Antarctica. She ran marathons across the Great Wall of China and the site of the first modern Olympic games in Athens, Greece. It…
Diagnosing Dementia with Lewy Bodies (Part 2) January 30, 2025 by Maggie Sullivan - Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a degenerating brain disease that causes dementia and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. 
The Final Days January 24, 2025 by Howard Gensler - My mom, Sally, was eating very little during her last week. She was sleeping more, chatting less and she changed her bathroom routine. For a year or so, I would stand in front of her walker in front of her…
Diagnosing Dementia with Lewy Bodies (Part 1) January 23, 2025 by Maggie Sullivan - Some years ago, my friend Molly Grant, was concerned about her husband, Todd, so she asked his sister, Peggy, if she’d noticed any change in him. 
The Pursuit of Contentment January 14, 2025 by Flora Davis - Sometimes lately, when I enter my apartment, I can’t help noticing how good it feels to be home. I’ve lived here for 18 years, so why this flush of pleasure now? I wondered until I identified the feeling: contentment. That…
Today’s Phone Etiquette January 9, 2025 by Pepper Evans - I remember the excitement of the telephone ringing in my family home in the 1960s. The call might not be for me but for my parents or a sibling, which would be a letdown to a preteen. Phone calls were…
Turning 90 December 17, 2024 by Flora Davis - When someone turns 100, others ask, “How did you manage to live so long?” I’m about to turn 90, and nobody has asked me that yet, but I’ve been thinking about it. I’m guessing I’ve survived this long thanks to…
Posing for Your Obituary December 13, 2024 by Susie Perloff - In published obituaries, people’s photos sometimes date from decades earlier. When some 92-year-old men die, their obits show them in a Marine uniform or Army cap, staring blankly at the camera. It strikes me as odd. 
Books to Give or Keep, 2024 December 11, 2024 by Pepper Evans - Silver Century regularly recommends books—fiction, nonfiction, memoirs—that reflect our mission by portraying aging positively or by offering insights from thought leaders in the field of aging. Here are some of our favorites for holiday giving or to save for the…
Anguish and Oxygen November 26, 2024 by Howard Gensler - When caregiving continues for a few years, there are days when it seems like it’s never going to end, and days when you’re terrified it may actually be coming to an end. One thing is universal, however—the situation rarely gets…
Nailed It! November 13, 2024 by Pepper Evans - When my doctor took me by the hand, I expected a comment about my age spots or cat scratches, but no. He was looking for signs of illness and explained that fingernails offer valuable insights into our overall health. A…
Who’s Afraid of Turning 30? And Why? October 29, 2024 by Anastasia Canell - I was born in 1995, which isn’t too relevant until you realize it was 29 years ago and I am on the brink of turning 30. As friends and relatives approached the “big 3-0” before me, I picked up on…
Feeling Smoothie October 16, 2024 by Howard Gensler - About six months before what would have been her 99th birthday, Mom began to have trouble swallowing. Liquids made her cough, and foods became tougher to chew, as her teeth, which had done yeoman work for more than nine decades,…
Wading through the Challenges of Weeping Edema September 19, 2024 by Howard Gensler - After my mother’s second broken hip, she began sleeping in her recliner in the living room. It was easier and she was small, so she slept just as well. I slept on the couch less than 10 feet away, but…
The Few, the Proud, the Older September 17, 2024 by Marc Blesoff - I recently had the opportunity to take my 11-year-old granddaughter to her softball tournament in Des Moines, IA. Just me and her for the weekend. Most of the grandparents reading this will know why I am smiling. Because of a…
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…
What Makes Older Achievers Tick? - In recent years, oncologist Philip Salem, MD, has done some of the best work of his career. Using new combinations of existing cancer therapies—personalized immunotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy—he’s getting remarkable results for patients with advanced lung, pancreatic and other…
Nailed It! - When my doctor took me by the hand, I expected a comment about my age spots or cat scratches, but no. He was looking for signs of illness and explained that fingernails offer valuable insights into our overall health. A…