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One Man’s Vaccine Side Effects April 11, 2021 by David Astley, Guest Blogger - As a frequent traveler, I’m used to having vaccinations and regular booster shots, and I have never had any adverse reactions to them.
I Swear March 26, 2021 by Flora Davis - “Good gravy!” When I came across that exclamation recently in an online essay, it fueled a whole train of thought. Good grief Golly Gosh Criminy Darn you Doggone it These expressions have passed their use-by dates, as have those of…
The Possibilities Even Where Our Darkest Fears Reside March 18, 2021 by Ashton Applewhite - My new talk, “Still Kicking—Confronting Ageism and Ableism in the Pandemic’s Wake,” debuted earlier this week at n4a, the national conference of Area Agencies on Aging—to rave reviews, yay! Here’s a look at some of the ground it covers: Remember…
Guilt: The Dark Shadow of Responsibility March 10, 2021 by Maggie Sullivan - A couple of years ago, at a meeting of an Alzheimer’s caregivers’ support group I lead, one topic dominated. Doris, who is caring for her mother, began: “My mother trails me around the house all day long! So, every afternoon…
Why Biden Won: The Missing Reason February 19, 2021 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - The 2020 presidential election took place at arguably the most anxious time in the nation’s history, at least as threatening as the Civil War, the flu epidemic of 1918–1919, or the distant world wars.
The Memories That Escape Me February 17, 2021 by Flora Davis - The other day, I took my cat to the vet. When we were done, I needed some prescription cat food from the practice’s pharmacy, and the vet’s assistant offered to collect it and meet me at my car. But then…
Just a Code, No Secret Handshake Required February 9, 2021 by Pepper Evans - The global pandemic in 2020 brought many changes to our way of life. Over the summer in some places, when it was moderately safe enough for us to leave our homes—masked up, travel-size hand sanitizer at the ready—many of us…
Age Justice Requires Disability Justice—and Vice Versa February 5, 2021 by Ashton Applewhite - A terrific special section of the New York Times [in July 2020] was devoted to the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act. There is no mention of age or ageism. It would be convenient to…
Facing Mask Realities January 22, 2021 by Pepper Evans - Most of us have accepted the new normal of mask-wearing to help curb the spread of COVID-19. The benefits, sketchy at first, are now widely accepted, and masks are mandated apparel in more places than not. I jumped on the…
What Was the Silent Generation Silent About? January 15, 2021 by Flora Davis - I’ve never much liked the fact that I’m part of the Silent Generation. Sandwiched as we are between the heroes of the Greatest Generation and the rebellious, idealistic Baby Boomers, we silents sound so boring. And when I stopped to…
Discrimination Is Intersectional. Activism Can Be Too January 9, 2021 by Ashton Applewhite - … What 2020 brought home for me was that being anti-ageist means supporting every movement for equal rights. It’s a big ask, but we cannot dismantle ageism without dismantling ableism, and racism, and sexism and all the rest, because these systems reinforce…
How Old Would You Want to Be in Heaven? January 8, 2021 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - Many religious faiths propose different versions of heaven as a location: there are walled gardens with streams, flowers, pleasing scents, pretty angels, rapturous music or delicious, accessible food.
Age Justice Requires Disability Justice—and Vice Versa December 22, 2020 by Ashton Applewhite - A terrific special section of the New York Times [in July] was devoted to the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act. There is no mention of age or ageism. It would be convenient to attribute…
Books to Give or Keep, 2020 December 2, 2020 by Pepper Evans - A year like no other, 2020 had many of us finding our way to the reading chair to escape the stress of the lockdowns and the fear brought on by the news. While fate played a cruel trick on me…
Forest Bathing November 20, 2020 by Flora Davis - The house where I grew up had miles of woods behind it, and my brother and I spent a lot of time walking the paths there or hiding in the brush, pretending to be early settlers or Indians. Those woods…
How Testing Sells People with Dementia Short November 17, 2020 by Maggie Sullivan - Jane and Henry went to the memory center for a diagnostic workup because Jane had been having increasing problems with her memory. She underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests, and a week later they returned to meet with the diagnostic…
Breonna Taylor Did Not Get to Grow Old November 4, 2020 by Ashton Applewhite - Breonna Taylor, a Black EMT, was murdered in her bed at 26 years old. Michael Brown was 18. Tamir Rice was 12. Why am I writing about these young victims of police brutality in a [blog] about ageism? Because systemic…
Real Doctors, Virtual Visits October 29, 2020 by Pepper Evans - I recently deliberated about making an appointment for a routine colonoscopy. Not only are we in the middle of a pandemic, I had to change gastroenterologists, and I just wasn’t sure what to do. My primary care provider insisted there…
The Benefit I Earned October 22, 2020 by Flora Davis - I was thinking the other day about how thrilled I was, shortly after I turned 65, when I signed up for Social Security. It was a watershed moment, and my husband took me out for lunch to celebrate. I was…
Being Old Is Not a Death Sentence, Even Now October 20, 2020 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - Contrary to popular opinion, no one living in a nursing home needs to die of COVID-19.
Dementia: A Diagnosis Too Often Delayed - Last year, a bank officer phoned Kelli Brown’s brother with a concern: a lot of money was going out of their 87-year-old father’s bank account. Their father, a retired accountant, lived alone in Cincinnati. He seemed to be functioning well…
The Pooled Income Trust - 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…