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The Father: Dementia from the Inside June 17, 2021 by Maggie Sullivan - The Father has received much attention and won two (in my opinion well-deserved) Academy Awards. It engages viewers as no other movie about dementia has because they experience the effects of the disease the way the person living with it…
The Old Normal June 11, 2021 by Marc Blesoff - Marc Blesoff was a criminal defense attorney for 35 years. Six years ago, he began facilitating Conscious Aging workshops. He says that helped him melt the armor he’d built up as a defense lawyer. He’s a founding member of A Tribe…
The Home Health Care Dilemma June 3, 2021 by Flora Davis - In 2008, my husband, Mike, fell down a flight of stairs and suffered a disastrous brain injury. Afterward, he was like a five-year-old trapped in an 80-year-old body: he was impulsive, talkative, mischievous, stubborn and convinced—no matter how many times…
Can Artists Help Us Combat Hate and White Supremacy? May 25, 2021 by Paul Kleyman, Guest Blogger - In 2016, PBS’s Next Avenue named writer/editor Paul Kleyman an Influencer in Aging, recognizing his long career. After 20 years as editor of the American Society on Aging’s newspaper, Kleyman became director of the Ethnic Elders Newsbeat at New America…
Aging from the Heart May 22, 2021 by Marc Blesoff - Aging from the heart doesn’t happen to everyone, but it can. I think it’s happening to me.
The Year of Letting Our Hair Go Gray May 14, 2021 by Ashton Applewhite - Six year ago, on an escalator coming out of a weekday movie matinee, I had a wild idea. Despite the fact that the entire audience was older, I spotted only one gray-haired woman. Covering the gray, I realized, is a…
A Diagnosis in Search of a Disease? May 11, 2021 by Flora Davis - Back in 2016, my doctor told me I was prediabetic: my blood sugar level was above normal, and if I didn’t do something about it, I could wind up with type 2 diabetes. That scared me. I know what a…
Getting the Jab May 7, 2021 by Pepper Evans - My phone rings, my laptop pings—proof that I remain popular with the many, many websites and organizations that took my information so I could get the COVID-19 vaccine, or “the jab,” if you listen to BBC radio, into my arm…
Cashless? April 14, 2021 by Pepper Evans - As part of my job assisting older people to live independently, I pay their bills by check, as requested. But I’m in my 60s and I rarely write a check for my own bills. I pay them online either at…
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…
A Hidden Epidemic Threatens Older Adults: Malnutrition - For most of her life, Jenny Anne Horst-Martz’s mother worked hard to stay slender. But now, at age 90, her mother struggles to keep enough weight on. The problem started a few years ago when her mother was injured in…
The Parade of Aides - Working as a caregiver for a friend or family member is a rewarding but stressful job. When my mom qualified for an aide (thanks to the pooled income trust and Medicaid), it gave me a break during the day to…