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Adrift in Time September 22, 2016 by Maggie Sullivan - I was taking my mother to Maine to visit her brother. They had lived in New Jersey within a few blocks of each other their entire lives until, due to her dementia, she moved in with me.
Age Takes Center Stage around the Brexit Vote—Not in a Good Way September 14, 2016 by Ashton Applewhite - On June 23, 2016, a referendum (a vote in which everyone of voting age can take part) was held to decide whether the United Kingdom should leave or remain in the European Union. Leave won by 52 percent to 48…
All in Good Taste September 12, 2016 by Pepper Evans - Recently, I overheard someone turning down a gooey, brownie-like concoction, saying, “No thanks, it’s too sweet for my taste.” Wait a minute, was that me uttering those words? Too sweet? That’s up there with too rich and too thin, isn’t…
How to Have a Good Life: Lean In—to Your Relationships September 9, 2016 by Flora Davis - I was stuck for a time when I was in my 20s. My career and dating possibilities were going nowhere, and I struggled with depression. I was far from home, but one day I talked to my father about all…
Fooling the Phone Company August 31, 2016 by Flora Davis - Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, to quote the 19th century French novelist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Very Pinteresting August 26, 2016 by Pepper Evans - Lonely? Can’t find your best girlfriends, not even on Facebook? Don’t despair; I know where they all went. They are on Pinterest (pronounced like interest, only starting with a p, pin-trest). What, you ask, is Pinterest? It’s sort of an…
Homesick August 15, 2016 by Pepper Evans - Two friends of mine recently experienced something you don’t hear about often: grieving the loss of their childhood homes. For people who spent a long stretch of their formative years at a single address, the childhood home is a repository…
Six More Questions about My New Manifesto Against Ageism August 12, 2016 by Ashton Applewhite - Since the publication of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism (2016), I’ve been asked a lot of questions. Are you curious about why I've become an Old Person in Training?
He Was His Own Miracle August 10, 2016 by Flora Davis - There’s an article elsewhere on this website that expresses doubts about something I believe in. There’s no scientific evidence, it says, that thinking positively can keep you healthy or that being determined to fight back against an illness can help you…
Scammed! A Warning July 18, 2016 by Flora Davis - That day in December, my bursitis had flared up and I’d lost a filling, but what really bothered me was that my computer wasn’t working and I felt stupid. I’d fallen for a scam. What’s more, I’d just read an…- Six Questions about My New Manifesto Against Ageism July 18, 2016 by Ashton Applewhite - Since the publication of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism (2016), I’ve been asked a lot of questions. Are you curious about why I find aging so damn interesting?
Retire? Never! July 15, 2016 by Flora Davis - When I was in my 30s, a friend asked whether I was saving money for retirement. I laughed. As a single mother with two small children, I could barely keep my head above water financially. No, I told her, I…
Avoiding Drug Interactions Just Got Easier July 8, 2016 by Pepper Evans - My mom had a great relationship with her regular pharmacy. In addition to getting prescriptions filled, a visit there included a dedicated, professional woman assembling our nonpharmacy shopping list so Mom could go to the back of the store and…
An Ageless Tradition July 8, 2016 by Flora Davis - Balloons were drifting around, bumping against the ceiling in my living room, buoyed by helium and the generosity of friends. The previous weekend, they had thrown a baby shower for me. It may have been the first time in history…
Oh, to Be 70 Again June 27, 2016 by Flora Davis - Oh, to be 70 again with the rest of my life opening up in front of me. When I was 70, I was working for a foundation and thought it the best job I’d ever had or was likely to…
Droneliness June 22, 2016 by Ashton Applewhite - Concerned about an onslaught of enfeebled old people? Don’t worry, robots will take care of them! American techno-optimism knows no bounds, and so-called “age-independence” technologies are proliferating like crazy. But in a profoundly ageist culture, the implications can be disturbing.…
Drinks on Me June 17, 2016 by Pepper Evans - I am not a big drinker. Most days, I need to remind myself to drink liquids to stay healthy and hydrated. A normal part of aging, I have learned, is that I don't register thirst the same way I did…
When Behavior Speaks June 13, 2016 by Maggie Sullivan - I sat with my mother and her caregiver, Aliza, one afternoon in the Alzheimer’s unit of the nursing home. With my mother between us, Aliza and I chatted about the hot weather we had been having. All of a sudden…
Oh, America! How Obamacare Finished Off Breaking Bad June 10, 2016 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - Any just society must reduce the despair occasioned by dire medical conditions. This was one lesson, oddly, that could be drawn from the TV series, Breaking Bad.
May Day Surprise May 24, 2016 by Pepper Evans - We are often reminded of the importance of keeping social as we age; isolation has proven to be hazardous to healthy aging, while friendships engage and stimulate us.
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…