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- The 411 on 911 July 13, 2015 by Pepper Evans - Do you ever worry about what could happen if you ended up in a hospital and no one knew who you were? What would happen to you if you were in an accident and unable to tell first responders whom…
Is a Generation of Powerful Women Turning Age into an Advantage? Not Exactly July 7, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - "Could the current cohort of eminent women in their 60s herald an era when aging, for women, ceases to be an enemy, and even becomes a friend?” asks Liza Mundy in the recent issue of the Atlantic.
Grandma Took the iPad June 22, 2015 by Pepper Evans - I am a reader who reads all the time, for work and pleasure. I even read about what to read next so I am never caught without something to read! My idea of hell would be to lose that ability. …
Caitlyn Jenner: The Messages in the Image June 22, 2015 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - What the commentators fail to say about Caitlyn Jenner is that when she came out as a woman publicly in Vanity Fair recently, she did not come out as an older woman. It’s hard to say whether Caitlyn Jenner or photographer Annie…
From Babyproofing to Grannyproofing, Don’t Ignore This Health Checkup! June 12, 2015 by Pepper Evans - My mother’s safety became a concern to me as she aged. My mom lived alone and hated to ask for help. We both wanted to keep her safe and independent. Thinking about the problem, I remembered what a very wise…
Giving Back June 4, 2015 by Flora Davis - 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…
My Greatest Fear June 4, 2015 by Flora Davis - 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…
Going Nuclear in a Family Way May 18, 2015 by Flora Davis - 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,…
Why Would You Even Ask? May 11, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - “How Old is Too Old To Have Sex?” was the title of a HuffPost Live panel discussion that I took part in last year. As I pointed out during the exchange, the question itself is profoundly ageist.
Something’s Fishy May 1, 2015 by Pepper Evans - Pick up any women’s magazine or any healthy-living publication and you are sure to be admonished to eat more fish. It’s good for your brain, your weight, your longevity. I know! But in my house of picky eaters, I can…
Live to 100: Do You Have What It Takes? April 17, 2015 by Pepper Evans - There's an old joke that goes something like this: The Japanese drink very little wine and experience fewer heart attacks than US or British citizens, while the French and Italians drink wine at every meal and experience fewer heart attacks…
Baring All for a Good Cause April 10, 2015 by Flora Davis - 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.…
New Cream on the Block March 23, 2015 by Pepper Evans - Here at the Silver Century Foundation, we are all about the positive aspects of aging. That said, I confess that hope springs eternal when I read about the age-defying beauty products on the market. I’m in my mid-50s and the…
Chastizing the Old Dolls March 16, 2015 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - Poor Roz Chast unburdened herself of her dislike of her mother and her pity for her father by describing their slow decline and dying, and doing it in the most public possible way, in a graphic narrative called Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir (2014).
Midlife Malaise and the Happiness U-Curve March 11, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - An Atlantic magazine cover story last October described living past 75 as pretty darn inadvisable. Then, in quite the about-face, the December cover story championed the Happiness U-Curve and the growing body of research showing that we reliably grow happier, almost regardless of circumstances, after our 40s.
Step It Up March 9, 2015 by Pepper Evans - I just learned that fewer than half of adults are getting enough physical activity to benefit their health. (Um, yes, that would be me.) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while 60 percent of us are walking…
A Life or Death Decision February 23, 2015 by Flora Davis - 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 by Flora Davis - 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…
Oh, Grow Up! January 13, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - That was my visceral (and ever so mature) reaction to “Who Are You Calling Grandma?,” a fluff piece in the New York Times about how baby boomer grandparents, especially celebs, are rejecting traditional grandmonikers for hipper titles.
Shingles—Are You Protected? January 5, 2015 by Pepper Evans - When was the last time you thought about chicken pox? Not since you were a child, I bet. A middle-aged friend of mine was recently diagnosed with shingles. It’s caused by the same virus as chicken pox, varicella zoster. WebMD…
Senior Centers Are Evolving - The first time Sue and Mike Miller visited their community’s senior center in Portage, MI, several years ago, they found a few people playing pool or bridge—and decided it wasn’t for them. But the couple tried again in 2022, when…
The Upside and Downside of Being Owned by a Cat - 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…