Skip to content
Skip to main menu
I Shopped, I Dropped November 15, 2015 by Pepper Evans - Not too long ago my daughter needed some retail therapy. She works part time, had just gotten paid, and she could hear the stores calling her. The mall was the last place I wanted to be on the weekend, but…
What’s Missing from Marc Freedman’s Plan to Make the Most of Longer Lives? November 8, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - Growing old isn’t new. What’s new is how many people routinely do it. The institutions around us were created when lives were shorter, and the culture hasn’t had time to catch up. The way we respond to this demographic shift…
Coming Up Short October 22, 2015 by Pepper Evans - Can you talk about your finances without feeling uncomfortable? Let's face it: some topics are still off limits, even among the closest friends. I'm going to talk about income disparity, even if it IS the last taboo. I am on…
The Case for Cars That Don’t Need Drivers October 20, 2015 by Flora Davis - I seldom go out at night, not because I’m such a homebody (though I am) but because my night vision is poor, and I can’t drive after dark. That definitely puts a crimp in my social life. Someday I’ll have…
Want Older People to Be Healthy? End Ageism October 19, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - There’s a lot of disagreement around how to frame the last century’s unprecedented increase in human lifespan. Is it a crisis or an opportunity? Will a “grey tsunami” of incapacitated freeloaders sweep us off our feet, or will we tap…
Good Scents October 12, 2015 by Pepper Evans - As I get older, I find it harder to get a good night’s sleep. I know I function better on seven (or more) hours of uninterrupted sleep, but it’s elusive. Night sweats wake me or the furry friends purr too…
Skin Hunger October 7, 2015 by Flora Davis - Many years ago an anthropologist I interviewed suggested that older Americans probably experience something called “skin hunger”—the need to be touched more often. Once their children are grown and gone, and especially if they live alone, they crave physical contact…
So I Dyed My Hair White September 28, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - I’m the incredibly square and lazy woman who has never colored her hair. I inherited my mother’s no-gray-hair gene, and except on my right temple, my hair is brown. For an anti-ageism activist, though, that’s kind of a liability, because…
Beyond Books September 14, 2015 by Pepper Evans - My friend's mom was a voracious reader. Well into her 90s, Bernice, having only recently retired, would read several books each week. When I took her to the library, she would check out a huge stack at every visit, give…
The Joy of Joining September 13, 2015 by Flora Davis - A rumor is making the rounds at my retirement community: we’re going to organize a flash mob. I can hardly wait. In case you don’t know what a flash mob is, according to Wikipedia it’s a crowd that suddenly gathers,…
Betrayed by an Author August 28, 2015 by Pepper Evans - Why wouldn’t I read a memoir by Joyce Carol Oates? She is a widow, as am I, she lives nearby, and books from her prolific writing career have graced my nightstand frequently over the years. So I bought a copy…
Beating the Age Barrier in Online Dating August 20, 2015 by Ashton Applewhite - A 2013 wedding announcement in the New York Times recorded the happy pairing of a couple who met through America’s Test Kitchen. He had founded the TV show and hired her 10 years earlier. He was 62; she was 37.
Spanning the Generations August 10, 2015 by Pepper Evans - I wore bell-bottoms and collected troll dolls; my mother had saddle shoes and jitterbugged. For most of my young life, I couldn’t see many areas where we overlapped. Then in my 20s I worked at a restaurant with live music…
Do Older People Deserve Senior Discounts? August 5, 2015 by Flora Davis - When I flew to Montreal for a college reunion, senior discounts helped me pay for my airfare and hotel room. While I was happy to take advantage of these perks of my years, was I more deserving of such modest…- 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…
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…