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14 Things I’ve Learned from the Pandemic June 30, 2020 by Flora Davis - For weeks and weeks, thanks to the pandemic, I’ve not only been staying at home, I’ve been stuck indoors. In the huge retirement community where I live, we were asked in mid-March not to leave our apartments until further notice.…
Remembering Life in Lockdown June 8, 2020 by Pepper Evans - I hope people living in the time of the coronavirus are journaling about their quarantine. Our memories are often distorted by time, and our memories are singularly ours to recall. What will my grandchildren want to know about this unprecedented…
A Patch of Clear Sky June 4, 2020 by Maggie Sullivan - In May 1993 my mother was in the last stage of Alzheimer’s disease. She needed to be fed by hand, so I timed my visits to the nursing home where she then lived so that I could feed her lunch.…
I’m Not Really a Luddite May 22, 2020 by Flora Davis - My kids complain because I seldom turn on my smartphone. Not true. I turn it on whenever I’m expecting a call. But they don’t get that. Apparently, they’re on one side of a generational divide, and I’m on the other. …
There’s No Excuse for Ageism, Part 2 May 21, 2020 by Ashton Applewhite - Another rationale for gerontophobia (fear of aging and aversion to old people) is that olders are closer to death, and, well, who wants to go there? 
Track Your Zzzzs May 19, 2020 by Pepper Evans - I have joined the 17 percent of American adults over 50 who wear a smartwatch or fitness tracker to monitor their health. This purchase brought an eye roll and a snicker from my young-adult daughters, who know how much I…
Ageism and Tragedy in a Time of Triage May 13, 2020 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - Triage means exclusion from treatment. In parts of the United States, triage may become grievously necessary, as pandemic peaks overwhelm resources. - There’s No Excuse for Ageism, Part 1 May 7, 2020 by Ashton Applewhite - When the last parent died in 2017, I visualized their canoes heading over an immense waterfall. My partner’s and my canoes fell next in line. Gulp. Yet this scenario sure beats the alternative: outliving the younger people we love. Is…
Hearing Aids Get Smarter April 29, 2020 by Flora Davis - My friend, Jeanne, has new hearing aids, and I’m green with envy. Compared to her aids, mine seem about as cutting edge as a horse and buggy in the dawning era of the car. Here’s what hers will do: When…
Curry Adds More Than Flavor to Your Life April 23, 2020 by Pepper Evans - Isn’t it fabulous to discover that a food we enjoy is actually good for us? I’m thinking of curry in its many iterations. (It’s not always about you, chocolate.) American diets have been globally influenced since I was a kid…
Do People with Dementia Lose the Right to Die? April 15, 2020 by Maggie Sullivan - “If I’m not me, I don’t want to be.” That’s the motto of a healthy man in his 80s who was interviewed some years ago by the New York Times. I’ll refer to him as Robert. Like many people, Robert…
In a Pandemic, Ageism Can Be Lethal April 2, 2020 by Ashton Applewhite - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older people and people with underlying health conditions are about twice as likely to “develop serious outcomes” from the COVID-19 coronavirus—get really sick and possibly die—as younger and otherwise healthier people. …
Our Incredible, Shrinking World March 25, 2020 by Flora Davis - I live in a CCRC, a continuing care retirement community. That means I’ve been promised a roof over my head and health care of one kind or another for the rest of my life. More than 1,000 residents live here,…
The ‘Generational Wars’ Contrived to Disguise the Failure of the American Dream March 13, 2020 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - In a nation grappling with growing inequality, stagnating social mobility, crushing personal debt and crumbling job security, efforts to set America’s generations against one another persist. 
On Turning 85 March 5, 2020 by Flora Davis - When I turned 85 recently, I was relieved. I’d had a silly, personal superstition: my Dad died at 84, and I thought I might do that too. Eighty-five arrived not only with a faint frisson of relief but with loving…
The Fog of Aging February 19, 2020 by Flora Davis - When I was young, I had a quick mind, an excellent memory, and I found it easy to multitask. Not anymore. These days, when I set out to put words down on a page, it takes more time than it…
Doing 60 Around Town February 7, 2020 by Pepper Evans - I’m a healthy, engaged, purpose-driven woman in my 60s. I consider myself an empty nester; one daughter has moved out of state and the other is in college, so it’s me and the pets. And I’m fine with that. Really.…
Driver Assistance: How to Put Safety First If You’re DWO—Driving While Old January 28, 2020 by Flora Davis - When I bought a new car a couple of years ago, the one thing I felt I had to have was a blind spot monitor. I do a certain amount of highway driving, and I’ve had a few close calls…
When Giving In Is the Best Gift January 22, 2020 by Maggie Sullivan - Bill told his Alzheimer’s caregivers support group, “My wife asked, ‘When are we going to see the grandchildren? We haven’t seen them in months!’ When I told her they were just here yesterday, she got mad at me. ‘They were…
Grandparenting in Venice January 17, 2020 by Margaret Morganroth Gullette - Venice at the opening of the Biennial international art fair is crowded, gaudy, expensive, magical and, it turned out, very grandchild-friendly. We were there partly to babysit, to help out our daughter-in-law, Yto Barrada (who was invited to exhibit at…
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…