Flora Davis has written scores of magazine articles and is the author of five nonfiction books, including the award-winning Moving the Mountain: The Women’s Movement in America Since 1960 (1991, 1999). She currently lives in a retirement community and continues to work as a writer.
Nostalgia: Why It’s Good for You October 3, 2019 - My daughter and grandchildren live in the town where I grew up, just a few blocks from my childhood home. Sometimes when I’m visiting them, I drive by that house very slowly or lurk at the curb, motor running, savoring…
It’s Hard to Eat When You’re Holding Your Ears August 13, 2019 - A few weeks ago, I took my decibel meter with me to dinner at one of the restaurants in my retirement community. It was a busy night, and the steady growl of conversation kept rising to a roar. The meter…
Planning for Your Own Death July 18, 2019 - I live in New Jersey, and in April we became the eighth state to permit medical aid in dying. Once the new law goes into effect, people who are terminally ill, who want to end their lives on their own…
The Downside of Killing Two Birds with One Stone June 12, 2019 - I think some people may be born to sit. When I was a toddler, I preferred not to toddle. My mother finally bought a harness, put it on me and took me for walks, using the harness to keep me…
A Homemade Superstition April 26, 2019 - I recently turned 84, and I’m not happy about it. It’s not that I mind being old. My problem is that my dad died when he was 84, and it’s in the back of my mind that I might too.…
The Pros and Cons of Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids March 13, 2019 - Many years ago, my husband invented his own hearing aid. Mike was totally deaf on one side—the best hearing device in the world wouldn’t have helped his right ear.
It May Be Time to Question the Pills You Take February 21, 2019 - I realized the other day that I’m taking fewer and fewer pills. For years, I’ve swallowed a handful of capsules and tablets every night. Most of them are over-the-counter drugs or supplements, intended to keep me from developing heart trouble, cancer or some other disease.
Is Ageism Ever Funny? January 15, 2019 - How should I react when comedians on TV, or organizations I respect, make appallingly ageist jokes? I’m 83, so the joke’s on me. Should I object? I’ve been a fan of Saturday Night Live practically since the program first aired,…
He Wants the Law to Change His Age December 5, 2018 - A 69-year-old man has petitioned the courts in the Netherlands for the right to say he’s 20 years younger than his actual age: he wants his birth certificate altered to show that he was born in 1949 rather than 1969.…
The Future of Words November 20, 2018 - As an editor, I have to pay close attention to the way words keep evolving. I hate some recent changes but I love others. First of all, there’s the way so many words these days begin their lives as friends,…
I’m Not Dead Yet October 16, 2018 - When you reach my age (83) and don’t hear from friends for a long time, you don’t assume they’re just too busy to get in touch. You wonder if they’ve died.
Lost and Found August 24, 2018 - I was thinking recently about some of the things I’ve lost as I’ve grown older. But since I’m basically an optimist, after a while I also began to consider the good things I’ve found. I decided to make a list…
Is It Just Human Nature to Dread Aging? July 26, 2018 - Is ageism inevitable? Is it just plain human to dread old age—and to disparage older people? That’s the conclusion writer Tad Friend comes to in a New Yorker article called “Why Ageism Never Gets Old.” Friend’s article deftly describes how…
Going Steady Later in Life June 15, 2018 - I see them in my retirement community all the time: couples who are almost always together. There’s an easy intimacy between them—sometimes they hold hands or he drapes an arm over her shoulders.
Emotional Contagion Is a Mixed Bag December 1, 2017 - In 2008, my husband fell backward down a flight of stairs and suffered a brain injury. When I brought him home from rehab three months later, he was childlike and often confused. He sank into a deep depression—and I caught…
My Car Still Needs Me August 30, 2017 - For years, I loved the idea of a self-driving car. I could hardly wait until they were available because so many friends my age (over 80) had been forced to give up driving. I didn’t want to be next. Most…
What a Living Will Can—and Can’t—Do for You July 18, 2017 - My friend Anne taught me some important things about dying. Anne had congestive heart failure. In January 2012 her cardiologist told her regretfully that she probably wouldn’t live past the end of the month, so she went home to set…
Green Old Age July 7, 2017 - A friend of mine recently questioned something she read on this website that presented what she called “a depressing view of aging.”
Young Blood May 10, 2017 - If you were offered a way to feel healthier and even look younger, would you take it? What if it required you to have repeated transfusions with the blood of teenagers or 20-somethings? This is not vampire fiction. A private…
No More Old Cats? April 6, 2017 - The other day, I was hunting online for new canned foods to try out on my unbelievably picky cat, and I couldn’t help noticing all the options for “senior cats.” There didn’t seem to be anything at all for “old…
