Getting Older

I remember the first time a “senior” discount was bestowed upon me without my asking. I don’t know if I was more upset that I finally qualified for the discount, or that I LOOKED like I qualified for the discount. Senior discounts date back to the Great Depression of 1929, which hit retirees…

You chose a care residence believing your loved one would live with dignity – not become content for someone’s viral clip on TikTok. Yet a recent national review shows a startling reality: direct-care staff in nursing homes are posting videos of residents being humiliated…

Human nature is that we don’t pay attention to things around us, until they happen to us personally. For example, if you were pregnant, you didn’t notice all of the pregnant women around you until you were pregnant yourself. Or you never noticed all of the drivers with vehicle X (pick one) until you…

Is pain a growing fear as you age? Is it part of your identity once you pass the sixty gate? When I was ten years old, a boy swung a shovel with a rusty corner at a bee. I had just stooped down to the ground to pick something up…

Recently, I attended a fundraiser for a friend running for state senate. As part of the event, everyone was asked to scan a QR code to reach the donation page. Simple enough. I pulled out my phone but could not find the actual paper with the QR code on it. So, I asked a staffer…

Recently, our family faced a new challenge when our 88-year-old grandmother suffered a minor stroke, experienced several falls, and now requires rehabilitation with hopes of returning home. Despite previous caregiving experiences, this situation felt different as we were less prepared…

Many of us expect to decline as we age: walking more slowly, memory starting to fade, energy dwindling. But then there are the SuperAgers: people in their 80s, 90s and even Centenarians who are as sharp, vibrant, and engaged as folks decades younger. They remind us that aging…

I often hear grandparents say, “I love spending time with the toddler grands but am glad to give them back to their parents at the end of the day. I’m exhausted, they have so much energy!” If you’re wondering how to have more energy after 60, toddlers…

Two recent pieces – one from McKnight’s Senior Living and another from JD Supra – grabbed attention with the same finding: 76% of older adults are not even considering senior living. Both were reporting on the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging…

Over recent months, I have been finding that I get decidedly out of breath when I climb the stairs or, indeed, any incline. We have an old town house on three levels, so I am frequently going up the stairs. Moreover, I live in a hilly part of London, so it is hard to avoid walking up (or down) a slope…