During the holidays, we enter a time of travel. People get in cars or planes, often to see relatives and loved ones they perhaps haven’t seen since last year. But while much of that travel is physical, for families with older loved ones who might be entering the early stages of dementia, that travel is […]
Continue ReadingIn The Warmth of Other Suns, a Pulitzer Prize-winning non-fiction book from 2010, the writer, Isabel Wilkerson, documents the Great Migration, the wave of African-Americans moving north away from Jim Crow and sharecropping into the uncertain and fraught freedoms of the industrial north in the 1910s and 1920s. In it, she tells a story that […]
Continue ReadingTucker is 6, and William is 76. Tucker loves to go next door to spend time with his neighbor. At first, it was because William would always let him have three Twizzlers, but over time Tucker’s visits were planned because of the fun he had. Both friends had something to teach the other—and plenty to […]
Continue ReadingWe sat around one of the dining rooms in one of our senior centers while Francy, a lively, vivacious woman of 83 expounded a bit on life. “Life,” she said, pausing for effect, “is all about what you need and if you can get that. You need love, but can you find it? You need […]
Continue ReadingWhen people step up and start talking, listening, and paying attention to the challenges that are easier to ignore, real change is already happening. The more hands and minds that get involved, the more we can do. Join us for AiA 2018, the Aging in America Conference, taking place at Hilton San Francisco Union Square […]
Continue ReadingElena was exhausted. Ever since her father came home from the hospital after his heart surgery, she’d been tending to his every need to ensure he recovered fully. After a few weeks of providing him with around-the-clock care, Elena and her father decided it was okay to start leaving him on his own at night.
Continue ReadingAll throughout his adult life, driving was a form of therapy for Dave, making him feel confident, independent, and in control. But when Dave turned 68, the way he’d felt about driving started to change. He felt his reflexes slow, his mobility decline, and his vision deteriorate to the extent that it began affecting his […]
Continue ReadingIt’s a rare and special thing to experience the change of seasons, and those of us who have lived many years and many seasons over have great wisdom to apply to these shifts. Even though our culture and economy want to keep pushing forward regardless of seasonal patterns, our bodies can’t help but feel those […]
Continue ReadingIn the past, Harry and Dara put a lot of attention into meals and nutrition for their kids and then their grandkids. But they’re finding it a lot harder to give that same kind of important attention to their own nutritional needs—especially as their doctors have been recommending additional dietary changes and restrictions for their […]
Continue ReadingLosing weight after turning 70 is a lot like losing weight after turning 30 or 40 or 50: It’s often way harder than you think it is going to be. But it is also very doable, and if your health depends on it, it’s very worth it. When I say it is much harder, it […]
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