“Travel,” Marla told me one day when we were sitting down to eat lunch in the annex of Institute on Aging, “is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” “Excuse me?” I asked. She explained that it was a quote by Mark Twain and a darn good one. I asked why she had brought it up, […]
Continue ReadingChristie was overwhelmed. Ever since her aging mother’s stroke six months ago, she had been her primary caregiver. Every day before work Christie would drive to her mother’s house to help her get out of bed and make her breakfast. On her lunch hour, Christie would dart across town to bring her mother lunch, eat […]
Continue ReadingIf you were to read the papers, or pick up any glossy travel mag with the Bay Area on the cover, or look at really any website, you’d think that there was no one in San Francisco over the age of 30. Indeed, you’d think the whole Bay Area was a “Millennial-Only Zone”. Now, this […]
Continue Reading“I have learned that to be with those I like is enough.” -Walt Whitman A strange and damaging tendency present in both individuals and societies is the assumption that because something is a certain way, and has been for a long time, it should be. That allows us to accept all manner of injustices and […]
Continue ReadingWhen I cry, I experience two different kinds of tears. Either my tears flow like a fountain, cycling and recycling the same stale thoughts and emotions. Or my tears flow like a river, free and uninhibited and going somewhere. The first kind of experience is painful and strained, and I end up feeling just as […]
Continue ReadingWhen Ruth’s husband died, she was 67. She had never been one to shy away from having a drink, but as the weeks and months went by, her family and friends seemed to notice her drinking more and more. When asked about it—always delicately—she laughed and said that she’d earned it. This seemed to be […]
Continue ReadingWith dementia in the driver’s seat, my grandma has good days and bad days and it can be hard to predict what each new day will bring. But over time, we’ve learned to recognize patterns and help foster the kind of environment and conversations that often inspire the good days. If we’ve picked up one […]
Continue ReadingOn January 4th, 2018, at 2:39 in the morning, the Hayward fault line began to rumble. For 5-10 seconds, a region nearly 150 miles across shook, from Silicon Valley to Marin and Sonoma, and across San Francisco. While this was only a Magnitude 4.4 on the Richter Scale (M4.4), it woke people up and left […]
Continue ReadingAt 82 years old, David was in pretty good health. He prided himself on being fit, healthy, and active, so when he began experiencing severe pain after minor knee surgery, he felt as though the things he valued most were being taken away from him. After a few visits to his surgeon, David was prescribed […]
Continue ReadingSan Francisco neighbors Kate and Gerry both got dogs after retirement but very different kinds. Kate’s multiple sclerosis forced her into retirement early at 58. She has a very active mind but has to conserve her physical energy and minimize her risk-taking. Meanwhile, Gerry worked until the age of 66 and now looks forward to […]
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