One of Tom’s all-time favorite movies is Notorious, the Alfred Hitchcock thriller with Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains. It’s a typical ex-Nazi/spy/double-crossing feature, with some of the master’s best direction. One scene that always stuck with Tom was the final descent by Grant and Bergman down the main staircase, in which they were […]
Continue ReadingA cancer diagnosis five years before had left Iris caught up in an imminent fear of death. Even though she’d since gone into remission, thoughts of death haunted her — at 65 years old, she didn’t know how to move through them. Her doctor recommended a psychologist in her area, and after the first few […]
Continue ReadingGary hated taking medication ever since he was a child—the thought of swallowing pills made him cringe. He grew to tolerate the ritual, however, when age brought with it a number of required prescriptions… but that didn’t mean he had to like it. And the amount of tablets seemed to increase as time passed: by […]
Continue ReadingWhile they had caught Ruth’s esophageal cancer fairly early, her chances were slim. There was roughly a 40% chance of survival over five years, and she had turned down any treatment beyond palliative. She told her children that if she had been younger she might have tried to fight it, but the chances were too […]
Continue ReadingFlowers are blooming, the days are getting longer, and spring is in the air. Spring and summer are usually considered to be happy times of the year, and generally mean greater psychological well-being for many seniors. But this is not true for everyone. Scientists have discovered that there are unique, spring-specific factors known to be […]
Continue ReadingIntimacy in the aging population has long been seen as a taboo subject, but in an interview for LeadingAge California’s Engage magazine, Dr. Patrick Arbore discusses its importance. “Connections are what bind us to life. We need to break through these barriers that insist that intimacy and sexuality is only the terrain of younger people.”
Continue ReadingThe end of life, that final journey for every one of us, is a time for solemnity, grief, reflection, and joy. Because death has always been a tricky area for us, it may be hard for many to imagine that one can feel a sense of joy in end-of-life planning. Yet Irvin Yalom, a renowned […]
Continue ReadingWhen Alfred began showing early signs of dementia, his family was deeply concerned about what to do. How quickly would his mental condition deteriorate? Would they be able to communicate with him for much longer? These questions swirled in their heads, as 70-year-old Alfred began to struggle with speech and memory. He gradually became more […]
Continue ReadingElsa felt that she had never actually been alone before the day that Thomas was buried. They had been married for over 40 years, together even longer, and even through his sickness over the last five years, she felt that closeness, that bond with her husband. He had been dying for a long time, but […]
Continue Reading75 years young, Tara was fit as a fiddle and rarely went to the doctor. She could out-energize most of her family with her lust for life and unique joie de vivre. Whenever she did experience minor aches and pains she brushed it off, chalking it up to old age. So it wasn’t any surprise […]
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