Other Side of 50

I am unsure how it came to be, but over the last number of years I have become rather involved in the topic of end-of-life choices. For one, I sit on the Steering Committee for the Ventura County Coalition for Compassionate Care (VCCCC), a nonprofit organization advocating for the discussion [...]

As a recently unemployed older worker, you have options for health insurance, but read the fine print. It will be crucial. If you were part of a group health insurance plan sponsored by your employer and you lose your job, you may be entitled to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation [...]

In 1988, at the age of 58, my father was laid off from his job as a lighting engineer at GTE Sylvania. Thus began his forced retirement. My mother worked two more years and left her job in the school system on her own terms. Both had vastly different experiences [...]

I’d like to start a campaign to encourage older men to address their health issues with their doctor. I have a dear sixty-something friend who recently expressed frustration because her husband refuses to get medical attention.   Statistically, men are more likely than women to be stubborn about seeing a [...]

When it comes to taking prescription medications, I am fortunate that I take only one medication and it’s a generic one. I have taken this medication for years now. Each time I get a refill, I receive the same familiar yellow colored, flat oval tablet with tapered ends. I don’t [...]

Last week my husband and I joined a Zoom call with my mother and her financial advisor. It was an annual call to go over my mom’s needs and goals in the coming year. My husband and I are my mother’s partners in her financial decisions. Up until five years [...]

I call January my health month because it is when I schedule my annual doctor appointments, with my primary care physician as well as the specialists I see. One certainty is that almost all of us will have an annual wellness exam or an appointment to address a specific health [...]

Years ago, I remember getting permission to go into my mother’s purse to get a piece of gum or hard candy.  Inside was a veritable treasure trove of items for a young girl to examine. Lipstick, a compact, eyeliner, a hairbrush, a calendar, a pen, an address book, an embroidered [...]

If you are not traveling to see family or have relatives staying with you over this holiday, you may have some downtime on your hands. When many of us are juggling schedules and working on a never-ending list of to-do's, an organized space can seem like something nice to [...]

Many older adults are relieved that most people no longer feel the need to wear face masks. The reason is one you may not suspect; Unmasking gives us the ability to lipread. Lipreading is defined as the art of being able to see speech sounds. It is often called [...]

Ageist thinking has been a staple of American culture for hundreds of years. How many times have we heard these sentiments being touted as facts? Being old is a bad thing; older adults aren’t fit for work; older adults need protecting; older people are slow and stuck in the past; [...]

Many years ago, when my husband Peter and I lived in New Jersey, he took the train to Manhattan for work. It was far from a glamorous experience. Cutting it close each day, (because he wanted to squeeze out every minute of sleep in the mornings) he jockeyed for [...]

My husband and I became recent victims of check fraud. Our story begins a month ago when I wrote a check out to a company who will be doing some work for us later this year. The contract required a 10% deposit at the time of booking. I mailed [...]

Recently, a female friend asked me if there is a book she can read to learn about the things she should be doing to plan now that she is getting older. She mentioned that she has other single female friends of varying ages, who are also wondering the same thing.  [...]

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to visit my sister in Del Mar. Though I love my sister and we are very close. I knew we hadn’t been to see them in quite a while, but I was shocked to learn our last visit had been [...]

Early in my career working with older adults, it was my strong belief that if a person needed help, and we were able to offer it, it should be provided. However, several times our efforts were not met with acceptance. There was the senior who refused home delivered meals [...]

If you are anything like me, your mailbox and email in box are filled with statements every month. They arrive for credit cards, banks, investments, utilities, service providers, and more. If you want to stay on top of them, it is easily a multi-hour a week job to review [...]

I recently attended a celebration of life for an acquaintance. She was a lovely woman who lived a full life filled with family, close friends, travel, and lots of fun and adventure.  She was also a very giving person. Her wish was for her friends to come and select [...]

My husband Peter has been working from home for quite some time now. Mid-pandemic he joined a new firm in a remote job. His company is headquartered in New York City. Unlike me, he’s the kind of guy that can go all day crunching numbers and talking to workmates [...]

My friend, a fellow solo-ager (older adult without children), recently asked me some provocative questions. They were, I think, a sign of the times that people are broadening their thinking around what’s important. She began by sharing a recent article in the New York Times about individuals who bequeathed assets [...]