Other Side of 50

Over lunch the other day, a dear friend was talking about the fact that she has been caring for her mother since her dementia diagnosis 14 years ago. She shared key points in her journey, like when she moved her mother into residential care, and how now, many years later, her mother no longer [...]

I have just returned from time in New Hampshire caring for my mom. In overwhelming pain, my mother became violently ill. My sister called 911, and Mom was transported to the hospital.  The diagnoses came fast and furious - gout in her affected hand, aspiration pneumonia, and orthostatic hypotension, which is a sudden drop [...]

The Senior Concerns Director of Nutrition, who leads the Meals On Wheels program, recently asked if I would write a column about why older adults should designate an emergency contact. She relayed that more Meals On Wheels clients than we would like do not identify an emergency contact in their profile. This is problematic [...]

Just when I begin to wonder what to write about next, life offers up a moment -a lesson- and I am reminded that these everyday experiences often hold meaning worth sharing. Last week, my mom, who turned 91 on July 26th, woke up and the top of her right hand was swollen and painful. [...]

I have been on the phone with my sister for the last few days. She has some big decisions to make about her Medicare coverage, and it can be a confusing process. My sister turns 65 in October.  Because she is currently receiving Social Security benefits, she will automatically be enrolled in Medicare Part [...]

As I sit down to write this column, I’m looking forward to my book club meeting tonight. I love books. While as a group, we may only read four to five books a year, I read about 40. This year, I am on track to read 50. Ten years ago, I purchased an e-reader, [...]

At age 91, my mother finally got hearing aids.It wasn’t the well-reasoned arguments that my sisters and I espoused, such as: Hearing loss is strongly linked to dementia and cognitive decline, and that hearing aids may help slow this by keeping the brain engaged.Or that hearing aids can help maintain relationships and support active participation in [...]

I recently received a letter from a reader concerned about a problem some of her friends are facing. Either they—or their spouse—have been released from the hospital but remain weak and in need of care. These are couples in their 80s or 90s, and she wonders if any type of medical support is available after [...]

Have you ever encountered a circumstance that totally alters your view of yourself, challenges your existing beliefs, and causes you to reevaluate your understanding of yourself and your place in the world? It happened to me a few weeks ago, not once, but twice. The first incident occurred at a fast-casual restaurant. I was [...]

For many of us, uncertainty is at an all-time high. Well, at least for me. Whether one is feeling the unpredictability of politics, economic instability, global tensions, or situations affecting us in our own backyard, I sense an overarching tension as I talk to others. In fact, I just felt tense writing this paragraph. [...]