Other Side of 50

I recently attended a gathering of local nonprofit CEOs to talk openly about the unprecedented challenges our organizations are facing today — from tightening budgets and workforce capacity concerns to the growing needs in our communities. While the conversation surfaced many real and pressing challenges, there was also a bright and hopeful theme that [...]

I’m going to begin this column with two simple, everyday observations, both shaped by my experience as an older adult navigating our community. One happens behind the wheel. The other happens on foot. Let’s start with driving. My dry cleaner, bank, and coffee shop are all in the same strip mall. It’s a familiar [...]

Many people assume that cities fund most older adult services. In reality, they do not. Programs like Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, transportation assistance, home safety modifications, and senior protection usually begin with federal funding, and then flow through the State of California, who then sends it to the county level where grants are [...]

This weekend, while doing some early holiday shopping at Macy’s, I found myself in line behind a white-haired woman using a walker, chatting cheerfully about the bargains she’d found and the gift card she planned to use. By chance, we ended up checking out side by side. The cashier struggled with her gift card [...]

Every community has a heartbeat. Here in the Conejo Valley, that heartbeat is made stronger, steadier, and kinder because of the volunteers who show up—day after day, year after year—to make life better for someone else. I am fortunate to see volunteerism up close through my work at Senior Concerns, but lately I’ve been [...]

Every so often, I read something that makes me stop and catch my breath. Recently, it was an article in “The Chronicle of Philanthropy” listing America’s 100 favorite charities. On the surface, it was a remarkable summary of generosity, listing billions of dollars given by caring people across the country. But as I scanned [...]

My friend recently had dinner with a long-time neighbor who has been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. She told me, “He carried on a good conversation all through dinner. He seemed fine to me.” She was questioning her neighbor’s diagnosis, since in my friend’s mind, her neighbor appeared normal. My friend’s reaction is very [...]

A few weeks ago, I received the thick Medicare & You government handbook that is mailed to every Medicare household each fall before open enrollment (Oct. 15–Dec. 7). Seeing it immediately made me feel anxious and overwhelmed. The handbook is a comprehensive guide to Medicare and covers many topics like the basics of coverage, [...]

As I was struggling at work this week to read some fine print, I realized I needed the help of my twenty-something workmate, Max. It took him seconds to read what I could not. I know my eyesight is weakening, but honestly, I have had a good run; being able to accommodate my vision [...]

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 [...]