Other Side of 50

Part one of a two-part series The phone rings. Your 80-year old mother has fallen. They suspect she has broken her hip. An ambulance is on its way. Whether the relationship with your mother is strained or loving, you live near or far, you are her only child or one of six, most likely you [...]

Our new house brought with it many new things: a new address, a new location and new neighbors. I find it odd that people in the market for a new home would spend so much energy deciding on the location and price but give so little attention to who their neighbors might be. Some neighbors [...]

My best friend’s 16-year old daughter is facing one of the toughest decisions of her young life. Jennifer is a scholar and a talented soccer player, ranked sixth in her state, destined for a scholarship to a Division I school. Like most talented players who want to hone their skills in the off-season, Jennifer joined [...]

For many of us, getting fit is an ever-present entry on our to-do list. Not so for Mike McAdam. Since April 2012, McAdam, 41, a recreation coordinator at Goebel Adult Community Center, has lost an incredible 225 pounds. “Last year at this time I would dread walking to the front desk to greet visitors,” he [...]

Each time I think of my mother in-law, Mary, in her assisted living facility, I feel sad. While today she is in a safe, nurturing environment and is surrounded by people she now calls her friends, I wish the journey we traveled to get her there hadn’t been one filled with anger, anxiety and frustration. [...]

You know that stage of life between being a young, healthy, vibrant 20-something and needing medication reminders and Lifeline pendants? I think I, and many of my friends, are there. It’s that time of life when a simple gadget newly introduced into your life could make living just a little easier. We are still vital, [...]

It was Stephen Covey who said, “ Begin with the end in mind.” That got me to thinking. What regrets do people express as they near the end of life, and what actions can we take now so we don’t have similar regrets? In her book, “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying,” palliative care [...]

Each year during Thanksgiving weekend I put together my holiday shopping list. And each year my list gets a little shorter as some friends and family say, “Let’s forget the gift giving; please donate to a good cause on my behalf.” Not a bad idea, giving to those that really need it and where your [...]

Visiting my parents in New Hampshire this week, I spent a lot of time in the grocery store. As a matter of fact, we shopped for groceries every single day. According to industry experts, seniors are the most frequent shoppers, averaging more shopping trips annually than any other cohort. Why? Possibly because seniors are less [...]

At age 35 I found out my bones weren’t as strong and healthy as a normal 35-year-old’s. Back then, almost 20 years ago, on my first appointment with a new doctor, one of the forms I was asked to complete was a checklist of 13 risk factors for osteoporosis. I read down the checklist. Am [...]