Other Side of 50

If you’ve ever been the caregiver for an impaired elderly loved one, you know where your focus lies almost every minute of every day—with the person you are caring for. My mom is the full-time caregiver for my dad, who’s had Parkinson’s for the past 12 years. Parkinson’s is a slow-growing disease that causes uncontrolled [...]

Have you met anyone who’s had shingles? If so, they probably have a lot to tell you about their experience. My mother-in-law, who is a lung cancer survivor, says the pain associated with healing from her lung cancer surgery was nothing in comparison to the pain she experienced from the shingles outbreak she suffered 10 [...]

Last week I was watching a rerun of “I Love Lucy” and got to thinking: What if we fast-forwarded Ricky and Fred into today’s marketplace to see how their career choices would have turned out? And what if we did the same exercise with our chosen professions? Will our choices stand the test of time? [...]

It should come as no surprise that the rate of change in our world is accelerating. Or maybe it is a surprise? These days, change occurs so continually and rapidly that we may not realize the impact of this change until we reflect upon it and bring it into closer view. Economists, scientists and futurists [...]

Today’s news stories speak volumes. Seniors struggle to make ends meet . . . more elderly find they can’t afford not to work . . . baby boomers are forced to support parents. A growing number of seniors are struggling financially. Forced to choose between meals and medications, homeowners insurance and healthcare, or cable and [...]

Jessica and her husband are worried about their elderly neighbors, Bill and Rachel. Living alone and in their 80s, Bill and Rachel have been staples in the neighborhood for years. Rachel, who is a beautiful woman and prides herself on her appearance, has appeared outside her house each day wearing the same stained dress. When [...]

Many single or widowed seniors continue to live in their home well into their 80s and 90s. In fact, living alone has become more common for all age groups over the past 50 years. Single seniors who are older and consciously make the choice to live in their own home in later years often do [...]

I often tell people that I’ve been blessed with great parents, not just because they are fine examples of human beings but because of their willingness to embrace change as they age. When my sisters and I suggested we hire a geriatric care manager to recommend ways to make it easier for our dad to [...]

Imagine being a prisoner in your own home, unable to visit friends, make it to doctor appointments, eat out, attend cultural events or shop for groceries unless someone is available to drive you. After an exodus to the suburbs in the 1950s, operating a car became a necessity for getting to work, maintaining our daily [...]

A few weeks ago the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a draft recommendation that all baby boomers (those born between 1945 and 1965) take a one-time blood test to detect hepatitis C, a disease that, if left untreated, can ultimately lead to liver cancer and death. According to the CDC, hepatitis C deaths [...]