Other Side of 50

If there is a silver lining to this complex senior world, the Internet would be it. By offering information, advice, community connections and so much more at all hours of the day, it can be a lifeline for baby boomers as they navigate the second half of life. Sometimes it’s hard to find what you [...]

We live in expensive times. As prices go up and up and up, even the normal discount stores are starting to feel a little pricey. For many basic household needs, savvy shoppers are turning more frequently to thrift shops. People shop at thrift stores for any number of reasons. Some are trying to stretch their [...]

Attending the Aging in America conference every year is my way of sharpening the saw. This was my fifth year attending this event, and I am amazed at how I always learn something new. My role as president of Senior Concerns is taking me into new arenas—adult day programs for those with dementia, Meals on [...]

Every day in our community some 5,000 seniors struggle to put the right food on their tables. Faced with financial challenges, physical limitations or isolation, they face a dilemma—whether to skip meals or choose cheaper, less nutritious meals. Linda is a 72-year-old widow with low income living in Thousand Oaks. She developed cancer last year [...]

It was really encouraging to see the turnout at the recent Thousand Oaks Council on Aging program about the Village Movement. Too frequently I meet seniors, young and old, who mentally live in “Never Never Land”—where they’ll never get old and they’ll never need help. So when a large group of seniors seem interested in [...]

I learned last week that almost half of the people over age 65 in America are single. Simply put, wow! While getting older has its benefits (if you don’t think so, you need to read this column more often), traveling the journey without a partner can be challenging or at least require some careful planning. [...]

Compared to caregivers in the rest of the United States, those in California have higher levels of stress and poorer health. To many of us who work with family caregivers in multiple states, those facts seemed obvious, but we now have data to support our beliefs. According to the 2011 UCLA policy brief “ Stressed [...]

How many of us know what we can do to reduce our risk of Alzheimer’s disease? When I ask groups of seniors that question, some of the more common answers include games such as crossword puzzles, chess, or sudoku. Each one of these answers is right but also wrong, because simply playing games falls short [...]

I have a neighbor who heads to the beach when life becomes too stressful. When she felt the strain from caregiving for her 95 year-old mother or the overwhelming demands of at work, watching and listening to the waves, feeling the sand under her feet and the warmth of the sun provided a healing experience. [...]

February is a bonanza month for programs intended to help us plan and prepare for a good old age. Woodrow Wilson once said, “Wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with age. Sometimes age just shows up all by itself.” What happened to the older is wiser theory? When I was young my father defined wisdom as the [...]