Other Side of 50

Ever wonder what those hundred year-olds featured on the Smuckers’ segment of the Today Show, may have done right? In particular, what abilities might they possess, that allow them to live over a century, while still enjoying life? Since the world we live in has changed dramatically for a person who is a hundred years-old [...]

It’s a humbling experience to walk the halls of Senior Concerns during the holidays. Almost every day there is some act of kindness that catches your heart and makes you realize what a great community we live in. A few days ago a student group brought in a big batch of frozen cookie dough from [...]

My parents were in their 60s when I moved to California, which is 3,000 miles away from “home.” Caring for my aging parents long distance wasn’t even a consideration at that time. As the years passed, my dad developed Parkinson’s and my mom became his full-time caregiver. Had I lived close by, I would have [...]

For the past eight years Shirley, age 77, has been handling the family finances for herself and her husband Joe. A former CPA, Joe had handled the couple’s money, but the tremors from his Parkinson’s restricted his ability to write checks or use online banking and the mild dementia Joe experiences left him confused with [...]

It seemed to happen overnight. Andrea entered the assisted living facility to join her 94-year-old mother for casino night. Unable to find her at the event, Andrea went to her mother’s room. She was shocked by what she saw. Her mom was sitting on her bed wearing half her wardrobe— two summer dresses, pants, multiple [...]

The little cul-de-sac in the neighborhood where I live is falling apart. Not the streets, the driveways nor the houses, but the people. Just like me, most of my neighbors are on the other side of 50. Collectively we have been sharing a number of non-lifethreatening ailments and injuries that would keep a small cadre [...]

Recently, a Seattle-based hospitality company, One Eighty, announced plans to convert the former hospital site at 4415 S. Lakeview Canyon Road in Westlake Village into a boutique-style retirement community. If Dan Madsen, CEO of One Eighty, is listening, here’s one boomer’s advice on how to make the facility succeed. No. 1: Connect residents with the [...]

A recent study says that more than half of seniors over age 60 find Medicare confusing or don’t understand it at all Boomers are nervous, indifferent or uneducated about Medicare. Ten thousand boomers a day are eligible for Medicare, the largest growth ever in the history of the program. A recent study by United Healthcare [...]

In advance of California Healthcare Decisions Week, Oct. 23 to 29, Dr. Lanyard Dial, CEO and medical director of Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurses Association, has written this week’s The Other Side of 50 column. Unlike earlier generations, odds are that many of us will die a slow death, often mixed with periods of isolation and [...]

The word “home” has personal meaning for most people. A home may convey a sense of family, security, comfort, independence and even financial freedom. Often as we age, transitions in our lives may directly impact our housing choices. Divorce or loss of a spouse may prompt us to look for a home that better suits [...]