Other Side of 50

It might sound like a random invitation, but at a recent holiday gathering of women friends, a community acquaintance, Terry, invited me to go for a walk. We’d been talking about feeling a bit stressed and sad watching some of the rude behavior of others, whether in the media or in our daily lives. Always [...]

It was my recent fall - documented extensively in previous columns - that compelled me to suggest to my husband that we review our estate plan. I guess I needed to remind myself that I am not immortal, and I wanted to be sure that our plan fits our current circumstances. In these past few [...]

The organ and tissue donation process is unfamiliar to a lot of us. Some people may not even know they are registered donors. Understanding the law and how it is implemented is important. The first time many of us heard of choices about organ donation was at the DMV. More than 90% of individuals [...]

For weeks, friends and neighbors worked on planning a surprise block party for my friend Margaret’s 90th birthday. On the big day, over 50 people showed up with food, drink and gifts to celebrate this amazing lady. Several of the neighbors who attended the party had read my Acorn column about my fall. Soon I [...]

Due to this year’s meteoric rise in the consumer price index, a measure of inflation in the cost of goods and services, Social Security beneficiaries will receive an 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment for 2023. Only three times in the past 46 years has the COLA been higher - in 1979 to 1981 with an increase of [...]

Morning walks in my neighborhood are one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. I love the coolness of daybreak and the special sightings of the stag and two does that frequent our open space. I also enjoy my walk because each day at that time I call my mother to catch up [...]

How old is too old for working at a job? Last week a news story hit my inbox and it really got me to thinking about age and retirement. The article noted that Target Corp. abandoned its mandatory retirement age of 65 for its CEO, Brian Cornell. Cornell is 63. There were two things [...]

I’ve been thinking a lot about retirement lately. One of our amazing staff members, who has been with Senior Concerns for the last 13 years, retired last month. It just doesn’t seem real. I always thought of Dana as young. Certainly not the person to retire before me. Dana has wonderful reasons for retiring. A [...]

If you need to be reminded of the beauty of humanity, you only need to look at acts of compassion. Recently I was eating lunch at a restaurant that plays sports on its TVs. I normally pay little attention to television as I like to read a book during lunch. However, on this particular day, [...]

I have a 79-year-old friend who I have lunch with about once a month. We met many years ago by happenstance, as she had a weekly appointment that ended when mine began. We started to chat in the waiting room and over time became friends. She is a smart woman who spent many years in [...]