Other Side of 50

Right after the Thanksgiving holiday, while we were chatting on the phone, I asked my 90-year-old mother what she was doing. She told me she was in the den in her recliner with her feet elevated. She explained that for the last few days her ankles were swollen and her legs felt tired. She [...]

Recently, my mother’s 88-year-old sister fell. As she went down, her husband said, “You just broke your hip.” I am not sure if being a medic in the army sixty years ago qualified him to make that diagnosis, but he was right. My aunt and uncle live about 90 minutes from their only daughter, [...]

Conversations with aging parents require compassion I recently witnessed a conversation at a restaurant between a woman and her mother. The woman appeared to be in her fifties or sixties and her mother in her seventies or eighties. The waitress was quickly listing the specials of the day, looking down at the table as [...]

While a lot is being said these days about the effects of loneliness and social isolation on older adults’ mental and physical health, I am going to turn to the other side of the coin for a moment. If you, like me, are an extrovert, and have a busy work and social life, some [...]

t is my family’s belief that my mother is the best driver among us. In addition to a spotless driving record, when she parks her car at her house, she must back into a tiny one car garage that has an unforgiving margin of error. None of us are willing to back her car [...]

A few weeks ago, I attended the national conference of the Society for Certified Senior Advisors. The Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)® credential can be earned by professionals by demonstrating their competence and knowledge in working with older adults. I have held this designation since 2008. I attended the conference as part of my continuing [...]

Many years ago, I volunteered at a hospital. One of my duties was filling in for the floor secretary (remember, it was years ago) when she went to lunch or was on break. As part of the job, I had a copy of the census or a listing of all the patients on that [...]

I just returned from possibly the best vacation of my life. The memories I brought back will stay with me forever. The trip began with the culmination of six months of planning for a big catered backyard barbecue for my mom’s 90th birthday. The tent was set, tables in place, the garden groomed, tribute [...]