Other Side of 50

I recently attended a gathering of local nonprofit CEOs to talk openly about the unprecedented challenges our organizations are facing today — from tightening budgets and workforce capacity concerns to the growing needs in our communities. While the conversation surfaced many real and pressing challenges, there was also a [...]

I’m going to begin this column with two simple, everyday observations, both shaped by my experience as an older adult navigating our community. One happens behind the wheel. The other happens on foot. Let’s start with driving. My dry cleaner, bank, and coffee shop are all in the same [...]

Many people assume that cities fund most older adult services. In reality, they do not. Programs like Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, transportation assistance, home safety modifications, and senior protection usually begin with federal funding, and then flow through the State of California, who then sends it to the [...]

This weekend, while doing some early holiday shopping at Macy’s, I found myself in line behind a white-haired woman using a walker, chatting cheerfully about the bargains she’d found and the gift card she planned to use. By chance, we ended up checking out side by side. The cashier [...]

Every community has a heartbeat. Here in the Conejo Valley, that heartbeat is made stronger, steadier, and kinder because of the volunteers who show up—day after day, year after year—to make life better for someone else. I am fortunate to see volunteerism up close through my work at Senior [...]

Every so often, I read something that makes me stop and catch my breath. Recently, it was an article in “The Chronicle of Philanthropy” listing America’s 100 favorite charities. On the surface, it was a remarkable summary of generosity, listing billions of dollars given by caring people across the [...]

My friend recently had dinner with a long-time neighbor who has been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. She told me, “He carried on a good conversation all through dinner. He seemed fine to me.” She was questioning her neighbor’s diagnosis, since in my friend’s mind, her neighbor appeared normal. [...]

A few weeks ago, I received the thick Medicare & You government handbook that is mailed to every Medicare household each fall before open enrollment (Oct. 15–Dec. 7). Seeing it immediately made me feel anxious and overwhelmed. The handbook is a comprehensive guide to Medicare and covers many topics [...]

As I was struggling at work this week to read some fine print, I realized I needed the help of my twenty-something workmate, Max. It took him seconds to read what I could not. I know my eyesight is weakening, but honestly, I have had a good run; being [...]

Over lunch the other day, a dear friend was talking about the fact that she has been caring for her mother since her dementia diagnosis 14 years ago. She shared key points in her journey, like when she moved her mother into residential care, and how now, many years [...]

I have just returned from time in New Hampshire caring for my mom. In overwhelming pain, my mother became violently ill. My sister called 911, and Mom was transported to the hospital.  The diagnoses came fast and furious - gout in her affected hand, aspiration pneumonia, and orthostatic hypotension, [...]

The Senior Concerns Director of Nutrition, who leads the Meals On Wheels program, recently asked if I would write a column about why older adults should designate an emergency contact. She relayed that more Meals On Wheels clients than we would like do not identify an emergency contact in [...]

Just when I begin to wonder what to write about next, life offers up a moment -a lesson- and I am reminded that these everyday experiences often hold meaning worth sharing. Last week, my mom, who turned 91 on July 26th, woke up and the top of her right [...]

I have been on the phone with my sister for the last few days. She has some big decisions to make about her Medicare coverage, and it can be a confusing process. My sister turns 65 in October.  Because she is currently receiving Social Security benefits, she will automatically [...]

As I sit down to write this column, I’m looking forward to my book club meeting tonight. I love books. While as a group, we may only read four to five books a year, I read about 40. This year, I am on track to read 50. Ten years [...]

At age 91, my mother finally got hearing aids.It wasn’t the well-reasoned arguments that my sisters and I espoused, such as: Hearing loss is strongly linked to dementia and cognitive decline, and that hearing aids may help slow this by keeping the brain engaged.Or that hearing aids can help maintain relationships [...]

I recently received a letter from a reader concerned about a problem some of her friends are facing. Either they—or their spouse—have been released from the hospital but remain weak and in need of care. These are couples in their 80s or 90s, and she wonders if any type of [...]

Have you ever encountered a circumstance that totally alters your view of yourself, challenges your existing beliefs, and causes you to reevaluate your understanding of yourself and your place in the world? It happened to me a few weeks ago, not once, but twice. The first incident occurred at [...]

For many of us, uncertainty is at an all-time high. Well, at least for me. Whether one is feeling the unpredictability of politics, economic instability, global tensions, or situations affecting us in our own backyard, I sense an overarching tension as I talk to others. In fact, I just [...]

Recently, I attended the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting. My coworker Julie and I were honored to accept a proclamation celebrating Senior Concerns’ 50 years of service to seniors and family caregivers in our community. Janice Parvin, Chair of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, noted that many [...]