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“No Way Out of This: Living with a Partner with Alzheimer’s.” Sue Lick’s husband was fourteen years older, but that didn’t seem to matter. Yes, she loved the Beatles; he listened to crooner…

“No Way Out of Thi…

“No Way Out of This: Living with a Partner with Alzheimer’s.” Sue Lick’s husband was fourteen years older, but that didn’t seem to matter. Yes, she loved the Beatles; he listened to crooners. But they sang together, played music together, and shared a love of reading, Travel, and so much more.“I thought he’d live forever,” Sue said.It was her husband Fred who first mentioned that his memory was slipping. Sue shrugged it off and blamed the Trauma of his mother Dying and the chore of cleaning out her house.  But things spiraled down from there.Sue, a journalist and semi-profess…

“You inherit your genetic blueprint from your parents. But you construct the person that you become. Just because you have a birthday every year, your body need not age yearly.”         �…

“You inherit your …

“You inherit your genetic blueprint from your parents. But you construct the person that you become. Just because you have a birthday every year, your body need not age yearly.”                            _________ Dr. Gillian Lockitch, medical specialist, professor, and international speakerIn her new book, Growing Older, Living Younger: The Science of Aging Gracefully and Retiring (Comfortably), Gillian cites New research that reveals that what you think, how you move, what you eat, how you interact with others, stimulate your mind or challenge yourself, can m…

Judith Horn was a geriatric physical therapist with decades of experience behind her, plus years as a specialist. The specialty is relatively new, but Judith saw the need to work with older patients w…

Judith Horn was a ge…

Judith Horn was a geriatric physical therapist with decades of experience behind her, plus years as a specialist. The specialty is relatively new, but Judith saw the need to work with older patients whose needs differ greatly from others.What is the value of seeing a geriatric physical therapist? Like any health issue, we choose to see a physician who specializes. Someone with a heart problem sees a cardiologist. Someone who has pulmonary issues sees a pulmonologist. Someone with migraines sees a neurologist. A geriatric PT can spotlight physical aches, pains, and the side effects of various …

What kinds of changes do you make after a serious health crisis? For Leonie-Ruth Acland the changes after suffering a Stroke and taking a year to recover resulted in a recommitment to the mentoring an…

What kinds of change…

What kinds of changes do you make after a serious health crisis? For Leonie-Ruth Acland the changes after suffering a stroke and taking a year to recover resulted in a recommitment to the mentoring and Coaching of women and to her connection with nature on so many levels. Then at age 67, Leonie-Ruth was diagnosed with ADHD. Until then, she'd always wondered why she didn't fit the mold, why staying focused was so hard, and why when she was younger she suffered from Anxiety, particularly as a student. Her parents had high expectations and while she eventually met them, she paid a high price. A f…

Are you a risk taker? Do you thrive on trying new things, new things that may take you out of your comfort zone?Helen Hirsch Spence knows all about taking calculated risks. She climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro…

Are you a risk taker…

Are you a risk taker? Do you thrive on trying new things, new things that may take you out of your comfort zone?Helen Hirsch Spence knows all about taking calculated risks. She climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, among other peaks, reclaimed her life after a bout of Depression, and worked in Alaska, Bolivia, and Honduras. She believes in getting out of her comfort zone to "expand, reach, and learn." Oh, did I mention that she was a board member of the Jane Goodall Institute? Helen knows Jane well and sees her as a role model for older women. "She's ninety, and travels more than 300 days a year to get her…

What's so damn funny about death? Nothing, most folks would say. But not Gail Rubin, Thanatologist/Death Educator.Let's face it: death is guaranteed 100 percent. It may be the "party that no event pla…

What's so damn funny…

What's so damn funny about death? Nothing, most folks would say. But not Gail Rubin, Thanatologist/Death Educator.Let's face it: death is guaranteed 100 percent. It may be the "party that no event planner wants to plan." But don't include Gail among the party poopers.How did Gail become a death educator? That's a long story but suffice it to say that Gail didn't wake up one morning and say, "I want to be the doyenne of death." For her, it started way back when she was a college student majoring in TV and Film. She didn't know it then, but an end-of-the-year movie project would set the table. …

From the outside, Eleanor Vincent's childhood appeared idyllic. But behind the veneer of a loving, supportive environment was a darker secret: her mother was depressed, Eleanor was abused, and both he…

From the outside, El…

From the outside, Eleanor Vincent's childhood appeared idyllic. But behind the veneer of a loving, supportive environment was a darker secret: her mother was depressed, Eleanor was abused, and both her parents were same-sex gays and bitterly unhappy. "Our job--my siblings' and mine -- was to protect our parents and not let their secret out." During a year when her father lived in New York to pursue acting, her mother had a female lover. The tension was palpable.One can only imagine how all of the Stress, confusion, and anger molded Eleanor and impacted her choices in life, including her choic…

Are you a grandparent who will spend time with your grandchildren, particularly around the holidays? If not, how will you share and engage with your grandchildren from a distance at any time of year?T…

Are you a grandparen…

Are you a grandparent who will spend time with your grandchildren, particularly around the holidays? If not, how will you share and engage with your grandchildren from a distance at any time of year?There are 47 million grandparents in the United States, with an average age of 67. This may be a surprise: 71 percent of grandparents are still working. So, what can these grandparents do to nurture the relationship? How can they engage? How can a grandparent be the GEO, Grand Parent Officer?Kerry Byrne is a researcher, collaborator, and entrepreneur in aging, care, and connection. She is the Found…

"My favorite species is the human species." ----- Lucinda Sykes, retired MDDid you know that new science links prescribed sleeping pills to an increase in your chances of dementia and Alzheimers?Sleep…

"My favorite species…

"My favorite species is the human species." ----- Lucinda Sykes, retired MDDid you know that new science links prescribed sleeping pills to an increase in your chances of dementia and Alzheimers?Sleeping pills don't put you to sleep; they sedate the brain and prevent it from giving itself a power wash that gets rid of material ultimately connected to disease.This episode's guest is Lucida Sykes, retired MD and current sleep coach. You may have listened to an earlier episode with Lucinda. This is a Command Performance."Millions of older women are being taken from their families," Lucinda says. …

Did you know that sometime between 2030 and 2035 it will be the first time in American history that more people will be 65+ than people 18 years and younger?Crazy!Today's guest, gerontologist Jeanette…

Did you know that so…

Did you know that sometime between 2030 and 2035 it will be the first time in American history that more people will be 65+ than people 18 years and younger?Crazy!Today's guest, gerontologist Jeanette Leardi, is one of this podcast's favorite guests. We first talked in June 2003, and since then she has a new book out, Aging Sideways: Changing Our Perspectives on Getting Older.Jeanette's story is fascinating. She became a gerontologist in her late 50s after taking care of her older parents for ten years. She was blown away at how poorly older people were treated and decided to try to change peo…

How did your recent doctor's appointment go? Did you get the care you needed? Were all your questions answered? Did you feel as if you were a valued patient whose health mattered?If you're like many p…

How did your recent …

How did your recent doctor's appointment go? Did you get the care you needed? Were all your questions answered? Did you feel as if you were a valued patient whose health mattered?If you're like many patients--often older women--the answer to some of these questions is "No!". Everything was rushed. You were in and out too quickly—the time you spent jotting down questions before your appointment seemed like a waste. What was the point if you left the doctor's office confused, frustrated, and angry?After an episode of "Older Women & Friends" about breast Cancer, one about problems associat…

What is the pelvic floor? Where is it located in the body? What does it do? What are the potential issues created by a weak pelvic floor?You might be surprised to learn that millions of young and old…

What is the pelvic f…

What is the pelvic floor? Where is it located in the body? What does it do? What are the potential issues created by a weak pelvic floor?You might be surprised to learn that millions of young and older women experience problems--many of them uncomfortable and embarrassing--with their pelvic floor.Dr. Nabila Noor, a urogynecologist and physician specializing in pelvic floor problems, joins me in this informative episode. Dr. Noor explains how we can take preventative measures like specific exercises to strengthen our pelvic floor and, if those measures are unsuccessful, the simple, fast surge…