Posts Tagged With ‘ Aging ’

Wendy – Hey, Boomer I agree with Anne Lamott.  “I don’t feel old, because your inside self doesn’t age.” Anne Lamott published a story in the Washington Post today titled, It’s not so ‘terribly strange to be 70.’ Turning 70 was an awakening and a reset for me. Interestingly, it was not as traumatic as turning 60 or 65. On those previous milestone birthdays, I was still in the throes of internal ageism. I feared losing the youthful energy and youthful outlook I had accepted as necessary. Coming of age as a Baby Boomer instilled in us the fear of aging. I have become more accepting... Continue Reading

Wendy – Hey, Boomer When we were kids, our grandparents were the epitome of age—immortalized in old photographs and cherished memories with their enduring routines and ways of life. They seemed old, ‘outdated’, unable to keep up with the ‘modern’ times. As we grow older, our perspectives on aging change and we cherish the relationships we develop in our later years. Our relationships—be it with a spouse, sibling, or friend—fundamentally shape who we are. As we approach or enter retirement, these relationships often undergo significant transformations. Retirement can be the starting... Continue Reading

Wendy – Hey, Boomer My mom, Sena Parris Martin, was the nineth of 11 children born to Vernie and Essie Parris. Her Dad, my Papa, was a tobacco sharecropper. Growing up during the Great Depression, Mom was no stranger to hard work including picking cotton, cutting, tying and hanging tobacco and lots of other chores.  When she found herself a single mom of 5 at the age of 35, I am sure that good work ethic came in handy.  Mom was meek, quiet, and happy to fly beneath the radar.  She had a very quick wit and a sparkle in her eyes.  She loved birds, tending to her flower beds, spending time... Continue Reading

Wendy – Hey, Boomer I have been a caregiver for my husband for the last ten years for a variety of procedures and surgeries ranging from shoulder replacements, cataracts, and heart surgery to prostrate and cardiovascular procedures. All these medical interventions came with a variety of inconveniences that were manageable by my husband or needed a moderate degree of assistance from me. Radical Turn My caregiving experience took a radical turn when my husband underwent heart surgery for the second time. He needed to have one heart valve replaced and two valves repaired. What was supposed to... Continue Reading

Wendy – Hey, Boomer I had the opportunity and good fortune to be able to listen to the podcast of Dr. Terri Pease last week re: her journey of moving from being a care partner with her husband suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, to the roll of caregiver.  This particular subject caught my attention as soon as I saw the title as I had walked the same road over the last few years, though my wife, now deceased, suffered from a different disease. Dr. Pease gives so much great advice about the stages and steps you can take but none more important than to sit down and talk with each other about... Continue Reading

Wendy – Hey, Boomer This is the first in a series of guest blogs, written by caregivers with different perspectives and different experiences. I am thankful to all who chose to submit a story and to all who have lived these experiences. I didn’t want to be a caregiver – and I still don’t.  I also never expected to be a caregiver, not in this way, not at this point in my life.  But for the last four years, I’ve been filling that role for my aunt, whose health deteriorated rapidly just at the start of the pandemic.  Because she never married or had children, the responsibility... Continue Reading

If you want to be a winner every time, set the bar low enough so that you’d have to work hard not to achieve it. People will applaud you because you act and look exactly like them. I want to be the same as everyone else, said no one with self-respect, ever. When we were kids we had big dreams…we wanted to become someone in this world…to make our mark…but somewhere on that trail, we found tears, and discouragement in the form of other travelers who demanded that, if we wanted to walk along with them, we had to do and say the things they said and did. Where I grew up we have a lovely park... Continue Reading

You’ve heard the adage “use it or lose it”. It’s particularly apt in describing what happens as we age. Typically we move less, lose muscle strength, and suffer the consequences of losing independence, have greater fall risk and other undesirable things. At the beginning of each year, people commonly make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, or somehow “get in shape”. But, we also know that most people don’t keep those resolutions very long and eventually just give them up. A Key To Independence Here are some thoughts on what any older person can and must do if you don’t want... Continue Reading

Have you ever heard the term “undue influence”? Most people don’t really understand what it means.  Is it just some weird legal thing? Or should you understand it? When it comes to seniors and financial abuse, the term becomes very important, because undue influence often leads to financial abuse.  The legal concept of undue influence goes way back in history to the 1600s.  A lot of our law in the US is based on what our British ancestors did.  And sure enough, there is an old case in which a woman pretended to love an older man and pressured or influenced him to give her all his money... Continue Reading

We live in a time where myths take the place of facts. We read that senior moments are momentary, related to age, undifferentiated, humorous, not a part of our identity, and can be prevented by motivation to change. Guess what? None of it is true. In this article, you’ll learn the seven most toxic myths about senior moments–ones […] Originally Published on https://stangoldbergwriter.com/ Continue Reading