Imagine having multiple sclerosis and being in a wheelchair for 25 years. That was Eleanor, in Tennessee, feeling trapped. When her neurologist told her she would never improve, she refused to accept this pronouncement. She had a quality of defiance. Her thought: “Don’t tell me I can’t do something. I’m going to prove you wrong”. And […]
How to Embrace the Empty Nest and Thrive in Your New Space As your children have grown up and moved out, leaving a quiet and often empty house in their wake, you might find yourself contemplating the practicality of the spacious family home. You are not alone in this thought. Downsizing is a common path […]
It’s not surprising what last year’s top consumer complaint was. I’ve seen it many times as No. 1 on annual consumer complaint lists. It’s auto sales and repair. “Consumers rely on cars to get to work, school, doctors’ appointments and more,” said Erin Witte, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America. Complaints […]
On Saturday, I received a strange email. It said it was from Gastro Health and a new lab result had been entered into my patient portal from my Gastro Health provider. To access my lab results, I was to go to my patient portal. I thought it was a scam. I haven’t had a test […]
We hear of ageism in the workplace. Older workers are laid off and when they seek new jobs, they are discriminated against in favor of younger, cheaper, less experienced workers. We hear of ageism in the media where elders are depicted as frail, impaired, dependent and in need of oh, so many medications. We do […]
No. What ended on Thursday was the covid health emergency on public health and safety measures in the United States. In addition, the World Health Organization recently ended the covid related global health emergency. The U.S. ended the covid health emergency because Republicans would no longer support funding for it. What does the end of […]
Photo: Andy Thornley Since I’m usually up late at night, I’ve come to love Stephen Colbert … and James Corden. Corden and his “The Late Late Show” team made me laugh. I truly thought Corden was funny. He was enthusiastic and upbeat, even during the pandemic. I looked forward to his show, as well as […]
Our government is currently focusing on the mental health of elders, particularly the loneliness they experience. For those with aging loved ones, pandemic related social isolation exacerbated what was already an underlying problem. Many elders do not have consistent, meaningful connections with enough others to prevent the sadness and hopelessness so many experience every day. […]
Today’s my birthday. Yes, I do get a lot of “May the Fourth be with you” comments. I just shrug it off that my birthday, to some, is an unofficial Star Wars holiday. Since I’m an older adult, I’m thinking a lot today about friends and relatives that I’ve celebrated birthdays with in the past […]
There are plenty of aging parents out there making life difficult for their adult children, as we see from our experience working with elders’ families at AgingParents.com. A common problem for families happens when the one in charge of finances, typically the patriarch, develops cognitive impairment and can no longer safely manage the family trust and […]
