Todays Gray Matters Valuing the Wisdom & Purpose In Aging Well

Only a few of those born into this world survive the vicissitudes of infancy, childhood and maturity. And this, by the way, is most fortunate; for otherwise if all lived to be old and the burden of caring for them  in their increasing helplessness were thus added to the burden of caring for the helpless young, this would be a ... Read More »

I did some old-fashioned things recently. First, I read in the newspaper – yes, an actual paper copy – that Jane Pauley had a new book, Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life, coming out in 2014. Next, I reserved the book and picked up the physical copy from the public library. Here’s what I learned from reading ... Read More »

Have you ever noticed that the language that we use can influence how we feel? Sometimes even a subtle change makes a big difference. Are you going to face the future or enter the future? Cope with old age or enjoy old age? Imagine what you’ll want or get to do instead of dwelling on what you’ll no longer have ... Read More »

Many years ago when my daughter Tracy, now 26, was in elementary school she loved to do the hidden pictures puzzles in the Highlights for Children magazine. One morning we were doing the puzzle together and we couldn’t find some of the pictures that were supposed to be there. We became more and more frustrated until one of us had ... Read More »

In A Long Bright Future Laura Carstensen notes that a century ago people only had about a two week period of infirmity before they died, usually at home. Now it’s more common for people to have roughly a two year period of infirmity and to die in a hospital. People thus require more medical care and cost the insurance (including ... Read More »

I was a hospice social worker for several years, and before that I was a chaplain on call at a busy trauma center. I’ve met my share of people who can’t take care of themselves, and I’ve met the people who care for them. Sometimes family is great at caregiving, sometimes it’s best to hire someone outside the family. I ... Read More »

I’m a boomer and happy to be one. I have to admit I’ve wondered if I should move from my suburban home to a more urban setting where I would have easy access to public transportation, entertainment, an intergenerational population, and more. A detached retina 13 years ago got me started thinking early about how to cope with challenges of ... Read More »