Aging, caregiving and the journey through the second half of life

No Easy Way Out

December 5, 2015

In working with our aging parents, we encounter predictable dilemmas with no easy way out. Here is a personal story that echoes a common theme I hear about from adult children. As my mother approached 90 and despite increasing frailty…

Transition Assets: The Boomers Arriving At 70

November 30, 2015

“We neither get better or worse as we get older, but more like ourselves” ……Robert Anthony Beginning in 2016, the boomers will be landing on the shore of seventy something. While turning 70 is still officially classified as “young-old,” there…

Rethinking Solo Caregiving For A Spouse

November 24, 2015

Solo caregiving for a spouse takes a toll on both parties. What starts out as act of compassion and loyalty can deteriorate into a role that exceeds the best efforts of one person. Unfortunately, the stress of day to day…

The Long Tail of Parental Regret

November 19, 2015

Some childhoods turn out poorly leaving a trail of emotional scars and dysfunctional behaviors. Survivors are left to make the best of it. While dreaming of a Hollywood moment, none of them expect an abusive or absent parent to ever…

Old Age is the Stage

November 18, 2015

Art is the great decoder of unintelligible worlds like old age. In psychology we call this decoding ‘sensemaking’ and the plays about aging in this splendid article are sensemaking at its finest. As important, they give old age a humanizing…

The Untenable Promise

November 14, 2015

Older adults fear nursing homes more than death itself. Those of us waiting to be old fear it right along with them. When asked to promise to never to put an aging parent in a nursing, we do not hesitate.…

Do Not Go Gracefully…

October 30, 2015

Aging is complex and uneven. Not everyone is aging gracefully. Wendi Knox’s inspiring article reminds us that other styles are equally compelling, valid and necessary. To this end she declares: “I intend to age exuberantly. Colorfully. Creatively. Bravely. Boldly. Healthfully.…

Transitional Care Mind Map

October 27, 2015

Moving an aging parent back home from institutional care is complicated and stressful. For a successful transition, families need a better way to understand the scope, moving parts, and planning steps. This integrative big picture allows them to assess their…

Wishes

October 27, 2015

Aging is like a zoom lens. The longer we hang around, the clearer we see what matters. We also see what was worth a second look or might be included in a second chance. Anne Porter’s poem “Five Wishes” is…

Anything But Dementia

October 23, 2015

The question “What Genuinely Terrifies You?” was posed on Reddit and the overwhelming consensus was not war, cancer or being destitute. It was dementia. One responder who goes by the name of Poem_for_you Sprog commented in verse, a sentiment that…

Second-Half of Life Blog