Second-Half of Life Blog

It’s about health span, not life span…

It’s about health span, not life span…
This charming six minute video from BBC radio restates the goal of healthy living as “health span” as opposed to “life span.” Preserving quality of life and avoiding financial ruin appear reasons enough for anyone to adopt a moderate lifestyle…

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Poetry and Aging Parents, Part 4

Adult children live in a bittersweet world of loss and gratitude regarding aging parents. Barbara Crooker’s poem All Saints Day captures this emotional mixture as it attends her mother’s leaving… All Saints Day By Barbara Crooker It’s one day past…

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The Art of Holding Space…

The Art of Holding Space…
Heather Plett’s insightful and moving article on holding space, What is means to “hold space” for people, plus eight tips on how to do it well, is a primer on the dance of compassion for those who are leaving as…

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Honor Their Words…

Honor Their Words…
At some point you have to be their voice. No one else can do it. This article by Dr. Mikkael Sekeres director of the leukemia program at the Cleveland Clinic reminds us that we are called to honor the words…

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No Longer Safe To Drive

At some point it becomes painfully obvious. Maybe it’s the near misses, another fender bender, traffic tickets, getting lost on errands, poor night vision, or increasing confusion. Whatever the mix of warning signs, the message is clear and deeply concerning.…

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When Everything Falls Apart

Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity…….Socrates The world of aging parents is a complex system. This is not simply a scientific observation; it is a critical…

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Poetry and Aging Parents, Part 3

The loss of an aging parent is not an isolated event. Rather, their passing is part of the thinning social fabric of middle age and beyond. Siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins friends, associates and casual acquaintances all start to take their…

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Conversations at the End…

We wish it didn’t come to this, but it does. Someone you care about is at the end of their life. No one knows exactly when but everyone is clear about what’s happening. Now comes the hard part, the conversations…

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Why Doctors Die Differently…

Why Doctors Die Differently…
As a clinician, this Wall Street Journal article echoes my own views on dying, ones that are in my health directive. Maybe its the medical knowing, seeing all too often how a promise of “more time” turns out poorly. While…

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