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

The Art of Holding Space…

March 30, 2015

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…

Honor Their Words…

March 2, 2015

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…

No Longer Safe To Drive

February 18, 2015

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.…

When Everything Falls Apart

February 9, 2015

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…

Poetry and Aging Parents, Part 3

January 25, 2015

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…

Conversations Near the End Mind Map

January 10, 2015

This is the companion mind map for the article Conversations at the End…

Conversations at the End…

January 8, 2015

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…

Why Doctors Die Differently…

January 2, 2015

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…

Poetry and Adult Children

December 28, 2014

Moving through middle age is a polyphasic lightening round of commingled dilemmas. No one captures the tone and pace of this developmental tango better than Jeanne Marie Beaumont in her poem Afraid So. Afraid So By Jeanne Marie Beaumont Is…

Dearest Son, Dearest Daughter…

December 17, 2014

I wrote How To Say It To Seniors for adult children of aging parents as well as professionals who work with older adults. In retrospect, that was short sighted. What I failed to appreciate was that older adults were deeply…

Second-Half of Life Blog