"If These Walls Could Talk ..."
Too often we ignore or devalue the knowledge and memories passed down to us from older, more experienced people. Have you ever been...
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Ageful Living
- Jun 17, 2022
- 3 min
Old Person –– No Longer in Training
I’m proud to announce my recent promotion from apprentice/intern to professional. If we’re lucky, someday we’ll become old. But many of...
- Mar 3, 2021
- 4 min
Let's Teach These ABCs, Too
While we’re teaching elementary students how to read and do math, we should add lessons on the benefits of Aging, Belonging, and...
- Apr 9, 2020
- 4 min
Could Appreciation of Old Age Go Viral?
One huge impact of this pandemic might just be a gradual integration of the positive qualities of elderhood into the rest of society. In...
- Mar 16, 2020
- 2 min
The Aging Equivalent of High Heels
Older adults have been handicapped for years by social assumptions of what we could -- or should -- be doing with our lives....
- Jun 24, 2019
- 4 min
Old Dogs, New Tricks, Smart Learners
Their strong motivations and particular cognitive skills make older adults valuable and engaged students. “You can’t teach an old dog new...
- May 21, 2019
- 3 min
The Tony Bennett Effect
How the iconic singer has chosen to live exemplifies three basic realities of the older adult experience: adaptability, resourcefulness,...
- Oct 18, 2017
- 3 min
From “Senior” to “Sully” Moment
I’ll happily trade a “senior moment” for a “Sully moment” anytime. As a social gerontologist, community educator, and writer, I am...
- Jul 7, 2017
- 5 min
Does "Elder Wisdom" Exist?
Do older adults inevitably acquire a special kind of inner knowledge, or is this a mere stereotype? Is there such a thing as “elder...
- Apr 22, 2017
- 4 min
Caveat mentor
There’s no doubt that being a mentor carries responsibilities. But so, too, does being a mentee. Here’s part of a conversation I...
- Mar 5, 2017
- 3 min
On the Care and Feeding of Power
We must remain conscientious stewards as we tend the landscape of our society. I bought my first house when I was 51 years old. Up until...
- Jan 7, 2017
- 3 min
A Critical Direction for Aging
We must consider the concept of direction as we decide the next steps to take in order to disrupt aging. You may already know that...
- Aug 16, 2016
- 3 min
A Guiding Star
It was precisely because of my grandmother’s positive influence in my life that older adults were never invisible to me. When I was a...
- May 13, 2016
- 4 min
The Six Assets of Aging
The decline-only narrative presents a narrow perception of the lifespan that is blind to the priceless assets we accrue as we add years...
- Oct 8, 2015
- 3 min
A Thought Experiment on Aging
For many elders, meeting the expectation to be middle-aged is undesirable and insulting. We who are old know that age is more than...
- Aug 17, 2015
- 4 min
Roots, Shoots, and Fruits
Here’s a fun and revealing way to explore what influences and inspires you –– no matter how old you are. In the workshops I facilitate on...
- Jun 24, 2015
- 3 min
Vintage Rx for an Elder Body and Soul
All the while that my dad’s doctors were relying on their vast medical knowledge and skills to save his life, my father was...
- May 28, 2015
- 3 min
Analog Aging in a Digital World, Part 2
In a high-tech age, there are some traditional values about aging that are worth retaining. In my most recent post, "Analog Aging in a...
- Apr 16, 2015
- 5 min
Eight Ways Elders Can Save the World
Elders can save our societies and the world --- by playing indispensable roles. For his book What Are Old People For?, Bill Thomas chose...
- Dec 4, 2014
- 3 min
Old Stories, New Lives
Most older adults yearn to share their life stories, but tragically we often deny them opportunities to do so. I come from a family that...
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