I am widowed. Most of my friends are widows. A couple are widowers. But most are widows. You might even call us elderly orphans. I’m not wild about the term. I like to think about us like wine. We get better with age. But many of us are basically orphans. No kids. No family close
It’s October. Pumpkin contests. Halloween. Start of 4Q20. COVID-19. Masks. Social distancing. Impeachment. Acquittal. Recession. Elections. Protests. Riots. Supreme Court justice death and nominee. Debates. Sports sans fans. West Coast fires. All-time low interest rates. And the list goes on. The ultimate understatement To say 2020 has been challenging is the ultimate understatement. We all
These are uncertain times for all of us Questions about health and the economy are discussed and debated continuously. Not one to cry easily, I have fought back tears recently. Friends dying alone. No way to sit by their hospital beds, hold hands and share precious moments together. Or a final hug or kiss. I
That’s how some describe the baby boomer generation. Oh, yes, throw in rock ‘n roll, too. Divorce rates for adults 50 and older have doubled in the past 25 years. According to the National Center for Health Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau, in 2015 for every 1000 married persons ages 50 and older there were
In previous blogs, we’ve written about the shortage of caregivers and the likelihood that many baby boomers are destined to be elder orphans. In his Think Big article on robo-caregiving, Joseph F. Coughlin, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab, explores how our aging demographics and advances in technology are creating innovative changes in
Ever talk with friends about aging? Been to your 50th high school reunion? Consider that in 1935 when Social Security (Old Age Survivor and Disability Insurance) began the average life expectancy was 62. Today it’s approaching 84 for men and 86.5 for women. And some suggest that 67 might be the new marker of old
Weren’t we all led to believe that women are the weaker sex? And the reason women outlive men is because men worked and most women stayed at home. New research based on medical and demographic studies dating back to the 14th century discards old thinking once and for all. It reveals that men are truly
