Turning 50: The Beginning of the Second Half of Your Life

Turning 50 may be the most important milestone birthday in adult life. It can be experienced foolishly or with delight. I strongly recommend the latter.

A (not so) Secret to Aging Well: Active Mind and Body

I met my friend, Braden, for brunch…I am struck by how little he has aged. He is the bright, creative, fun, talented, energetic and unique fellow he always was. In addition, he has integrated a layer of wisdom into his personality (the big prize in aging well)… I know many people Braden’s age who are already old…Get off the sofa and stretch forward into your long and happy life.

Write Down Preferences for Hypothetical Crises

Yesterday, I attended the monthly meeting of the Caregiver Forum at the Texas Voice Project for Parkinson Disease…One attendee spoke about how difficult it was to reason with her spouse as his dementia symptoms increase. No one came up with a good solution to this person’s dilemma…Please, please develop eldercare plans for you and your parents while everyone is healthy. …having a plan gives everyone an orientation point. Choices and preferences may change. Any clues are better than trying to persuade an elder to make a frightening change during a time of crisis.

Respecting Elders as Adults Even When We All Want to Act Like Babies

Always, always, always treat an aging elder, parent, friend, or enemy as an adult, not as a child in an aging body. The elder may be totally demented and irrational. It doesn’t matter…Ultimately, you may have to make the decision they least prefer, but it will be done respectfully and as a decision between adults with conflicting needs and agendas. That may be the best you can do, but it will always be better than deciding and carting the voiceless elder away to a new situation.

The New Elder’s Blog as Repository of Better Ideas for Aging

The goal of The New Elder’s Blog is to build a community that will wrestle with difficult issues related to aging and develop better ways of dealing with the challenges that may arise. Search the catalog with key words and pull up 10-20 examples about how others have addressed a related problem. … Maybe embellish on an idea to make it work even better. The new solution can then be added back to the Repository of Better Ideas for others to access.