September Songs Well, the sun's not so hot in the sky today And you know I can see summertime slipping on away - James Taylor I like September. It’s still summer. But the days are getting shorter. It’s dark now when we go out for Ted’s early morning walk. It’s still warm, but the sweltering afternoons of... Read more
Boomers and Slackers and Snowflakes: Some thoughts on age and ageism A story that appeared recently on Next Avenue shared the author’s attempts to find clothing through Stitch Fix (Are Sites Like Stitch Fix Ageist?). The author shared her growing frustration with the curated clothing selections that online retailer sent her. Frumpy, unflattering boxes of “stretch pants and loose flowing tops.” Her solution? She changed her... Read more
Facing the Facts Like much of the country, communities in Northeast Ohio responded to the death of George Floyd, captured on video by bystanders, with a mix of disbelief, sadness and outrage. His death galvanized the country and caused many of us to reconsider the state of racial justice and equity in the United States. The Cleveland City... Read more
The New Normal The parking lot at Benjamin Rose is mostly empty these days. A handful of people are in the building, but there are no classes, no team meetings. The Rose Centers are closed. It’s…quiet. In March, Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, following the guidance from Governor Mike DeWine and Dr. Amy Acton, Director of the... Read more
It’s Not a Tsunami I don’t remember exactly when I first heard the term “Silver Tsunami” to describe the aging of the Baby Boom generation. Those of us working in the field of aging have long talked about the changing demographics of the United States – how lower birthrates and increased life expectancies meant the population was aging. We... Read more
February February by David Kowalczykbleak, bitter, barrendull, dreary, dismal gray, grim, grindingstark, shriveled, sullenFebruary doesn’t get much respect. Valentine’s Day provides a flash of red roses and foil-wrapped chocolate, but mostly what is written and said about February is that we want it to be over. It’s been a mild winter so far, but also a gray... Read more
Caring About the Caregiver Over the holidays, I took advantage of a few days off and caught up on some books I had been intending to read. Over the past several months I had picked up quite a selection of books. This one looked interesting. That one was by an author I had read before. Another one suggested by... Read more
Home for the Holidays There’s a lot of things I like about the holiday season. One of my favorites is the music. Some people may tire of the Christmas carols, but not me. I will admit, I’d like to hear them after Thanksgiving, instead of right after Labor Day, but hearing a favorite carol helps put me in the mood for... Read more
Care Partners Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging held its annual Caregiving Conference earlier this month. This year’s theme was Supporting Families Impacted by Dementia. We had a full house in the conference center: caregivers, service providers, researchers and health care professionals coming together to discuss the importance of informal caregivers, the challenges many of them face in meeting... Read more
The Medicare Advantage The open enrollment for Medicare plans began on October 15 and it got me thinking about a recent incident with my father. A few weeks ago, I was home visiting my parents. While we were sitting at the kitchen table, my dad got a phone call. It was the nurse from his insurance company. At... Read more
