All the right steps in all the right places.
The media coverage on nursing homes these days is disturbing to say the least. Directly or indirectly, the issue affects us all. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than half of Americans turning 65 will need long-term care and services. Whether it’s you or a family member
“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify!” —Thoreau Over time, many of us have accumulated things we rarely, if ever, use. When we finally wise up, we come to see that all that stuff—along with the house in which it’s been collecting dust—no longer makes sense. Many
One of the perks of grandparenting is an education in how to smile. Babies are the experts. They smile in the womb and continue after they’re born. Smiling is innate, not learned; this we know because even blind babies smile. Children smile as many as 400 times a day. That’s a
If retirement is throwing you for a loop, you’re definitely not alone. Coleman Barks, a poet and translator, writes this about his last day of teaching at the University of Georgia: “I missed giving my final final exam. I slept through it. The alarm didn’t sound, or I turned it
“Happiness is only real when shared.” —Chris McCandless, from Into the Wild According to the Social Security Administration, nearly 80 million people are retiring at a rate of about 10,000 per day. Meanwhile, since 1990, divorces among the 65+ population have tripled. Coincidence? Probably not. Sociologist Stephanie Coontz, director of
Tess Simonetti, a retired elementary teacher in Massillon, Ohio, has seen it firsthand. “When I began teaching, there was little to no involvement by grandparents with the students,” she says. “By the end of my career, many more grandparents played a large role.” Grandparents today are more involved in their
While many of us are good at giving help, asking for it is another story. We think it’s uncool. We’re afraid we’ll appear weak, give up control, or be a burden. None of these assumptions, of course, is true. Here’s the reality: • Asking for help is an act of
While they make great pets, Border Collies are, first and foremost, workers. They’ll look for jobs to do around the house. Bred to herd sheep, they’ll herd children and other pets. They love solving problems. In other words, they’re happiest when they have a purpose. Sound like someone you know?
When it comes to longevity, genetics, diet and exercise are the factors we usually think of. But according to a recent study by Boston University School of Medicine and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, our attitude about all of that—and life in general—can have an even greater
In a recent poll by Eligibility.com, about half of the respondents believed that Medicare is free when they turn 65. Not even close. Premiums, deductibles, and copays—with no out-of-pocket maximum—could put a big dent in your retirement savings. “I’d say a full third of people we talk to, who are