Life Done Right™

Check out this cover image of the New York Times Sunday Magazine! The story: “Are we prepared for many more people living to 100 and beyond - for parent-child dynamics, sibling rivalries and other relationships that go on and on and on?” Date: February 23, 2004. It’s still a relevant question that is only going [...]

Did you require a night light as a kid? Did the dark frighten you so bad that falling asleep seemed more like an episode of the Twilight Zone instead of a Disney nursery rhyme? Since fear is hard-wired into our emotional system (don’t get all academic on me), it’s no surprise that our experience of [...]

It’s human to desire children, especially when they are conceived out of your own DNA and come out bearing a pretty good resemblance to those who created the little tyke. When mother nature doesn’t cooperate, though, and the parts fail to produce offspring, should that be the end of the genetic road to conception? Is [...]

© Patricia Araujo, Age
There’s something about the fact that this older woman is NOT sitting in her rocking chair, along with the island blue colors, that makes this photograph delicious to the eye. The photographer is Patricia Araujo from Brazil and the shot is entitled, Age.
See more of Patricia Araujo’s work

A 60-year-old psychologist gave birth to twin boys while you were taking a snooze on the back porch. Get this: she already has a 33-year-old son, 29-year-old daughter, and 6-year-old son. Nice to see all that psychology training being paid off with the chore of raising some grandkids as your own kids. Welcome to the [...]

Author Henry Louis Gates, Jr. beat Oprah’s dad to the punch by writing Finding Oprah’s Roots. This must have ticked off Oprah’s father, because he’s just announced that he’s writing his own tell-all book on Oprah’s roots called “Things Unspoken.” Hey Oprah, truth is in the mouth of the father, not the eye of the [...]

With the help of a friend, Paul Gordon, 92, videotaped his performance playing a jazz piece on his homemade piano. If you have grandkids, get them to record your stories and special talents before you check out. History no longer needs to be silent. Pass your wisdom and mistakes on to the next generation in [...]

Pop quiz! Today’s test involves a little compare and contrast of two New York Times’ articles. See if you can spot the pattern. Hint: drug companies have no problem pushing their drugs on the young and old, all in the name of profits. The real bullshit is the fact that doctors can be bought.
Where’s [...]

Have you ever seen a geriatric clown who makes appearances using her walker with clown feet attached to all four legs? Check out comedian Dana Carvey performing for a group of kids. Everything happens in slow motion when you’re an elder clown, even a banana cream pie in the face.

Arricept sing-along-songs for those who can’t quite seem to remember. Please join Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam in their rendition of “Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town.” All together now…
I seem to recognize your face
Haunting, familiar, yet I can’t seem to place it
Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name
Lifetimes [...]

The Doctor’s Dream, Ackermann aquatint, 1813
Dr. Atul Gawande offers a glimpse into the world of geriatric medicine in his recent article for the New Yorker. Geriatric medicine, it turns out, is not such a hot choice of profession for most doctors. The field, in fact, has declining enrollment. Dr. Gawande reports, “Despite a rapidly growing [...]

The Most Beautiful of 2007 were named by People Magazine. Helen Mirren, 61, made the list. So did Susan Sarandon, 60; Cheryl Tiegs, 59; Ivana Trump, 58; Meryl Streep, 57; Jane Seymour, 56; Cheryl Ladd, 55; Isabella Rossellini, 54; Christie Brinkley, 53; Katie Couric, 50Iman, 51; and Lorraine Bracco, 52 .
Nice to see [...]

Jay Leno did a bit on the Tonight Show about a 101-year-old driver who passed his driving test and had his license renewed for another 5 years. That last part is probably bogus, but then he pokes fun at the story by showing him drive off the road and flip his car. Ha, ha, Jay, [...]

Hey, does your granny ride a Harley Davidson or sit in coffee shops engaging in existential conversations about how growing older stinks and there isn’t much to be done about it? The whole notion of grannies is up for grabs in this book. Forget the stereotype and get ready to embrace the ones who love [...]

Science fiction books almost read like bodice rippers, except the sexy part of them deals with ideas that just might change the future. Those who read these books have probably never picked up anything by Sartre or ever heard the word existentialism. On the other hand, Merchants of Immortality sure sounds like a science fiction [...]

Imagine sitting in your bed, smelling smoke, seeing flames, and then realizing because you’re old and infirm, there’s no way you’ll get out of the building alive. Such was the case in a Russian nursing home. A night watchman ignored two alarms and the building went up in flames, killing 62 people. Life can be [...]

Biology is always asking which has a greater influence on humans: nature versus nurture. A couple of gerontologists set out to answer this question by examining the relationship between housing and a senior’s well-being.
Specifically they wanted to know how the quality and type of living situation contributes to a sense of well-being and sense [...]

By 2025, India will have 177 million seniors. That’s a mighty big number for a country where the poverty line sits pretty low on the standard of living index. HelpAge India is “working for the cause and care of Older Persons, with the ultimate aim of empowering them to take decisions pertaining to their own [...]

The Research Channel “is a nonprofit media and technology organization that connects a global audience with the research and academic institutions whose developments, insights and discoveries affect our lives and futures.” Their website offers an amazing collection of videos that can be watched for free. Here’s one on Aging in the 21st Century. If you [...]

We’ve never heard of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology until spotting this article about how Samia women in Kenya are rejecting the idea of remarriage in order to halt male domination. So the next time you visit Africa, be sure to pick up a copy for that flight over. It’s always good to read up [...]