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Attention Marilyn Murray Willison Editors: The Following Column Was Originally Published In 2018. Thank You. -- Creators
ATTENTION MARILYN MURRAY WILLISON EDITORS: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2018. THANK YOU. -- CREATORS
Ways to Face Hard Times
By the time you have celebrated your 50th birthday, it's a pretty safe bet you have gotten several doses of unpleasant news. Perhaps someone broke your heart. Maybe you experienced an unwelcome health...Read more
Positive Aging: Too Old to Marry?
People over the age of 50 used to lament that they found themselves attending more funerals than weddings, but that scenario may be changing. According to a 2014 Pew Research Center report on the demographics of remarriage, 67% of previously married people between 55 and 64 years of age have remarried. Back in 1960 -- for the same age group -- ...Read more
Positive Aging: Addiction Among Older Americans
Most Americans over the age of 50 are not strangers to the following names: Ambien, Ativan, Klonopin, Lunesta, OxyContin, Sonata, Tylenol, Valium, Xanax. Whether it's to address anxiety issues, insomnia or pain relief, at one time or another, many of us have relied on over-the-counter or prescription drugs to help us make it through the day (or ...Read more
Positive Aging: Driving After 65
Nobody wants to lose their independence, and losing the ability to drive can be one of the most painful adjustments older people are forced to make if the situation isn't handled sensitively. The Pulitzer Prize-winning former president of NBC News, Michael Gartner, wrote a light-hearted essay about the clever way his elderly parents solved that ...Read more
Positive Living: The Big Move - Part 2
Whether you are thinking about moving in with an adult child because of your age, finances, loneliness issues, etc., or contemplating having an aging parent move in with you, there are a wide variety of factors that need to be considered.
Currently, 1 out of every 4 adult caregivers in America lives with a disabled or elderly relative. We are ...Read more
Positive Aging: The Big Move - Part 1
For years, comedians have joked about young adults being "slackers" who move back home and mooch off their parents. During the 2008 Great Recession, an alarming number of college graduates who were unable to find jobs relocated to live - once again - with Mom and Dad, who often happened to be baby boomers.
Now, a decade later, a new trend is ...Read more
Positive Aging: Parkinson's
Way back in the 1980s, I had the dream job of health and fitness editor at the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. For as long as I can remember, I've been curious about all aspects of health, and that job gave me a reason to read and research publications that focus on how our bodies work.
Ever since then, I've been collecting books that are first-...Read more
Positive Aging: Resilience
According to conventional wisdom, every person on the planet faces challenges, even though it sometimes seems that a chosen few skate through life unscathed. The truth is, at some point or another, events -- a broken heart, family conflicts, a health crisis, job loss, money problems, political upheaval -- will bring us to our knees. The good ...Read more
Positive Aging: The Importance of Hobbies
A report from South Africa's Helderberg Society for the Aged recently caught my attention because it focused on the importance of hobbies. It listed 10 benefits of hobbies. Having one does the following:
1) Makes you more interesting because of experiences or knowledge that can be shared with others.
2) Helps relieve stress because it takes ...Read more
Positive Aging: Please Read This Book - Part 2
Last week, I made a strong suggestion that everyone add "Happiness Is A Choice You Make: Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old" by John Leland to their must-read book list. Thanks to his series in The New York Times, I'd been aware of his yearlong project following the lives of six elderly New Yorkers (the "oldest old," i.e. those over 85), ...Read more
Positive Aging: Please Read This Book - Part 1
It's no secret that I am a lifelong unabashed book addict. And when I come across a wonderfully written volume, there's no way I can keep quiet about my discovery. As a baby boomer, I've got a long way to go before I become a member of the fastest-growing age group in America -- the "oldest old." I do, however, have friends and neighbors who fit...Read more
Positive Aging: Don't Be a Technophobe
It's no secret that many "mature Americans" are scrambling to keep pace with the rapid advances in the technological revolution. I often hear older friends bemoan the fact that they don't have a handy teenager available to reset their smart TV, program their iPhone or teach them how to take advantage of social media. In fact, most of the senior ...Read more
Positive Aging: The Benefits of a Smile
I was intrigued when I learned that British researchers had followed 138 people ranging from 65 to 85 years old who received flu vaccines back in 2014-15 to measure the shots' effectiveness. The study, which appeared in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, recorded factors like diet, mood, negative thoughts, sleep patterns, stress and other measures ...Read more