Personal Stories

Have you ever actually witnessed it? Up close? Been at the bedside as the last breath is drawn? Few of us have actually experienced first hand what it’s like to be in the presence of those who are dying- and that’s a problem for us as a society. Because without…

If you’re a Baby Boomer, you’re probably intimately familiar with the lyrics and songs of singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell. Born in 1943 in Alberta, Canada (and about to turn 76 on Nov 7th), Mitchell overcame polio and giving up a child for adoption at a young age, to go on to…

While you may think rampant ageism and sexism hold back older women in today’s world, be thankful you weren’t living in the 19th century, when women giving speeches were considered harlots, and the only reason Elizabeth Cady Stanton made her mark was that no one bothered to take a “grandmotherly”…

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In that case, what’s the story being told by photos of older adults in the media or advertising that seem to only portray the aging as sad, lonely, confused or even silly? Such portraits only work to perpetuate out-of-date…

Back in the early 1960s, if you were a young mother with a young child, and you needed a flexible job with flexible hours to allow you to continue nursing your child, your options were limited. For the now 96-year-old Frieda Caplan, necessity became the mother of invention: in her…

Perhaps you’re still in the job you’ve held for decades and fantasizing about what else you could be doing at this point in your life. Or, maybe you’ve already “retired” but are ready for a new career. Wherever you are or whatever you’re thinking, you’re not alone if you’re contemplating…