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Seniors and the ‘B’ Word

writing a letter

A long feature article that was published March 2017 in a newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, about a local geriatrician intent on opening up a medical marijuana dispensary catering to elderly Asian American residents, sparked quite a bit of outrage from readers. It wasn’t the bald statement that “seniors are exactly the population that could […]

Dirt in My Hands

Hands planting in the dirt

The older I get the more I think about the people in my family who came before me. My life seems so different from my grandparents and great-grandparents yet I find there are many things that call to me that connect me to them. Dirt is one of them. It’s springtime here in the Sacramento […]

Robotics Are the Future of Eldercare

Loomo Robot, Segway

Updated February 2026 The Jetsons predicted flying cars for the 21st century, and while we’re not quite there yet, their prediction about robots in the home is on the verge of coming true. In February 2017, nearly a hundred people convened in Singapore for the MIT & Segway hackathon — Asia’s first hackathon focused on social […]

How Well Do You Know Your Senior?

Mother and daughter having coffee

I used to think I knew everything about both my parents. Boy, was I wrong! The past few years I’ve taken a lot more opportunities to ask them about their early lives and I’ve learned more than I ever dreamed possible. Just asking my daddy what jobs he’s done in the past was an eye-opener. […]

Doable Bucket Lists

Grand Canyon Arizona

Everyone needs something to look forward to. Our older loved ones still have dreams and experiences they would like to accomplish. They may not be as grand as they once were, but their passions are still in their hearts and following those passions to even the smallest degree can bring great joy to them. Just […]

Silver Hair on the Silver Screen

Movie Theatre

Silver Hair on the Silver Screen. In Conversation With Sheila Malkind: Executive Director of the Legacy Film Festival on Aging Sheila Malkind runs the Legacy Film Festival on Aging, the only three-day festival uniquely devoted to films on aging, held annually in San Francisco; it’s now in its seventh year. She took time out from […]

The Touch of Love and Caring

Senior's Hands and young hands

While working in an assisted living facility, I noticed the more frail a resident was, the less they were touched. If they were frail and had dementia, they were hardly ever touched. The feeling of a kind hand in ours, or a hug from someone who cares is a basic human need. We don’t outgrow […]

What Should We Know About the Social Security Trust Funds?

Social Security and Poverty

When we started working, we probably didn’t think much about retirement or Social Security beyond the regular Social Security deductions from our paychecks. The exception might have been when our parents talked about it as a “safety net,” monthly payments that, together with pensions and savings, would support our retirement. Then, and now, the safety […]

Old Songs and Poems — A Link to the Past

companion or granchild reading to senior or grandfather

Being a caregiver to someone with dementia can be very challenging, especially if it’s hard to make conversation or to just feel like you’ve connected with the one you are caring for. What happened a few minutes ago, or even a few seconds ago may be lost to your elder, but some things remain even […]

CCRC Contracts: Which is the Best Choice?

Checklist for Nursing Home

My neighbor, thinking about retirement and downsizing, told me that he was pretty impressed by the idea of a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). He saw it as a way not just to downsize, to make his life simpler, and to be around contemporaries, but also to move somewhere that could attend to increasing needs […]