A few months ago, a friend of mine got her DPT vaccination. That news surprised me, given the fact that the diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine is usually administered to young children—and my friend is well past 60. My friend was following the advice of her doctor to get her shot so she […]
The 1984 film, Starman, tells the quirky story of an alien, played by Jeff Bridges, who comes to Earth, takes on a human body, and then races against time to meet up with the spaceship that will take him back home. The film can be a little silly. But it […]
December is a month of contradictions for most of us. On the one hand, we want to slow down a bit as the year winds down, quietly reflecting on the successes and setbacks of the past 12 months. On the other hand, the year’s final month can also be our […]
During his January 1941 inaugural address—presented as the world found itself on the brink of World War II—President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked all Americans to take one simple action: “to pause for a moment and take stock, to recall what our place in history has been, and to rediscover what […]
People who have lived through a traumatic experience often seek out support groups where they can connect with others who’ve gone through the same ordeal. They look to their peers for assurances that they are not alone, and to find tools to help them recover. Facing our trauma—and talking about […]
COVID-19 statistics have taken my breath away more than once during the past 9 months. Like you, I’m still finding it very hard to wrap my mind around the high death toll among older adults. Data on the COVID death rates among older people of color just add to the […]
Economist Milton Friedman once wrote that “only a crisis—real or perceived—produces real change.” We’re still in the middle of the crisis called COVID. I know you still struggle to meet the unprecedented challenges that this deadly virus throws at you every single day. But even in the midst of our […]
COVID-19 is our “chief transformation officer.” That’s how Susheel Ladwa, CEO of Onyx Health, described the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on providers of aging services. His remarks came during the Collaborative Care HIT Summit, which the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) held 2 weeks ago. The virtual […]
It’s been gratifying to hear news reporters and policy makers describe direct care workers as “essential” during the coronavirus pandemic. I’m glad people outside our field are finally giving certified nursing assistants and home health aides the recognition they deserve for offering life-sustaining care and daily support to people who are […]
It’s so easy to feel paralyzed as we face the hard truths about systemic racism in America. After all, what can one person or one organization do to reverse the social injustice that has permeated American culture for hundreds of years? This question has kept me up at night. Part […]
