Communities provide options when one spouse requires more care than the other Lynne Bugai’s parents, Bud and Joanne, were in their 80s and married for 63 years when her dad decided they could no longer safely stay in their Park Ridge home. Over the course of a decade, Bud had survived bypass surgery, a heart attack, […]Read More
In a purr-fect pairing, pets bring love and companionship to older adults When her Arlington Heights retirement community locked down due to the pandemic, 83-year-old Virginia Maas dearly missed visits with her family and chatting over meals with other residents. During those long months when she was isolated in her apartment, however, she cherished her bond […]Read More
Helping older adults master new devices In today’s techy world, it’s more important than ever to master new devices in order to stay in touch and access opportunities. But as anyone who has ever grappled with new technology will tell you: It’s not easy, no matter how old you are. Thankfully, plenty of organizations offer […]Read More
Birder’s passion helps her soar Each morning, Sigrid Schmidt looks out her window for American goldfinches, black-capped chickadees, and northern cardinals — common yard birds that make her heart sing. So, too, do migratory birds and more unusual species, such as the endangered piping plovers she helped monitor in Chicago. “Birding is a wonderful, wonderful hobby,” […]Read More
Try these communication pointers to connect to loved ones with dementia When Peter Zollo’s mother passed away in December, relatives spoke at the Zoom funeral about the happiest years of her life — before she suffered from memory loss due to dementia. Yet, Zollo chose to talk about her final years, which were also happy — […]Read More
Tai chi’s gentle postures benefit body and mind Petra Lopez-Garcia kept thinking about her approaching 80th birthday. As the milestone neared, the South Side resident searched for a way to keep active as she embarked on her next decade. While she had tried yoga, she wanted an activity that would be gentler on her arthritic […]Read More
Save time and reduce waste with these kitchen tricks My mother is an active, busy 77-year-old woman who enjoys aerobics, bridge, and caring for her grandkids. She eats a healthy, well-balanced diet, and she was into whole wheat bread and health food long before Whole Foods existed. But cooking healthy isn’t as easy as it […]Read More
Older adults turn to marijuana for pain relief Each evening, Adrienne, an 80-year-old grandmother from the Chicago suburbs, eats a dime-sized piece of orange-flavored candy. The cannabis-infused candy contains 5 milligrams of THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana. It’s not enough to make her feel high, but it’s just enough to help her feel drowsy, […]Read More
What happens to your online accounts, photos, and files after you die? Imagine if, at the time of your death, someone had to secure every digital asset that you owned or controlled. How easy — or hard — would that be? Most of us have digital assets and subscriptions. In fact, according to a Harris […]Read More
Fraudsters are here to stay — know how to protect yourself Joan Waxman, a program manager at North Shore Senior Center, was last unemployed 11 years ago. But in 2020, she received a letter about her unemployment benefits. Because it referenced the last four digits of her bank account, Waxman, 75, was concerned. “I immediately […]Read More
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