Children’s books that dismiss ageism and portray loving and fun intergenerational relationships between children and a modern older adult, whether a grandparent or someone outside the family, are powerful in developing a child’s worldview of aging and … Continue reading
Who stresses over playing word games online? I do. Or I did, when the once-enjoyable time suck began to require more attention than I wanted to give it. When anticipation of playing first turned to dread, I waffled for a week or two. Then I deleted the… Continue reading
After surviving a heart attack and a cancer diagnosis, Carol Riddell feared being kept alive by machines more than she feared death itself. The retired teacher had made her end-of-life wishes clear to her wife Debbie Joffe: no extraordinary measures. T… Continue reading
In my early 20s, I realized that I wanted to have nude photos of myself taken one day, if I could work up the nerve. Not because I was an exhibitionist, mind you. Rather, I wanted to preserve an unfettered, full-body image of myself to look at in my ol… Continue reading
(Editor’s Note: Across the country, communities are fraying in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Many people are dealing with a multitude of emotions, including grief — both past and present. So we are republishing this Next Aven… Continue reading
It was a typical gray and cool October day when we arrived in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands. The last time I was there, I was a toddler, visiting my Oma and Opa (grandmother and grandfather) with my parents. I’m 58 now. When my husband Peter said e… Continue reading
My mother, 72, had been a widow for three years when she was set up by mutual friends with Hank, a 75-year-old widower whose wife had died a few months before. Hank lived in Boston and she was in New York City, so they’d spent many hours on the phone b… Continue reading
Late on a Thursday afternoon, my fiance, Perry, and I stood at the threshold of my family room. I brushed off a piece of lint from his black tuxedo, then clutched the right side of my dusty rose gown to avoid tripping on the delicate hem. As classical … Continue reading
My friend Carla saw almost everything in life as a creative challenge — a moment to brainstorm and make a statement. If there was a potluck brunch, no way was she picking up a dozen bagels. Instead, she’d find a recipe for pear-ginger coffee cake, go b… Continue reading
In 2013, the United States took a major step forward in the fight for marriage equality, thanks in large part to the determination — and courage — of the late Edie Windsor. The New York City-based octogenarian was the lead plaintiff in a landmark Supre… Continue reading