The Me2/Orchestra Removes Stigmas Surrounding Mental Illness

PART OF THE VITALITY ARTS SPECIAL REPORT When Ronald Braunstein takes center stage to conduct his orchestra, there’s no sign of his bipolar disorder. He’s self-assured and happy. It wasn’t always that way for the 63-year-old. After graduating from Jull… Continue reading

Crime Fiction: Savvy Sleuths Over 50

Does age really bring wisdom? Recent studies affirm this adage, showing that older adults are better able to estimate the slope of a hill, recover quickly after making a mistake  and use their brains more efficiently than younger adults. For readers of… Continue reading

Meetups: Share Your Passions and Have Fun

Are you by any chance an African-American widower living in Des Moines who loves gourmet cooking and pickleball? Or a Seattle barista, cancer survivor and gaming fanatic? Perhaps a Denver cannabis enthusiast, heli-skier and telenovela fan? Then there’s… Continue reading

Peggy Rowe Tells Stories About Her Mother

Mother. Grandmother. Realtor. Baltimore Orioles groupie. These are just four of the roles that the late Thelma Knobel played in the Rowe family of Baltimore. Her daughter, Peggy, recently published a memoir— About My Mother: True Stories of a Horse-Cra… Continue reading

NPR’s ‘Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!’ Panelists Tell All

Since 1998, the NPR news quiz Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! has been a weekend staple for its approximately six million listeners per week. On the hour-long show, produced by WBEZ and NPR in Chicago, and typically taped at the Chase Bank Auditorium, celebri… Continue reading

The Pain and Joy of Selling My Vinyl Records

(Next Avenue is publishing this essay in honor of Record Store Day, Saturday, April 13, an annual event celebrating the culture of the independently owned record store.) My daughter took some time during a recent weekend visit to clean out her collecti… Continue reading

Dave Barry’s Old Dog Teaches Him New Tricks

At 71, Dave Barry doesn’t shy away from comparisons to an old dog. In fact, he embraces them. Barry, a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist and bestselling author, also realizes that his family’s beloved 10-year old companion, Lucy — who he writes lo… Continue reading

What Questions Do You Have About Dating?

At Next Avenue, we’ve heard from many single readers who would like to see themselves better represented in our stories. The fact is, not everyone is married or with a partner. There are people over 50 who are happily on their own, while others are cur… Continue reading

Best Ways to Handle a Long-Distance Flight

As more and more Americans over 50 venture to far-flung destinations like Africa, Australia/New Zealand and Asia, they have to contend with long flights, often in economy class. Besides the obvious health risks — developing a deep vein thrombosis (DVT)… Continue reading

Life With Cheeta the Chimp

The late Hollywood animal trainer Tony Gentry put it in his will that when he died, his best friend, Jiggs, who ­­he lived with and took care of for decades, was to be euthanized. Jiggs was better known to the public as Cheeta, Johnny Weissmuller’s com… Continue reading