The Elder Fraud Prevention Program That Works

Financial exploitation of older Americans seems to be getting worse. The Treasury Department reported a 17% increase in the number of cases in 2017 vs. 2016, the latest figures available. And the Center for Financial Services Innovation says at least 2… Continue reading

How to Be a Friend to Someone Who Is Lonely

Hope Reiner has more than 30 years of experience working in the fields of geriatrics and dementia as a certified practitioner. But it was the time she spent caring for her own mother during her journey with Alzheimer’s disease which made Reiner fully r… Continue reading

The Bright and Complicated Life of Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher, who died in 2016 at the age of 60, was a different kind of movie star. Her debut (and subsequent performances) as Princess Leia of the cinnamon bun coif and warrior moves in Star Wars established her as a pop icon at 20. Far from being a… Continue reading

Upsizing in Retirement: Going Against the Grain

When Ruth Brod retired from her job as a probation officer in 2004, she and her retired husband, Al, decided to sell their 1,600-square-foot house in New Hyde Park, N.Y. and move into a 2,800-square-foot house in Delray Beach, Fla. Having ample room to… Continue reading

Upsizing in Retirement: Going Against the Grain

When Ruth Brod retired from her job as a probation officer in 2004, she and her retired husband, Al, decided to sell their 1,600-square-foot house in New Hyde Park, N.Y. and move into a 2,800-square-foot house in Delray Beach, Fla. Having ample room to… Continue reading

Finding Meaning in Grief

In David Kessler’s latest book, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief  (Simon and Schuster), he writes: We want to find meaning. Loss can wound and paralyze. It can hang over us for years. But finding meaning in loss empowers us to find a path forw… Continue reading

How to Write a Compassionate Condolence Letter

When someone dies, courtesy dictates that we write our condolences. These letters can be some of the hardest thoughts we will put to paper, even for those of us who usually have a great facility for words. And sometimes, difficult circumstances surroun… Continue reading

Adult ‘Mean Girls’ and What You Can Do About Them

Not long ago, I was a panelist at a conference for women. After my session, a number of us were seated together at a large, round lunch table — the kind that, in theory, makes it easier to talk to one another. Within minute,s I began to wonder if I wer… Continue reading

How to Release Yourself From Regrets

Do you spend too much time wondering what could have been, if only you’d made other choices or taken another path earlier in life? Many of us have lingering regrets about ways that we could have lived our lives differently. Research shows that as we ge… Continue reading

Sleepless in Suburbia

I’m indebted to the team of psychologists at UC Berkeley who just released a study that poor sleep in middle age raises your risk of developing dementia. I was running out of things to be alarmed about when I’m still wide awake at 2:47 a.m. Which is pr… Continue reading