Embrace Being a ‘Gym Rat’

A former bodybuilder, now a ballroom dancer, builds stamina at the gym. A tax preparer fends off the fear of a sedentary life with two fitness classes. A cycling instructor confesses that teaching motivates him to “show up regularly.” And a retiree wit… Continue reading

Listen: StoryCorps Conversations With Artists and Students 55+

(Part of the VITALITY ARTS SPECIAL REPORT) For Roni Trulson, stepping onto the dance floor again offered both a sweet moment of nostalgia and an opportunity, as she says, “to feed my soul in a different way” at this time in her life. In an audio conver… Continue reading

Scenes From a 63-Year Marriage

I went to lunch with my parents last week. I sat in the back seat, where I was 12  all over again, while my mother drove home from the restaurant and my dad “corrected her mistakes.” He really is the worst backseat driver. Until Dad’s macular degenerat… Continue reading

Next Avenue Editors’ Picks of 2018

We published hundreds and hundreds of stories this year in the areas of health, money, work and purpose, living, caregiving and technology — all with the mission of serving older adults through the power of public media. Among our four editors, they ch… Continue reading

‘Papa’ Provides Millennial Grandkids On-Demand

Barbara Carroll-Marks knew she needed a change in her life. After developing Parkinson’s disease, she had been through a particularly  rough stretch. The condition worsened to the point where she needed 24-hour home nursing care, an experience she reme… Continue reading

Loss and Grief in an Increasingly Secular World

Elaine Pagels, 75, has lived through the best and the worst of times. She is the highly acclaimed author of a long list of scholarly, yet accessible, bestselling books, most notably The Gnostic Gospels; a renowned professor of religious history at Prin… Continue reading

Why Family Estrangement Is Roughest at the Holidays

(This story was originally published on Next Avenue in 2017.) When you’re about to ask a friend or a colleague whether they’re going home for the holidays this week, think twice. The holidays — so often tied to family and tangled in questions of going … Continue reading

The Baseball Player Who Lived a ‘George Bailey’ Life

Imagine growing up in a Michigan farm town, shipping off for WWII training and landing on a U.S. Navy baseball team with Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams. Imagine pitching for a military squad with teammates who played for the New York Yankees, the D… Continue reading

Finding Wisdom in the Arts

I didn’t set out to write another book. I began by pondering, as psychologists do, my current life stage at 60-plus chronological years. Time passes swiftly and change is inevitable. Perhaps it was simply a matter of shifting priorities or interests, b… Continue reading

Honoring Memories in Public Green Spaces

Parks are the places where our memories are made, honored and stored; green spaces for all ages and all walks of life, from the impoverished to the wealthy. We can count on parks as welcoming places for anyone to enjoy nature, to reflect, to celebrate … Continue reading