Relationships

Charlie and Lois O’Brien perfectly fit the definition of “love bugs.” They’ve been married for 55 years, have travelled the world together and work in the same field: entomology. So bugs are their business, and their business has been extraordinarily successful. Now in their 80s, the two have collected over…

You may be familiar with the award winning public radio program, On Being. Hosted by journalist and author Krista Tippet, the show tackles some of the big questions in life. The website for On Being not only features stories from each week’s radio program but it also has essays that delve into…

For seniors who have outlived their friends and family, loneliness and isolation are serious concerns. Not only are there psychological implications, but in fact there is evidence to support the connection between loneliness and physical illness, and even premature death. So it only makes sense that doctors consider “treating” loneliness…

When you reach a certain age, visions of the “senior life” come more clearly into focus. You may be planning retirement, downsizing your living arrangement or contemplating more time with your children and grandchildren. But do you also have visions of elder care for your own parents? Increasingly, given demographic…

Apparently, not everyone enjoys the happily-ever-after ending in their marriages. This week, the Pew Research Center reported that the incidence of divorce for Americans over 50 is climbing. Since the 1990’s, the divorce rate for those over 50 has doubled and for those over 65, it’s tripled. Much of this rise…

Continuing the theme of conversations with physicians about health care decision making, especially at the end of life: such advance care planning becomes all the more complex and challenging when there’s no clear person to step in to be a surrogate decision maker should something happen to you. Typically, patients…