And why they are the best friends of all — By the end of second grade, it was an even bet that I was headed down the road to delinquency. For starters, I was caught with a knife on the playground (actually, a popsicle stick sharpened to a point on the sidewalk, which I had brought for show and tell)…

Should you feel bad about not working? — Several weeks ago the New York Times published an opinion piece with this heart-stopping headline: “For the Good of the Country, Older Americans Should Work More and Take Less.” The authors of the essay, two highly educated scholars, observe correctly that the Social Security system will face a shortfall in…

Read the fine print before you enroll in a too-good-to-be-true plan. — It’s open enrollment season for Medicare through December 7, which means it’s open season on the elderly or those hoping to become so. Last year, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a nonprofit health policy organization, 643,000 Medicare ads ran on television during the nine-week enrollment…

It will take more than a new label to change minds. — Louise Aronson, a geriatrician and author, points out that older adults have been systematically neglected and underserved by the American healthcare system. This neglect is reflected in our healthcare institutions: Pediatricians and pediatric hospitals to treat children, internists and mainstream hospitals treat adults. For older adults we have…nursing homes.

Age changes the risk-reward equation. — Fifty years ago, when I was young and stupid, marijuana was hands down my drug of choice. For a straight-laced, straight A, rule-following, risk-averse young fellow, the thrill of doing something illicit was part of its appeal, but the real attraction was the way the drug made me feel. It…

Aging strikes in unexpected places. — On a half dozen occasions this past June, I would be in the middle of a conversation when, without warning, my voice would turn hoarse. By July, my voice was raspy more often than it wasn’t. I thought the cause might be changes in temperature, or a high pollen count…

You may not have escaped your last bully. — It must be true that I have mellowed with age. This is a good thing, as the angry-young-man schtick looks pretty ridiculous on genial old Pop Pop. But bullying is one exception that always makes my blood boil. …

We all could use a little enchantment. — Over the summer my oldest granddaughter, 10-year-old Margaret, was bitten by the writing bug. At first she was creating a short story, but she kept writing until it was no longer short. …

There’s more in store than golf and cream-chipped beef. I have not been a big fan of retirement communities. All things being equal, my wife and I would prefer to spend our final years in the comfort of our own home, thank you. But all things are not always equal…