This year, I’m grateful that our American neighbours commemorate Thanksgiving late in November. When Canadian Thanksgiving was being celebrated in mid October, I was trekking the Camino de Santiago in the north of Spain. Yes, I gave thanks every day that I was able to get up and hike another 25 km. But honestly, at […]

A brightly coloured hanging adorns a wall in my downstairs hall, its shades of orange, gold, and green twined together in an intricate pattern. Made in Kashmir, it is a visual reminder of my years in the Middle East. I marvel at how the colours mix to create the pattern, each one beautiful on its […]

Do the names Jonas Salk and Edward Jenner sound familiar? Both were inventors of a medical intervention that would change the face of health care around the world. Jenner invented the smallpox vaccine in 1796, but it was not available on a large scale until the late 1940’s. Since then, thanks to widespread immunization, small […]

“Grow old with me; the best is yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made.” Robert Browning This is such a great time of life—this last for which the first was made. Energy high and motivation strong, life is out there ahead of us just waiting to be lived. We […]

I saw that TV commercial again last night. You know the one—attractive forty something women sporting their “pull-ups”, delighted that they can stay dry without bulky pads that would show underneath their skinny jeans. I cringe every time I see it because it is dangerously misleading about the realities of aging. Why dangerous? First of […]

An 80 something year old friend just recently had an extended hospitalization for what was initially thought to be a series of strokes. Many tests and much discussion later, the diagnosis was changed to seizure activity as a result of low magnesium. It seems that the doctors were quite confused about her serum electrolyte levels […]

I’ve heard enough about “bed blockers” and complaints that the older population is draining scarce health care resources. Yes, it is true that “Alternative Level of Care” patients (a more polite euphemism!) account for nearly 25% of total inpatient days in New Brunswick, while the Canadian average is 8.2%. But these statistics reflect most on […]

I’ve just recently left a job that I found challenging and rewarding. It was full of creative work, problem solving and social negotiating, and it kept me fully engaged and highly motivated. While I don’t think of myself as retired (just between interesting contracts!), the past few months have been much like retirement. I’ve been […]

I am drawn to water. I love the sound of waves crashing on the shore, the sparkle of sunshine on a white-capped lake, sunset colors reflected on a glassy surface. I love to be on it, and in it, and along side of it. Is it some prenatal instinct that fuels the attraction, reminding me […]

The search for happiness! It’s part of the American dream (Canadian, too). We strive for it, thinking it can be found in the perfect family, the fulfilling job, or luxury possessions. Some think it will come in retirement, when they will have time to do all the things that they have always wanted to do. […]