More Getting Real About Getting Older
As we've been putting together our Getting Real About Getting Older series, we've come across a lot of great articles and research that we wanted to share with you. ‘Because of You Guys, I’m Stuck in My Room’: Older Americans — as well as their caregivers and family members — writing about what their lives have been like during the pandemic, compiled by writer Kristin Lin. How To Care For Older People In The Pandemic (And A Printable Guide!): A great episode and guide from NPR's Life Kit, all about do's and don'ts of caring for older people in your life right now during the pandemic. For example: Do ask how the older person is doing and really listen to the answer. And don't assume an older person can't learn new skills—like how to listen to podcasts! (Also check out Life Kit's guide on how to be a better caregiver to someone who is ill.) Recode Decode: Ashton Applewhite: Kara Swisher interviews anti-ageism activist Ashton Applewhite about combatting ageism within the tech world. A Gift From My Grandmother: An Embrace of Life — and Aging: Journalist Jenee Darden reflects on the lessons her grandmother taught her about getting older, and why studies have found that African-American women approach aging in a more positive way than other groups. With the novel coronavirus, suddenly at 60 we’re now ‘old’: Author Katherine Ellison is in her early 60s. She writes about how, at the start of the pandemic, she realized "just how much the coronavirus may be infecting all of us with the most dreadful view of aging, in which 'old' is synonymous with useless and expendable." 80 Over 80: A Slate roundup of powerful people in Hollywood, politics, culture and even athletics. Been There Done That: Mia Yamamoto: Our guest host Jo Ann Allen hosts her own podcast, all about the Baby Boom generation. Start with this episode featuring civil rights attorney Mia Yamamoto, a trans rights activist who transitioned late in life. The Holocaust Stole My Youth. Covid-19 Is Stealing My Last Years: Toby Levy survived the Holocaust in Poland by hiding in a barn. Read her piece about time, and loss. "I lost my childhood, I never had my teenage years. And now, in my old age, this is shortening my life by a year." There's No Stopping These Seniors; Even A Pandemic Can't Bring Them Down: Recent studies have found that while depression and anxiety in people 65 and older is higher than it was two years ago, "older adults are reporting lower levels of loneliness compared with middle-aged and younger adults." The Staggering, Heartless Cruelty Toward the Elderly: A piece from The Atlantic about the callous way that "the elderly" have been talked about and treated during the pandemic. Op-Ed: As a hospice chaplain, I can only ask: Why aren't you wearing a mask?: Read this piece written by Fran Chalin, the hospice chaplain who we met in our episode about aging.