What would the average medical doctor have to do to earn $86? Well, according to Medicare, that’s the amount the doctor will be paid if he or she spends up to thirty minutes talking with a patient about their wishes for end-of-life care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved this billing code […]
Time Passages
Time is a slippery concept to talk about because it seems to distort a little more with each year you add to your lifespan. We all remember the days as kids when the eight or so weeks of summer vacation seemed to stretch out for an eternity, and each individual day seemed to hold infinite […]
Re-framed, Re-thought, Repackaged
Our story begins in September of 2012 in a large, impersonal conference room in Washington D.C. Representatives from eight of the country’s most influential organizations in the field of aging are taking their seats around the table. Thought leaders from The American Society on Aging (ASA), The National Council on Aging (NCOA), Grantmakers in Aging […]
Planted
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about where I live. I’ve always considered myself to be a bit of a nomad, having moved a fair number of times. “Bloom where you’re planted” is a sappy phrase that I’ve tried to abide by. I’d like to believe that I’m pretty adaptable to whatever environment I happen […]
The Tooth and Nothing But the Tooth
“Hair is the first thing. And teeth the second. A man got those two things, he’s got it all.” Who am I to argue with the hardest working man in show business, Mr. James Brown? James knows what makes the world go around. But I might suggest that perhaps he has the order of importance […]
Carolyn at 108
One week from today, my Aunt Carolyn will begin her 109th year of adventures. Beside the cake, candles and balloons, the inevitable question always accompanies the birthday celebration; “What’s the secret to living to be 108?” When confronted with this query, Aunt Carolyn usually gives a sly smile and doesn’t say a word. On occasion, […]
A Crucial Decade
My 60th birthday is rapidly approaching. Yikes! On most every day, I feel much younger than my mental image of a 60-year-old, but the calendar tells the truth. My birth year of 1954 places me squarely in the middle of the Baby Boomer generation, defined as those born between 1945 and 1964. That placement resulted […]
Half Empty or Half Full?
Is the average Baby Boomer retiree’s glass half empty or half full? After several years of nothing but gloom and doom scenarios and projections for boomer retirees, there is finally some good news to report…maybe. A recent survey conducted by Baltimore-based investment management firm T. Rowe Price concluded that many newly-minted retirees are finding that […]
Live Long and Prosper
Star Trek fans (especially those of the original TV series that began in 1966) can picture it clearly; the stony-faced, somber man with the oddly pointed ears greeting a fellow crew member with a distinct hand gesture and the phrase, “Live long and prosper.” It seems like a nice sentiment, but, for those of us […]