Hello, This is Aging Independently

Aging is hard for most people. But doing it alone is even harder. Sometimes, it’s the little things: reaching the paper towels on the top shelf or taking out the trash cans; or just having someone to help with the damn cable remote. Then there’s big stuff: sharing the ever-increasing expenses of daily life; or being there when you’re sick, I mean really sick; dealing with Medicare, and income taxes; getting to and from the endless doctor visits and therapy sessions.  All these concerns rattle around my head on a daily basis.  

       Whether your spouse has died or you’re single and have no children, or your children live far away or are estranged from you, living solo as a senior can be a daily challenge.

      This newsletter is intended to offer solid, new medical and lifestyle news from professionals around aging solo, along with practical ways of combating its various issues, including money, working in your later years, building a support network, learning to rely on yourself as well as intangibles like self-image, loneliness and feeling invisible. Based on the latest facts and insightful interviews with geriatricians and other experts, it will provide the tools we all need as we move into our next stage of life. I hope we can build a community that will be a source of information and support for all of us. Human connection is the single most important thing someone growing old alone can forge.

        As a veteran journalist based in the Bay Area and fellow senior living alone, I am here to help navigate the struggles and challenges facing those aging solo. I am uniquely qualified to talk on the subject. Why? Because I’m doing it.

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