Episodes
Jan. 10, 2022
Lessons from the ‘Oldest Old’: Happiness is a Choice We Make
Several years ago, John Leland, a reporter for the New York Times, wrote a series of articles following six men and women for a year, chronicling how people in one of America’s fastest growing demographic groups—those 85 and ...
Jan. 3, 2022
Navigating Job Opportunities during ‘The Great Resignation’
It’s called “The Great Resignation.” Amid the anxiety and unpredictability of the ongoing pandemic, more than 4 million Americans have been quitting their jobs every month—some searching of better opportunities, others just l...
Dec. 20, 2021
A New Passion for ‘Birding’ Joins Older and Younger Generations
As a young boy growing up on Long Island, host Ron Roel was an avid birdwatcher—or, as they’re known colloquially, a “birder.” Over the years, Ron’s passion and support of birds has continued to grow, like that of many older ...
Dec. 13, 2021
Are You Feeling Lonely? Well, You’re Not Alone.
As we’re gathering once again with family and friends during the holidays, most of us are eager and excited to resume our annual social festivities. Of course. But for many people, especially isolated older adults, this is a ...
Dec. 6, 2021
How a Renowned Journalist Became a Champion of ‘News Literacy’
The news media has come a long way—a very long way—since the late 1960s, when Howard Schneider began his career as a newspaper reporter at Newsday on Long Island. It was a time when TV news was dominated by three major news n...
Nov. 29, 2021
A Bold Prescription to End a Silent Pandemic—Parkinson’s Disease
We are in the midst of a Parkison’s pandemic—and yet, this pandemic is a relatively silent one. Parkinson’s is the world’s fastest growing neurological disorder, increasing in virtually every region in the world. In the U.S. ...
Nov. 22, 2021
The Time of Our Life: The Emotional Roller-Coaster of Retirement
Retirement is dead. Long live retirement! For many Americans these days, traditional retirement, as we’ve known it, is gone—or disappearing. We no longer work for one employer for decades, then leave the workforce with a pens...
Nov. 15, 2021
‘Digital Therapeutics’: A New Way to Treat People with Dementia
About a decade ago, Michael Potteiger and his sister, Nacole, decided to teach their 85-year-old grandmother how to use an iPad. Not only did their Gram learn how, but she is still an active iPad user and loves seeing her gra...
Nov. 8, 2021
A Veterans Day Salute to a Vietnam War Army Correspondent
As we prepare to celebrate Veterans Day this month, today’s episode features veteran Jim Smith, who served as an Army correspondent for Stars and Stripes, the Defense Department’s daily newspaper, during the Vietnam War, repo...
Nov. 1, 2021
Tired of Being Too Nice? Then Listen to the ‘Queen of Boundaries’
Over the years, have you found yourself increasingly frustrated, saying “yes” to people just to keep them happy? Are you tired of hearing yourself described as a pushover or “too nice”? Or emotionally exhausted by the unreaso...
Oct. 25, 2021
Meet the Mentor Who Can Organize You for Life
About three years ago, Debbie Ginsberg was working as a professional organizer when she was asked to teach organizing and life management skills to help a college student improve his grades and function better all around. Six...
Oct. 18, 2021
Creating Life-enriching Activities for Today’s Senior Communities
For many older Americans, moving to an assisted living community offers a bridge between aging in place with occasional—but not really enough—socialization, and starting another phase in life, exploring new relationships and ...
Oct. 11, 2021
How to Make Sure Your Home is Safe to Age in Place
Across the country, most older people say they want to “age in place,” living in their current home as long as possible. But the ability to remain in one’s own home and community — safely and independently — often requires mo...
Oct. 4, 2021
Want to Add 10 Healthy Years to Your Life? Here’s How.
Most will unknowingly give away about 10 years of healthy living—our “healthspan” years—and the opportunity to continue enjoying daily living to the fullest. We know this, says longevity expert and educator Scott Fulton, base...
Sept. 27, 2021
A Simple, 3-Step Plan to Achieving Retirement Fulfillment
Planning for retirement triggers all sorts of thoughts: excitement, hope, expectation—and yes, a dose of anxiety. We worry about financial security (did we save enough?) but we’re often not prepared for the emotional and soci...
Sept. 20, 2021
The CEO Who Became a Triathlete—at Age 53
After earning her undergraduate and master’s degrees specializing in marketing, public relations and advertising, Hilary Topper embarked on a corporate career working for major PR agencies in New York City, in addition to two...
Sept. 13, 2021
The Post-Pandemic Art Exhibit: A Surprising Virtual Experience
When the pandemic shut down most of America last year, the arts and entertainment community was faced with a monumental challenge. How could they survive without attracting in-person audiences to their events? Surely, they co...
Aug. 30, 2021
How to Plan (and Still Enjoy) Retirement Trips in a Time of COVID
For many seniors, their retirement years mean a time when they eagerly look forward to doing whatever they want, whenever they want—and that often means seeing the world, unencumbered by work or family obligations. That plan,...
Aug. 23, 2021
The Remarkable (and Still Evolving) Career of Prof. Lou Theodore
Louis Theodore may be a retired professor, but he is anything but the retiring type. After a distinguished career teaching chemical engineering at Manhattan College and serving as director of the Graduate Program (primarily r...
Aug. 16, 2021
How Seniors Can Overcome “Techfusion” and Learn New Tech Skills
Like it or not, the pandemic has pushed many of us into the virtual world every day—a constant barrage of technology, from Zoom meetings, to webinars, online programs and projects, internet searches, emails, texts and social ...
Aug. 9, 2021
The Key to Successful Aging? Mindset is Everything
As with many challenges in life, having the right mindset is the key to success. And so it is with the process of aging. Understanding the mindset of seniors—not just at a clinical level—is vital to providing the services the...
Aug. 2, 2021
Finding the Right Assisted Living Community for Your Loved Ones
As your parents get older, there may come a time when it’s clear they would lead a safer, healthier, and more productive life by transitioning from their current home to an assisted living community. But how do you handle the...
July 26, 2021
Hudson Cooper: An Actor’s Profile in Career Courage
When Hudson Cooper entered college, he majored in biology, intending to prepare for a career in medicine. But medicine wasn’t for him, so he went to law school. The practice of law wasn’t for him either, except for a divertin...
July 19, 2021
How Do You Take the Career Road Less Traveled?
There has long been a gap in the U.S. economy between the needs of employers and the skills and aspirations of available workers. While the pandemic has eased, the gap has grown even larger as employers face the challenge of ...