How long can humans live? It’s a question that’s engaged scientific minds for centuries, especially as earlier public health advances and now medical and technological breakthroughs continue to push the boundaries of the human lifespan. A recent piece in The Conversation noted that since the 1950s, there’s been a significant…

The projections are sobering: By 2030, it’s anticipated that 70% of all new cancers will occur in patients 65 and older. Moreover, cancer statistics show that among the oldest old (the fastest-growing segment of our population, and encompassing those over 85), cancer patients tend to have more advanced disease at…

While most of us are regularly reminded of the importance of diet for healthy aging, it’s the mighty few who can resist the tempting sugary dessert or the candy bar at the movies. Even if you try to avoid added sugar, it becomes a Herculean task when you realize that…

It’s not exactly cocktail conversation, but there’s something brewing in our society’s new openness to talking about death and the rituals that surround it. Perhaps the funeral industry is just another area ripe for “disruption.” A recent exposé in Washington Monthly details the way the “death industry” has taken advantage…

No two people age exactly alike. Some of us remain vigorous and cognitively intact until we take our last breath while others experience physical and mental decline during the later years. And some become “frail”: While there’s no definitive set of symptoms that exactly describe frailty, generally speaking, frailty includes…

Whether you’ve waived the white flag and surrendered to the need to declutter, or you face the daunting task of cleaning out the home of a deceased loved one, you likely face the difficult challenge of sorting through decades of possessions. While some of these items may have significant monetary…