Relationships

While older women often look forward to their role as grandmothers, they nonetheless are always and still mothers to their adult children. And sometimes the circumstance of being an older mother to older children can have its own complications. In their just published new book, It Never Ends: Mothering Middle-Aged Daughters,…

Every fall the holidays seem to come around more quickly. You blink on Labor Day and suddenly you see Halloween decorations and pumpkin spice lattes. So, if you’re already thinking in fall holiday mode, you need to know about this: StoryCorps, the audio project which records and archives the spoken…

Anyone who’s a caregiver or care recipient knows the challenges that can arise for both sides of that relationship. In a new documentary called CARE, filmmaker Deirdre Fishel allows us to go behind the scenes to see how a close and loving relationship can form between a paid caregiver and dependent…

Psychologist Susan Pinker’s recent book, The Village Effect, marshals original field research with psychological theories and evidence to arrive at a singular conclusion: Face-to-face social interactions are probably the most determinative factors in whether you live a long life. Pinker, a journalist and developmental psychologist, has explored the reasons that…

Adult siblings, whether close or estranged, are often drawn together when their aging parents require help with housing, medical care or finances. Working together can renew and strengthen bonds between the siblings, or it can create conflict and stress, as rivalries from the past resurface. For example, The New York…

Keeping in touch with friends often requires effort and attention, especially if distance or divergent interests threaten to separate you. What happens, then, when a friend is diagnosed with dementia? Is it possible, and preferable, to continue the friendship, especially as your friend’s cognitive abilities decline? According to new research…