Senior Living
/Health

Steve Lopez: Is age really just a number? Not when it comes to Biden and Trump
In less than three weeks, I'll hit 70, which seems like a good time to launch a run for president of the United States.
Donald Trump, 77, hit the big 7-0 before becoming president in 2016. President Joe Biden is 3½ years ahead of Trump, and they're likely to face off for a second time in 2024. If I were to jump in as an independent, maybe I ...Read more

Steve Lopez: Is age really just a number? Not when it comes to Biden and Trump
In less than three weeks, I'll hit 70, which seems like a good time to launch a run for president of the United States.
Donald Trump, 77, hit the big 7-0 before becoming president in 2016. President Joe Biden is 3½ years ahead of Trump, and they're likely to face off for a second time in 2024. If I were to jump in as an independent, maybe I ...Read more

Steve Lopez: Work, school, caregiving. Multiple generations honor a family member while going about their lives
When Mariella Rojas goes into her mother's bedroom each morning, she doesn't know whether 81-year-old Rosa Angelica Saldana will recognize her.
"Sometimes she'll say, 'Mariella,' and she'll caress my hand," the pre-K teacher says. "Or sometimes she's just staring at me and looks spaced out."
Her mother, once vibrant and industrious, lived on ...Read more

Steve Lopez: Work, school, caregiving. Multiple generations honor a family member while going about their lives
When Mariella Rojas goes into her mother's bedroom each morning, she doesn't know whether 81-year-old Rosa Angelica Saldana will recognize her.
"Sometimes she'll say, 'Mariella,' and she'll caress my hand," the pre-K teacher says. "Or sometimes she's just staring at me and looks spaced out."
Her mother, once vibrant and industrious, lived on ...Read more

Art teacher focuses on serving San Diego's disabled community with classes, studio space
SAN DIEGO In middle school, local artist and instructor Vickie Lawrence took some of her first art classes and quickly fell in love with visual arts. It was the support of one of her art teachers that gently nudged her down the path of a career as an artist.
"I was encouraged and supported by an art teacher who believed that I could be a great ...Read more

89-year-old Kan. bar survived WWII, the Great Depression. Now it’s closed
DE SOTO, Kan. — In the thick of the Great Depression, Mary Guntert’s parents spent their Friday nights boogeying to the jukebox in De Soto’s Silver Wheel Tavern.
The country bar by a little filling station was a 1930s hot spot — hosting alcohol-free nights for high schoolers in collared shirts and long skirts. Then World War II began, ...Read more

Judy Reeves listens to her heart, travels to Europe, learns to trust herself
SAN DIEGO — Anyone in San Diego who considers themselves a writer is probably familiar with Judy Reeves — if not by name, then through her work. She's co-founded two literary organizations (The Writer Center and San Diego Writers, Ink); written books and columns; edited collections and anthologies; won numerous awards and recognition for her...Read more

Jennifer Brooks: In Minn. county, a battle over green cemeteries spirals to affect the whole state
Vern Simula wanted the story of his life to end where it began. In the earth of Carlton County.
Simula, 90, was born in Cloquet and generations of his family rest in a local cemetery. But when he tried to make his own arrangements, the cemetery turned him away.
Simula wants a green burial. No embalming. No glossy coffins with satin pillows. No...Read more

Road Trips & Recipes: Monet immersion arts excursion in Cincinnati
Swing into the arts scene in Cincinnati, from immersing your senses in a dazzling experience to exploring world-class art collections at the first purpose-built art museum west of the Allegheny Mountains and one of America’s finest small art museums to gliding through the air on a literal swing as it moves back and forth across a two-story ...Read more

Increased staffing for nursing homes? Sure, but the lack of oversight is deplorable
Given the enduring scandal of shoddy care in many of the nation's nursing homes, highlighted by the roughly 200,000 deaths in the early stages of COVID, there were high hopes for the federal government to come to the rescue.
But Friday's long-awaited Biden administration proposal to set minimum staffing requirements, while a step in the right ...Read more

In the Home: Get ready for trick-or-treaters with these decorating tips
We have all enjoyed Halloween at one time, dressed up in your favorite costume, ready to walk the neighborhood with a pillowcase or pumpkin pail. Grabbing those trusty flashlights and dragging your parents along as you go from house to house, knocking on each door.
Your favorite houses were most likely the ones with spooky decorations out front...Read more

If you do cough up a lung, is one health care plan better than another?
Not that I'm seeking your sympathy, but I felt washed out on Sunday, had a throat full of knives on Monday, and became convinced on Tuesday that coughing up a lung is a medical possibility.
I lost my voice and had to postpone a reporting trip to the Bay Area, but didn't want the week to be a total loss. So I began reading a book called "The ...Read more

If you do cough up a lung, is one health care plan better than another?
Not that I'm seeking your sympathy, but I felt washed out on Sunday, had a throat full of knives on Monday, and became convinced on Tuesday that coughing up a lung is a medical possibility.
I lost my voice and had to postpone a reporting trip to the Bay Area, but didn't want the week to be a total loss. So I began reading a book called "The ...Read more

Column: Retired Judge Lance Ito's weekly ritual — paying homage to his late wife
Lance Ito drove slowly up the hill under the hazy light of a Los Angeles summer morning, past rows of graves, hoping to run into some of the regular visitors he's gotten to know in the last two years at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Nobody was around, though, so the retired judge — who presided over the 1995 murder trial of O.J. Simpson — ...Read more

A new Medicare proposal would cover training for family caregivers
Even with extensive caregiving experience, Patti LaFleur was unprepared for the crisis that hit in April 2021, when her mother, Linda LaTurner, fell out of a chair and broke her hip.
LaTurner, 71, had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia seven years before. For two years, she’d been living with LaFleur, who managed insulin injections for ...Read more

A New Medicare Proposal Would Cover Training for Family Caregivers
Even with extensive caregiving experience, Patti LaFleur was unprepared for the crisis that hit in April 2021, when her mother, Linda LaTurner, fell out of a chair and broke her hip.
LaTurner, 71, had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia seven years before. For two years, she’d been living with LaFleur, who managed insulin injections for ...Read more
He got his 'End of Life' medication within 48 hours. Will the option be there for others?
Matt Fairchild loved movies, he loved serving in the Navy and the Army, and he adored his wife, Ginger.
But for nearly 10 years, cancer assaulted him, beginning as a melanoma lesion near his ear before marching through his bones, brain and spine. Matt fought not just the cancer, but the effects of chemotherapy and other treatment. A rod had ...Read more

Cruise Views: Book these cruise deals and discounts now
Cruises are an outstanding value for a vacation, including accommodations, meals, activities and transportation to multiple destinations. They are easy to plan, family-friendly and hassle-free — and they come in sizes from small to extra-large, ensuring there is one ideally suited to everyone.
Cruises offer tremendous culinary variety, ...Read more

He started as a student. Now, Mo. senior helps other older adults learn digital literacy
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Charles Davis Sr., like many older generations, felt intimidated by the digital world and fearful of putting his trust in technology.
So, when he started working at the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, Davis, 64, enrolled in their senior digital literacy class. What he didn’t expect was to be asked to take on teaching...Read more

Famed skateboarding photographer shares iconic images
SAN DIEGO — Sure, J. Grant Brittain could kick and push his way around on a skateboard, too, but he fell in love with the click of the camera that allowed him to capture the artistry of the sport.
"I skated and surfed as a kid, and was lucky enough to live next door to a pro skateboarder, Wally Inouye, and he got me a job at the Del Mar Skate...Read more