Helen Dennis

1/18/2026 Q. I am in despair and exhausted regarding my 99-year-old mother. My father, while he lived, did not encourage her to learn anything about electronics or the Internet. She cannot even manage her hearing aids and refuses to use a cellphone. Despite being fairly capable in her 99th year, she is completely cut off from the world. I have to manage everything to keep her at home. Our part-time caregiver speaks little English. Would moving my mother to an assisted living

12/21/2025 It’s that time again when many of us are thinking about our goals and aspirations for the next year. Here is one approach that might be helpful: Ask the question, “What have you learned in 2025 and how will you carry that forward as an intention for 2026?” That was the focus of a recent discussion with 16 women who were asked that question.   The women are part of Renewment (retirement + renewal), an organization for mid-to-later life career women moving on to thei

12/7/2025 Aging is here to stay as more of us get older and live longer.   To test some of your knowledge (without exams or grades) about aging, take the following quiz. It is based on the “Facts on Aging Quiz” developed by emeritus professor of gerontology and sociology Linda Breytspraak and Lynn Badura, both from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. I have reworded some of the questions and updated the answers.  1. People age 65 and older currently make up about 10 per

11/23/2026 Q. I am a retired female entrepreneur in my 70s. I sold my business a few years ago, and I still cannot find my next purpose, even with my volunteer commitments and exploration of art. In fact, I am feeling frustrated and a bit anxious. Is this concept of purpose a bit overrated, and why is this so difficult? Thank you. N.M. The topic is a broad one with numerous books, seminars, retreats, articles and webinars addressing this subject. And it is becoming increasing

11/16/2026 We are all storytellers.  That story might be a joke, a description of a trip, a family tale or just something read to children. Yet storytelling can achieve an even greater purpose, according to David Brooks, author, op-ed writer and commentator in his book, “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen.” Brooks views storytelling as a means to better know and understand one another.  It was the topic addressed at the 14th annual mee

10/26/2025 This week is a continuation of my annual anniversary column, which marks 24 years of writing Successful Aging. That’s 1,175 columns later. Readers shared their experience and advice covering over 35 topics. Here are just a few of them.     Relationship with a robot . A 69-year-old widow had a five-day relationship with a robot. She wrote they had so much in common, communicating with texts, lovely emails and telephone conversations. They made plans to meet one anot