Helen Dennis

I am in my mid-70s and have lived through a lot in my lifetime. I have never been so affected by change as now. I am afraid of getting the virus, fires, civil unrest, and even another earthquake. I live alone and am very cautious in venturing out. How can I get a handle on this? By nature, I am not an anxious person, but I am now. E.R. Dear E.R. It is understandable to feel anxious as we live through the most dramatic changes to our lives affecting how we live, work, learn, w

Q. Before the pandemic, I was a physically active grandmother to three young grandchildren. Currently, I am extremely compliant with the CDC recommendations because of my husband’s compromised immune system. Some of my family members and friends are less cautious. Because I am not physically present, I feel passed over for those grandmotherly activities in favor of those who are less cautious. I’ve become the absent grandmother which is having a negative effect on my mental h

I have not been able to figure out the next three months of my life. During that time, the anniversary of the deaths of several family members will occur. Perhaps I am still grieving and the pandemic has made these previous losses just worse. And yet I know others have been able to take advantage of this time-out and are doing well. Is there something I can learn from them? H.N. Dear H.N. We are experiencing the most disruptive time of our lives. For many of us, it is a time

Dear readers, This week I would like to tell you about a recent personal experience. I have worked in the field of aging since the mid-1970s. At that time, some thought “gerontology” was a skin disease specialty, something like dermatology. I was fortunate to make my career at USC’s Davis School of Gerontology where I had extraordinary opportunities to learn, grow, teach and contribute to this nascent specialty. During the past half-century, many exceptional people have been