Question: When my husband died seven years ago, I got my dog, Lily, for companionship. I’m retired now and living on a fixed income. I’m worried I won’t be able to afford to keep her, and that would just be devastating to me. Is there a program out there that might be...
For more than 17 years, older adults in Georgetown have counted on Colleen Ranshaw-Fiorello to do the right thing, and time after time she delivered. In her role as the town’s Council on Aging director, Ranshaw-Fiorello has built relationships, built programs,...
Question: I find myself struggling to care for my 76-year-old aunt , who lives with m y family and has severe arthritis. I feel I’m being squeezed between the responsibilities of taking care of my children and m y aunt. She requires a great deal of care, and I’m...
Volunteers are part of the lifeblood of our organization. We couldn’t do what we do without them, and I feel fortunate our agency benefits from their generosity. We’re not the only ones who benefit from their hard work. The people we serve in our communities certainly...
Joan Hatem-Roy, CEO of AgeSpan For the past few months, we’ve been promoting ageism awareness with the slogan “Aging: So cool everyone’s doing it!”And everyone is!As the saying goes, time waits for no one, and aging happens to all of us, every day. We shouldn’t view...
Q: For several years, my mother was able to remain in her own home with the help of private pay aides. It became clear this would not be an option long term due to cost and her physical deterioration, so I moved her into an assisted living facility. I have since...
Question: About a month ago, my mother fell and hurt herself. Nothing serious, just a slight bruise, but now she’s apprehensive about leaving the house because she’s afraid she’ll fall again, and it might be more serious. I’m not sure what I can do to ease her...
Question: I received something in the mail asking me to renew my MassHealth coverage. I know there have been a lot of health-care scams targeting older people. I just wanted to check to make sure this is legitimate before I do anything about it. Do you know if this is...
It’s safe to say Rhina Espaillat, a self-proclaimed Trekkie, has lived long and prospered in the literary world. Over nine decades of writing, the Newburyport resident has published 21 books, won numerous awards, and later this fall, Boston College will dedicate...
Q. I am almost 60 and I’ve heard a lot of good things about my local senior center. I’m a little apprehensive about going because I’ve always thought of senior centers for “older people” and I’m struggling to think of myself that way. What is there for someone like...