Adventures in Old Age

A candid look at aging, old age, and eldercare

Ira Rosofsky, PhD, is a psychologist in Connecticut who works in eldercare facilities and the author of Nasty, Brutish, and Long: Adventures in Old Age and the World of Eldercare. See full bio

March 16, 2009

Our Cells Replace Themselves, Why Don't They Mutate? Why Don't We Individually Evolve?

"Organisms are just a bunch of cells," says John W. Pepper (University of Arizona). Read More

March 7, 2009

A Problem for Darwin: Why Do We Age And Die Rather Than Live Forever?

What would Darwin say? It's the question I ask first when I'm looking for an answer about anything biological. Who am I to argue with Theodosius Grygorovych Dobzhansky who famously titled an essay, "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." Read More

February 28, 2009

The Law of Life, or Is Assisted-Living Living?

At the Roarke'a Drift Retirement Community, I meet Mrs. Rita MacKenzie. It's a medium-grade assisted-living center. The couches in the common area are fabric, not leather. The carpet could be thicker. Read More

February 26, 2009

Life Ends, But The Internet Goes On Forever

A sad note from cyberspace. While visiting an online forum, I found this plaintive request [names and date changed]: "Hi: My name is Jane Doe, John's wife. I am asking a favor. Is there a way to take John's name off the forum's email list. Read More

February 21, 2009

I'm a Late Bloomer Too: My Unlikely Path to Publication

If you will indulge me in a bit of narcissism--something they say I'm good at--I'd like to talk about my unlikely path to publication at the non-juvenile age of 62. Read More

February 14, 2009

Prodigies vs. Late Bloomers: Wolfgang Mozart or Elliott Carter?

Age is but a fever chill
that every physicist must fear.
He's better dead than living still
when once he's past his thirtieth year. Read More

February 8, 2009

My Stimulus Package: Spend on the Elderly

The so-called stimulus package working its way through the Washington sausage factory (Bismarck said you don't want to see how laws or sausages are made) is drawing criticism for its heavy reliance on social spending. Read More

January 28, 2009

Do You Want To Live Forever?

In the midst of the battle of Belleau Wood, June 6, 1918, Sergeant Major Dan Daly admonished his cowering troops, "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"

All of them, whether they survived the battle or not, are dead today.

January 17, 2009

Maktub: It is Written

Aside from being a psychologist in nursing homes, I also had the pleasure of being a caregiver to my own aging parents--as a consumer of the same services I provide, the personal meets the professional. Read More

January 13, 2009

The $70,000 Solution: Escape from the Nursing Home

Lucky you. Your number just hit big on Lotto, and you're getting a payout of $70,000 a year! Read More

Books by Ira Rosofsky, Ph.D.

Nasty, Brutish, and Long: Adventures in Old Age and the World of Eldercare

Aging Basics

By 2030, the number of Americans age 65 and over is projected to be about 71.5 million, of which nearly 10 million will be 85 or older. The good news is that many seniors report better health, greater wealth, and higher levels of education than older people in the past.

Go to the Aging Basics page for more on Aging including:

Current Issue

Everyday Creativity

How to start living creatively and reap the benefits.

Subscribe to Adventures in Old Age

Books by Ira Rosofsky, Ph.D.

Aging Basics

Current Issue