Longevity: Nature vs. Nurture?
My grandparents had a strong influence on my life. My maternal grandfather, “Ace” as his basketball teammates used to call him, wrote scores of letters to me and encouraged me to play hoops which I still enjoy today…
Carlota might be the most well-read person I ever met. Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, among others, seem to be her friends. She seemed to literally exist in some of her favorite books.
Carlota was an older neighbor growing up. Sadly, outside of her…
At age 29, I did something a bit unusual. I moved into a retirement community. I left Silicon Valley with the notion that there was an opportunity to improve the quality of lives of older adults through innovation. I figured there was no better place to start to learn about older adults than to live among them. I headed to Atlanta.
You didn’t hear it from me but two years ago my mom turned 70 years old. While she may qualify for “senior” discounts, don’t make the mistake of calling her a senior. Even the word ‘grammy’ is reserved for just three people, all of whom are presently ten years old and younger. See, she will not let herself be defined by her age or supposed limitations.