This Month's Features

Massachusetts residents living with memory changes and their caregivers are now offered more comfortable meeting places. They’re gathering monthly at memory cafés free of charge for refreshments, activities and comradery. Cafés are currently located in Andover, Brookline, Franklin, Lexington, Marlborough, Norwood, Topsfield, Waltham and Westwood.

Boston – According to the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA), Massachusetts is projected to have 1,178,852 residents over the age of 65 by the year 2020. As such, the department oversees program designed to provide support services, information, options counseling, and education/training to assist older adults in making decisions about things such as healthcare, housing, jobs, nutrition and the next stage of their lives.

According to Dr. Gary Moak, M.D., it’s a common misconception that depression is inevitable as you age. And in his new book, “Beat Depression to Stay Healthier and Live Longer: A Guide for Older Adults and Their Families,” he makes the case that depression is actually a serious brain disease, often related to changes in the brain associated with the aging process itself.

The latest fad with the 50-plus generation is taking a recreational vehicle for vacation instead of getting hotels. It is a way of getting away from all the hustle and bustle of the cities and getting back to the small town scenic view. With more time available, you can take longer trips to see more of the country instead of flying over it and being rushed. You get to explore places you have only seen in magazines and on television. Being able to control your destination has become the ultimate trip. This is a way of testing the waters to see if you want to sell your house and be on the road full time.

Anna Connors of Shrewsbury has always been physically active. She studied dance from age 5 through her 20s. Then she became a competitive runner and completed marathons. Now 62, she continues a disciplined exercise routine after a 2006 diagnosis of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). “I vowed to take care of myself and not let this get me down,” said Connors, a regional ambassador for the MS Foundation.

Northborough - Senior citizens who have questions about their iPhones, iPads, Macs and PCs can find answers at Technology Afternoons, held from 2:15 to 4 p.m., two Thursdays a month at the Northborough Senior Center. Eileen Parker, Algonquin Regional High School math teacher, leads the school’s Community Action Program (CAP), which provides student volunteers for a variety of activities, including Technology Afternoons.

A television ad that has run frequently in past months features “Beatrice,” an older woman who doesn’t quite get the concept of how Facebook works. Beatrice tells her two friends that she “posted” her vacation pictures on her “wall,” the term used when putting items on your personal Facebook page. In reality, she put physical copies of her photos on a wall in her home.

Acton resident Niela Miller, 81, is a multi-talented artist, musician, author, life coach and therapist. As if that wasn’t enough for one life, Miller has embarked upon a new adventure, taking her myriad skills online. In “Second Life,” a virtual 3D program on the Internet, Miller has created a whole new world with her alter-ego or “avatar,” Marly Mirena. She uses all aspects of her creativity - photographs, paintings, music, theater improv and movement - as tools for awareness, problem-solving, community building, spiritual development and building cultural bridges.

Westborough – “Gray” divorce rates are definitely increasing. From 1990 to 2012, the rate has doubled for those ages 55 to 64, and tripled for those 65 and older, according to researchers at Bowling Green State University. Many have attributed this pattern to longer life spans, more financial independence, lessening stigma of divorce, and the higher likelihood that second or third marriages will end in divorce.

A view of the Czech Republic countryside Photo/submitted   By Victor Block Part two of a two-part series Last month, we visited the majestic city of Prague, one of...