Movies and the elderly

In 1985, a comic first appeared that proposed one way to judge a film. The Bechdel Test is a simple measure about a movie’s inclusion of female characters. The test asks: 1) Does the movie have at least two women in it? 2) Do they talk to each other? and 3) Does their conversation touch on anything other than a man? Because the Oscars are coming up, this article focuses on creating a similar way to rate how elder-friendly a movie is. Because of the length and breadth of her career, I am calling this the Betty White Movie scale.

I am grief

By Marianne Delorey I am grief. I am ugliness borne out of love and loss. I am powerful. I can bring the strongest among you...

‘FLIPPING’ the situation

I hated fifth grade.  Almost 40 years later I can say without exaggeration it remains one of the worst years of my life. It was the first time that I truly had a hard time getting along with others, perhaps because we were all struggling with pre-adolescence in our own way.

Aging drills

By Marianne Delorey “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think...

Do good. Then do better.

While in college I worked at a nursing home where I met Mary. Mary had severe dementia and was combative. One day while trying to bring her to the commode, she punched me. Hard. With both fists. In the kidneys. I saw stars. Cathy was another resident who would lash out. Cathy did not honor social envelopes nor did she know when enough was enough. She would interrupt me without thinking and would talk for hours if left unchecked. Sometimes, if she felt she was being ignored, she would get in my face and say some pretty unkind things.

Not your typical rags to riches story

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By Marianne Delorey Each industry has their own way of showing off their accomplishments to the world.  The armed forces gives out medals, the music...

Those who humble themselves will be exalted

By Marianne Delorey A large part of our success in aging well has to do with how we cope with changes in our bodies.  All...

Walking the last mile

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By Marianne Delorey In Stephen King’s, “The Green Mile,” the main character, Paul Edgecomb, talks about his primary role with the inmates on death row....

Home is where the heart is

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By Marianne Delorey “Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head… That way it will go with...

Widening the gaps

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By Marianne Delorey We, as a society, have created an elaborate safety net for all people. These systems were put in place to help everyone...