Fifty Plus Advocate

By Evan Walsh Contributing Writer REGION – It’s perhaps the biggest decision one can make: Is it time for a nursing home? And, if so, which one? Damian Dell'Anno and the team at View All Options believe that this all-important decision shouldn’t be made in a vacuum. The focus of View All Options is to help folks do exactly that. The company...

By Colin McCandless Contributing Writer BOSTON - The legendary Paradise Rock Club in Boston is nearing its 50th birthday. A 999-person capacity venue located on 967 Commonwealth Ave. near multiple colleges and universities, it has hosted many famous bands and influential musicians from all rock genres and more, from around the world. It books national touring acts and popular local bands,...

By Sharon Oliver Contributing Writer SPRINGFIELD - There was a time when Milton Bradley, the Springfield-based game company, worried that the physically challenging game Twister would be too inappropriate for kids because of the required close contact of its players.  Originally marketed mostly to kids and teens, 1966 promotional materials featured cartoonish adult men in suits and ties. The women wore sweaters...

By Matt Robinson Contributing Writer SAUGUS – The giant sausage and the orange dinosaur is gone and the Hilltop Steakhouse cows have moved on to greener fiberglass pastures. But while we wait for the Forbidden City of Kowloon to be turned into a comedy hall of fame, one thing remains the same on Route 1 Saugus—the leaning tower of Pisa that...

By Jennifer Benson, AARP Massachusetts State Director AARP Massachusetts is dedicated to supporting the state's 780,000 family caregivers. This month, we’re offering an online series to help them. Family caregivers are the backbone of our broken healthcare system. Family caregivers help older loved ones live independently, at home, where they want to be. Every day, caregivers perform tasks such as...

By Marianne Lyons Delorey, Ph.D. May is Older Americans Month. This month, we celebrate our older adults and the paths they have traveled.  Unfortunately, just as we celebrate our country’s older members, our current administration is systematically destroying the safety net that our older citizens have enjoyed and have come to rely on. At the pace they are working, it is...

By Sharon Oliver Contributing Writer BOSTON - Painter and former lead vocalist of The J. Geils Band, Peter Wolf, has poured his heart out in his new memoir, “Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses.” Described as a “a treasure trove of vignettes,” the book, released in March, details a life well lived and filled with amazing tales...

By Janice Lindsay Contributing Writer Good things come in small packages, the saying goes. Good things also come in big packages. But it’s the arrival of tiny packages that I celebrate in May.  Those tiny, jeweled packages are hummingbirds, little miracles. For me, summer starts when the first traveling hummer returns to my yard from Mexico or South America, usually the first week...

By Sharon Oliver Contributing Writer REVERE - Founded in 1951 by Frank McCarthy and Ray Carey as a hot dog stand, Kelly’s Roast Beef is an iconic staple that opened its doors at America’s first public beach—Revere Beach.  At the time, the two friends also worked at the Paul Roger House, which was owned by Carey’s family, where Carey was a manager...

By Brett Peruzzi Managing Editor NEEDHAM – After 286 days in space, Needham native and astronaut Sunita Williams is back on Earth. Williams, 59, splashed down in the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule with her fellow astronauts off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida on March 18 after traveling down from the International Space Station, where she served as station commander.  Longer than expected...