I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, And in short, I was afraid. —T. S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Christopher Hitchens writes about the loss of his voice in his continuing journey with esophageal cancer … “In …
… Leon Fleisher … who recently played and gave Master Classes at Wichita State University. Fleisher’s own story is a powerful tale of death and resurrection which he tells in his memoirs My Nine Lives. A rising pianistic prodigy, he suffered focal dystonia in his ‘30’s and his (one) career was cut short. He continued …
… Lorenzo Albacete on the ‘young old‘ … ” …we are facing the emergence of a new cultural world: that of the “young old, “separate from that of the “old old.” However, this new cultural category is based on a lie, as Jacoby remarks: “At 85 or 90, whatever satisfaction may still lie ahead, only …
Video portraits of elderly Americans living in a variety of circumstances – from Columbia School of Journalism. New Old Age blog summarizes. NYT link.
… Giancarlo Cesana’s reflections on our limitedness. “Limits are our human condition, to be shared. This is the only way in which we can respect also the people whose limitations are apparently more evident than ours.” “If I am the ugliest man in the world, but the most beautiful woman in the world loves me, …
Then why do we impose this on our parents … and our patients? The Safety Dance discusses (many excellent comments).
… Paying for the ‘Institutionalized’ Spouse … A good summary of the ‘options’ when one spouse needs more care than the other is able to provide at home. The comments reveal a lot about our culture’s priorities and response to persons in need.
… a Minnesota sociologist writes about disabilism – discrimination against disability. Specifically, she discusses a study of quality of life perceptions and medical decision making. The way we ask a question usually says more about us than any answers we might propose. A friend of mine with a disability often writes about these issues.
