MY new old LIFESTYLE Archives

Too many photos – how to save them

Apr

13

2018

I’m worried about all the photos we have. There are way too many and I don’t know how we’re going to deal with them all. I’m not talking about the estimated trillion-plus photographs per year being taken by the 7-billion people worldwide who have cellphones. That is obviously a cause for concern, but I’m worrying ...

Good neighbors can make you live longer

Nov

5

2017

Living close to family members or friends you know well can make you physically healthier and help you age more slowly. This revelation about the value of good neighbours came in a new study by scientists from the universities of East Anglia and Leeds in the UK, and Groningen in The Netherlands. The research showed that ...

Old and feeling it? Blame TV

Sep

22

2017

If you’re feeling your age, guess where you can put the blame? On TV. This is the finding of two new scientific studies. And you know how much My New Old Self relies on those two words “studies show”. TV + old people = bad news These studies show that television has a negative impact ...

Downsize and Declutter 2

Aug

24

2017

The older I get, the more I hear these D-words. Downsize and declutter are what you need to do when clearing out rooms after kids leave home. Or in packing up an entire house before moving to smaller retirement quarters. New industries have emerged to assist those who aim to downsize and declutter. There are ...

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it 1

Aug

11

2017

As with many an old adage, there’s truth in the Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix advice. But it is also true that if something is broken, it is harder than ever to get it fixed. What was once quaintly called “make do and mend” is Not A Thing. Not any more. For a range of reasons. It’s ...

Elders + Tech = Laughs

Jun

1

2017

Your intrepid correspondent on the Elder Watch beat considers it a key duty to keep you up to date where technology is concerned. Not about the latest technological developments. Forget that, I battle to keep up with the ever-changing tech world like most of us whose lives have straddled the Digital Divide. Besides, youthful tech ...

Busily bragging 1

May

19

2017

There are many ways one can tell that times have changed, and notice how today’s world is different from the past.Sometimes it’s in a single word – as with responses to the common greeting, “How are you?” More and more I hear this answer to that question: “Busy!” In my time the most common response to “How ...

Insights from the TV Guide

Apr

13

2017

I recently gained some new insights into aging from a rather unexpected source: the TV Guide. I’m talking about the magazine. I wasn’t clicking or scrolling through an online version or navigating the one on my TV screen. I was paging through the printed guide published monthly for subscribers of DSTV, featuring schedules of all ...

Y2K + Millennials 1

Dec

29

2016

The Not-so-new Millennium As 2016 nears its end, I’ve been thinking back to that famous New Year’s Eve when we welcomed the 21st century – and all the fearmongering leading up to it. You remember Y2K – which turned out to be Apocalypse Not. You remember the widespread hoarding of canned food and candles in response to dire ...

What should we get for free?

Nov

3

2016

“I got it for free!” How we love to boast about this. For me it’s a rare claim, usually born of luck. In contrast to those younger than me, who seem to see non-payment as the norm. This is yet another of the many differences between my generation and the one below. The youth have ...