Media and Op-Eds

Op-Eds

“The Golden Bachelor’ Has a Lot to Teach Us. CNN (September 28, 2023).

The Sunbelt was the Retirement Destination of Choice. That was Before Climate Change. CNN (September 1, 2023).

Watch Out for Factors that Make Older Adults Extremely Vulnerable to Deadly Heat. Los Angeles Times (July 25, 2023).

Extreme Heat is Particularly Hard on Older Adults – An Aging Population and Climate Change Put Ever More People at Risk. The Conversation (July 25, 2023).

“Rupert Murdoch is Tying the Knot (Again). Why the Blowback is Misplaced.” CNN (March 25, 2023)

End of Life Conversations Will Be Hard but Your Loved Ones Will Thank You.” The Conversation (January 10, 2022).

“Let’s Work to Make Sure Older Americans Have Greater Financial Security in Retirement.” The Hill (May 21, 2019).

“Will the SECURE Act Really Bring Retirement Security to Older Americans?” Next Avenue (April 25, 2019).

Blogposts

Blogposts for Psychology Today, on “Bouncing Back: Overcoming Stress and Surviving Life’s Challenges.”

“Men, We Need to Talk (About Prostate Cancer).” Psychology Today (January 12, 2024). 

“Is Love After Loss Possible?” Psychology Today (October 9, 2023).

“The Painful Secret That Gen X Women Need to Talk About.” (May 26, 2023).

“10 Tips to Stop Elder Fraud Before it Happens.” (January 26, 2023).

“Death Can Strike Unexpectedly: How to Prepare for the Worst” (August 12, 2022).

“And Just Like That… Middle Age Happens.” (February 5, 2022).

“Will You Live Until Age 100?” (with Rachel Margolis). (March 9, 2021).

“The Most Important Thing You Can Do Right Now” (May 17, 2020)

“Celebrating Mother’s Day When Your Mom is Gone” (May 9, 2020).

“5 Reasons to Stop Worrying About Being Single.” (June 4, 2016).

“How to Survive Mother’s Day When Your Mother is Gone.” (May 5, 2016).

Goodbye Stranger: Three Reasons Why It’s Normal (and Healthy) to Mourn Celebrity Deaths. (January 19, 2016).

“3 Reasons Why Gifting Goes Wrong and 3 Ways to Do It Better.” (December 19. 2015).

“50 Isn’t the New 30 (and Why That’s a Good Thing). (November 8, 2015).

3 Reasons to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others.” (August 8. 2015).

“’That Thing is Huge’: How We (Unwittingly) Hurt Overweight Americans.” (July 8, 2015).

“Gone Daddy Gone: Surviving Father’s Day When Your Dad is Deceased.” (June 18, 2015).

Blogposts for Oxford University Press

“Why the Holidays are the Loneliest Time for Seniors” (December 23, 2019).

“Why Hurricanes are Deadly for Older People.” (September 20, 2019).

“National Volunteer Month: A Reading List.” (April 7, 2018).

“National Family Caregivers Month: A Reading List.” (November 8, 2017).

“World Elder Abuse Day: A Reading List on Elder Mistreatment and Neglect.” (June 15, 2017).

“Celebrating LGBT Pride Month: A Reading List on LGBT Older Adults.” (June 1, 2017).

“World Internet Day: A Reading List on Older Adults’ Internet Use.” (October 29. 2016).

“LGBT Pride Month: A Reading List on LGBT Older Adults.” (June 23, 2016).

“The Importance of Long-Time Marriage for Health and Happiness.” (February 14, 2016).

“Grandparent’s Day: A Reading List.” (September 13, 2015).

Commentaries and Essays 

Essays for Contexts Magazine (an American Sociological Association publication):

“Cheating Hearts: Infidelity in the United States.”  Vol. 9(4): 58-60. 2010.

“Golden Years? Poverty among Older Americans.” Vol. 9(1): 62-63.

[Reprinted in The Contexts Reader, 2nd ed., edited by Doug Hartmann, Chris Uggen, New York: W. W. Norton]. 2010.

“Worries over a Population Implosion?” Vol. 8(1): 58-59. 2009

“Gender Politics.” Vol. 7(3): 58-59. 2008

“Middle (Aged) Kingdom?” Vol. 7(2): 52-53. 2008

“Keeping the Faith.” Vol. 7(1): 52-53. 2008

“The Cost of Kids.” Vol. 6(4): 60. 2007

“Global Digital Divide.” Vol. 6(3): 58. 2007

“Baby Blues.” Vol. 6(2): 62. 2007

“Body Work.” Vol. 6(1): 58. 207

“Good Grief: Bouncing Back from a Spouse’s Death.” Vol. 5(4):22-26. 2006

“A Few Good Men.” Vol. 5(3): 40. 2006

“Monkeying with Science.” Vol. 5(2):50. 2006.

“A Place to Call Home.” Vol. 5(1):45. 2006.

“Black Death, White Death.” Vol. 4(4): 43. 2005.

“Defining ‘Moral’.” Vol. 4(3):15. 2005.

“Mothers at Work.” Vol. 4(2): 51. 2005.

“Capturing the Youth Vote” Vol. 4(1): 47. [Reprinted in Understanding Society: An Introductory Reader, 3rd ed., edited by Margaret L. Andersen, Kim A. Logio, and Howard F. Taylor. Wadsworth. 2009]. 2005

“Political Polls: A Primer” and “20 Questions a Sociologist Should Ask about Poll Results.” Vol. 4(1): 32-33. 2005

Selected Podcasts, Radio, and TV Appearances

“What We Can Learn from the Golden Bachelor” WGN Radio (October 4, 2023).

“Aging in America” New Books Network (April 2, 2023).

“Kinlessness: Older Adults Living Alone” To the Contrary, PBS (April 14, 2023).

“We Don’t Talk about Legacy.” Legacy Wednesdays.  (February 22, 2022).

“End-of-Life Conversations and Bereavement as Normal Parts of Life.” Gerontological Society of America: Science and Storytelling (September 15, 2021).

“COVID and Stress.” ICPSR Data Brunch (June 27, 2021).

“COVID-19 Stress on Older Adults. ” COVID Calls (April 20, 2021)

“Golden Years? Social Inequality in Later Life.” Story in the Public Square, PBS (August 26, 2019).

“Compound Isolation.” The Widower’s Journey (June 5, 2020).

“Longitudinal Studies.” Give Methods a Chance (December 31, 2014).