Lisa McElroy
You've undoubtedly heard the advice again and again: If you are close to retirement age, you should max out your contributions to employer-sponsored retirement plans.
The right to vote. Seems like it was settled a long time ago, when we gave women the vote, did away with poll taxes and lowered the voting age to 18.
At the time AARP took up their cause, Robert Bennett of Annapolis, Md., and Leila Joseph of Brooklyn, N.Y., had several things in common. They were older Americans. They were widowed. They were homeowners. And they both faced foreclosure and eviction on reverse mortgage loans.
Imagine that you die after a long series of illnesses. Because you've been successful in your field and leave a considerable estate. You might expect a will challenge - sure. But from your former lawyer? Now, that's one weird situation.
Imagine that you're called for jury duty. Maybe you're excited - you've always wanted to see the justice system from inside. Maybe you're bummed out - you've already been through this routine more times than you can remember.
Sometimes, if you fight very, very hard against injustice, you win.
The holiday season is the time for big-screen blockbusters. So perhaps it's appropriate that 2014 has ushered in a real-life tale of activists, break-ins, surveillance and the FBI that has all the makings of an action-packed, big-screen thriller.
Say there's an older adult - let's call her Judy - who has difficulty caring for herself. Judy's son, Charles, is her primary caretaker, but he abuses her, pinching her and refusing to give her dinner if she doesn't stay quiet during his favorite TV show. Judy's doctor notices that she has bruises…
Imagine that you've lived in the same neighborhood for most of your life. Your friends, your family, your personal history are all rooted there.
You've probably read about the problems that many voters - especially older voters - have encountered under voter ID laws, many of which are relatively new. (There was the recent case, for example, of former House Speaker Jim Wright being turned away because, at 90, he didn't have a valid driver's…