The CBS Radio Mystery Theater went on the air 50 years ago, on January 6, 1974. As one of the first national radio anthology series since the mid-1960s, it offered mystery, science fiction, historical, and horror stories; it also had legs: The show lasted nine years, a run that included 1,399 original episodes and totaled nearly 3,000 broadcasts.
Himan Brown, Radio Mystery Theater producerCreator and producer Himan "Hi" Brown revived radio theater in part for an audience that remembered and appreciated the medium's "golden age" from the 1930s to the 1950s. Having created some of radio's most popular shows, including Inner Sanctum Mysteries (1941-1952), Terry and the Pirates (1937–1948), and Grand Central Station (1937–1954), Brown's confidence in the CBS Radio Mystery Theater was clear from the outset.
"[Radio drama is] the most personal form of entertainment — just you and the radio and your imagination," he said just days before the show's premier. "It's the theater of the mind. Movies and television can't duplicate it."
'Theater of the Mind'
Broadcast on more than 230 stations, Mystery Theater also attracted younger listeners, who found novelty in the show during its initial run and who remain loyal fans to this day courtesy of websites and video-streaming platforms that preserve every episode.
"In the end, it's a very well-done show, with a bunch of top-notch actors who really knew their stuff," says John Slavney of Madison, Wisconsin, who is currently writing a book on the show's history. Like many original fans, Slavney merely stumbled upon the program in 1974.
"Around the same time, cable TV arrived in Madison, and I was drawn to "The Twilight Zone," "The Outer Limits" and the Alfred Hitchcock shows — all of which I had never seen before. The CBS Radio Mystery Theater afforded the opportunity to listen to stories on the radio — often the same kind of gothic, mystery or supernatural tales that were featured on those TV shows."
"In the end, it's a very well-done show, with a bunch of top-notch actors who really knew their stuff." 
Each episode famously began with the sound of a heavy door swinging open on distressed hinges — known among fans as the "creaking door." The host, veteran Broadway, film and television actor E. G. Marshall, then welcomed listeners into his storytelling chamber, where he narrated the one-hour, three-act shows. (Performer Tammy Grimes became host for the final year.)
The plots were typically suspenseful and often spooky — whether it was a professor committing murder because the spirit of Jack the Ripper inhabited him ("The Strange Case of Lucas Lauder"), the writer O. Henry uncovering why several suicides took place in the same hotel room ("Don't Die Without Me"), or a woman poisoning men who've slighted her ("The Poisoned Pen").
There also were several Sherlock Holmes tales, dozens of ghost stories and adaptations of classic tales by Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Allan Poe and Edith Wharton, among many others.
A Veteran Actor's Delight
"I had such a ball doing Mystery Theater," says Tony Roberts, the actor best known for his work on Broadway and in several Woody Allen movies. "It was such a wonderful opportunity to gather with other performers and practice a skill that had been obsolete for years."
Roberts performed in 74 episodes and says he appreciated the latitude Brown allowed his actors. The challenge, however, was to quickly inhabit a character because scripts weren't provided in advance.
"You know the way kids play cops and robbers? They don't talk about it beforehand. They just pretend instantaneously," Roberts says. "That's what happened in radio. But that's a quick process — you either have it or you don't."
Another veteran actor, Paul Hecht, agrees. "It's a technical ability to sight read, and I had it. Not everyone is good at it," he says. Hecht, who already amassed extensive experience in radio, stage, television and film, joined Mystery Theater in its first month and acted in 138 episodes.
Episodes Done in a Day
He vividly recalls how each production unfolded in similar fashion. "Everyone got the script that morning and read through it once together," he says. "Then Hi made his cuts [trimmed dialogue] before we did it in the studio. You had to know how to bring it to life right away. It requires a certain knack to put everything into the voice."
E. G. Marshall, Radio Mystery Theater hostWith the exception of the host's segments, the actors performed together in the studio in real time along with recorded music and sound effects. Unlike previous iterations of radio dramas, which were broadcast live, Mystery Theater was taped in numerous segments and edited together.
"It was as live as we could make it," recalls Russell Horton, veteran of 236 episodes. "But it was like getting on a rollercoaster. We'd get a thrill if we could get through a show with almost no breaks."
When Horton joined the show, he had already logged more than a decade of work in TV and the theater. In radio, he found true performance freedom.
"As an actor, you can be the prisoner of what you look like," he says, referring to his slight build and boyish looks at the time. "No one's going to hire me as a mafioso don — but there I was on radio, doing it."
In addition to portraying gangsters, ghosts, cowboys and spacemen, Horton also played Alexander the Great, Egyptian king Ahkenaten and Roman consul Marcus Rufus.
Borrowed Broadway Stars
Mystery Theater was produced in Studio G of the CBS Radio Annex on East 52nd Street in Manhattan. Because of the studio's proximity to the theater district, Brown frequently tapped Broadway stars like Marian Seldes and Howard Da Silva to bring their vocal talents to the radio.
In 1975, shortly after performing in "Equus" on Broadway, Tony-award winning actress Roberta Maxwell joined the cast. "It was a company who were telling stories — imaginative stories — with their voices," Maxwell says. "No faces, no movement. The only thing we had was our voices to communicate our imagination to the audience, who then used their imaginations."
Mystery Theater quietly went off the air at the end of 1982. Its successful run, including winning a Peabody Award in 1974, gave rise to other radio series like the Himan Brown-produced General Mills Radio Adventure Theater (1977) and the Sears Radio Theater, which became Mutual Radio Theater (1979–1981). In 1990 Brown and the CBS Radio Mystery Theater were inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.
The show became a hit because of the sincerity — and plenty of melodramatic pomp — in the actors' performances, which came through whether heard in a car, on a home stereo or with a homemade crystal radio set. Additionally, the charming simplicity of the storytelling belied the enormous amount of work behind it.
The Artists Behind the Actors
Writers like Sam Dann, Ian Martin, Elspeth Eric and James Agate Jr. churned out scripts for the show, which ran seven nights a week for much of its nine years.
Working in the control booth alongside Brown was engineer and technical director Fred Himes, who controlled the microphone levels and the music that helped scenes transition to new locations or different times in the storyline.
Over the years, three effects technicians, Jimmy Dwan, Jerry McCarthy and Peter Prescott, provided every non-vocal, non-musical sound — footsteps, airplane turbulence, ringing telephones, cars screeching to a halt — to help the stories come alive.
Chilling Sound Effects
The effects technicians' work was precisely coordinated with the actors' dialogue and could be so nuanced as to go almost unnoticed. (For instance, when a character opens a door in 1974's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," for just a brief moment, a cold wind is heard blowing outside before the door closes, adding atmospheric chill to the scene.)
Mystery Theater's production quality was far ahead of radio programs from earlier in the century and it set a high bar for the future of audio drama. For millions of listeners, it became a cherished nighttime story hour, memorable enough to stay with them for decades.
"I was getting more mail about that show than anything else in my acting career."
By the turn of the millennium, bootleg copies of the shows — taped straight from the radio — were popping up on the internet, followed by fan pages and Facebook groups discussing the episodes and hosting listening parties.
"About 20 years ago, I started getting mail from people listening to Mystery Theater," says Jada Rowland, who starred on Broadway and in popular soap operas in the 1960s and '70s before acting in 52 episodes of Mystery Theater. "I was completely shocked. And I was getting more mail about that show than anything else in my acting career."
"I was thrilled when they asked me to come back."
Celebrated performers from the golden age of radio, such as Robert Dryden, Mercedes McCambridge and Ralph Bell, suddenly gained new admirers thanks to their Mystery Theater work. Conversely, some of the show's younger talent, like John Lithgow, Morgan Fairchild and Sarah Jessica Parker, went on to build substantial entertainment careers, though most often in visual mediums.
"I had received recognition in film and television, but radio was new to me," says Kathleen Quinlan, an Academy Award-nominee for "Apollo 13" (1995). She had been nominated for a Golden Globe for 1977's "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" before her first performance on Mystery Theater, in 1979. "It was really fun," she recalls. "I loved those actors' voices. I was thrilled when they asked me to come back."
'Old Ones Are Hard to Kill'
After Mystery Theater came to an end, Brown produced radio entertainment, often about historical and literary figures. Before his death, in 2010, Brown had founded the Radio Drama Network, a private foundation to support the many forms of spoken word, including podcasts. He would often sum up the unstoppable trajectory of amplified audio entertainment by saying, "From the crystal set to the internet."
Brown's granddaughter, Melina Brown, is now the foundation's president and says that despite his legacy, "Himan Brown didn't like to dwell on his shows from the past. He always wanted to concentrate on new shows."
Still, half a century ago, Mystery Theater's first episode was "The Old Ones Are Hard to Kill," a title that may be an appropriate — and appropriately macabre — explanation for the show's enduring popularity.


Behind the Creaking Door

Anthony Head

Last August, I turned 70, after months of ballooning stress and hopeless resistance to my approaching "big number" and its implication for my health and longevity. A cousin in my mother's family emailed, "Turning 70 is a very big, life-changing event." Gee, thanks — the opposite of the message I hoped for.
"Had I known that being 70 would feel much better than 68 or 69, I would have done this much sooner."In addition, I was struggling with a health problem that needed attention. As my birthday approached, my anxiety went through the ceiling, and I felt almost cursed to have lived so long ("This is my punishment for outliving my friends and relatives," I mused.) 
 Rather than a total disaster, we had experienced one of our best times.
In a confluence of circumstances, my partner and I were forced to spend part of my birthday at my medical clinic, after which we walked to the popular Tex-Mex restaurant we had chosen — and had a wonderful time. It was exactly what we needed.To my amazement, the Big Day was a great success in achieving our goals: my new status of age 70, and my partner's improved health. Rather than a total disaster, we had experienced one of our best times. I watched the beautiful sunset at our nearby lake, followed by two hours of my favorite TV show, and went to sleep with a smile on my face.On Day Two of my 70th year, I awoke well rested and happy, which seemed unreal. I truly felt great! Of course, we had survived my date with destiny (and my partner's, too) and everything else began to look and feel much better. 
At my local Starbucks, the barista who serves me asked, "So, how was your big birthday?" "Great!" I replied. "We had a wonderful day." She smiled, offering a generic, "Have a good day." Sometimes, it works.Now I feel liberated from the persistent stigma of "getting old." I feel young and vibrant (sort of). In these few months, I've seen that no one cares how old I am - except my primary care provider, with his reminders about "fall prevention" and shingles shots (not to disparage their importance.) I feel younger and freer than I have since the stigmatizing age of 65.
And no one sent me condolences such as "You'll get a lot discounts." I have them already. 
Fixing a Problem 
And I fixed an ongoing problem I have with Post-It Notes. I realized that as soon as I decide to do something, rather than adding it to a cramped Post-it Note or creating a new one, it's much better to do it ASAP or drop the idea. That is the choice: procrastination is fatal to plans. 
Had I known that being 70 would feel much better than 68 or 69, I would have done this much sooner.
How many things have I put off and never done? Lots. If I cannot remember to do something, it probably was not important, and therefore does not deserve to be recorded on a small piece of yellow (or blue or pink or green) paper.I asked myself, "Did Beethoven write a Post-It note every night before he went to bed, such as: "Finish second movement of new String Quartet in E minor; write Adagio for third Symphony; talk to Johann about rent, write to Uncle for more money; trip to Prague..." No, Ludwig did not do that, nor did anyone else in those days. And they didn't Google: "How to write an adagio."
Wisdom from a 70-year-old: Do one thing at a time, finish it now and trust your memory. It's still there, even if it seems to be on vacation. Memory is better than a thousand Post-Its.Yesterday I walked around the nearby lake for several hours, and it felt great. Why did I think that being 70 would be so bad? It was an irrational fear of the future. Had I known that being 70 would feel much better than 68 or 69, I would have done this much sooner.
A Shoe Dropped
However, fast-forward several months and I've had a few setbacks. I began to panic about my obsession with neatness; my old neurotic behavior of arranging small items in perfect order. Self-talk: relax; it doesn't matter if they're reasonably organized and I can find them. I think this points to a deeper insecurity and will investigate it. 
And apparently, turning 70 didn't liberate me from problems at work — why would it?  About a month ago, I was shocked to open an email from the HR department at the school where I work with information about a procedural incident report that is unfair and inaccurate, threatening to remove me from the substitute list.
"Wait a minute," I thought, "I'm 70 now, right? This isn't supposed to happen. I'm supposed to be past these disturbing bumps in the road, correct?" Nope, apparently not; I spent 3 weeks addressing the issues with my union rep, and we had a virtual meeting with an HR manager – the outcome is still unclear.
Fast-forward several months and I've had a few setbacks.
On top of this, I'm coping with ringing in my ears, loss of control over daily meals and hassles with payroll over back pay. To complete the witches' brew, there's been a bit of "normal" relationship stress due to misunderstandings, unexpected changes, irregular sleep caused by very disturbing news reports, and everything else that troubled me before I turned 70.
So why did it feel so good for the first few days? Maybe I like round numbers, or numbers that end with zero. Or maybe each new decade brings a delightful "honeymoon" period, and mine is over. 
At least I can look forward to turning 80 (if I survive) and will that feel great, too? Yes: many of my 80-plus neighbors are skiing, hiking and traveling more than they have in decades. So, I'll keep the faith.


Turning 70 Shouldn't Be Stressful

Art Segal

Romance novels have come a long way from the days of Barbara Cartland, when every cover seemed to feature shirtless white princes and windswept, gown-clad blondes. Now they're as likely to depict female CFOs, vampires, werewolves, Black entrepreneurs or millennials in jeans. 
We also have new kinds of romance writers. Personally more diverse, they also incorporate a wider range of subject matter and draw on a wider range of both work experience and love experience.
"You can still have taboo stories, but there's no more damsel in distress. Women have agency"To learn more about all this, we turned to four North American romance authors who've published hundreds of novels among them:
• Xio Axelrod, 56, Philadelphia-based USA Today bestselling author and songwriter, writes contemporary fiction, various genre romances and "strange, twisted tales." Indie rockers star in a series of her novels.
• Christi Barth, 53, a former wedding planner and professional singer, is the USA Today bestselling Maryland author of 47 romances. Her love of cooking may or may not be related to her foodie/wine-related novels. 
Xio Axelrod• Kathy Lyons (aka Jade Lee), 60, is an Illinois writer of 80+ books, including standard, historical, same-sex and paranormal romance and children's books. She's a former pro racquetball player who has even written about grizzly bear shifters.
• Kayla Perrin, 53, has written dozens of books that have been read in half a dozen languages — from romance, erotica and suspense to adult and children's fiction. The Jamaican-born Ontario resident is a USA Today and Essence bestselling author.
These authors graciously joined Next Avenue for a roundtable discussion on everything from modern characters and plots to the meaning of romance to what it takes to produce a romance of your own. Authors' responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Next Avenue: How have modern romances changed from a few decades ago?
Barth: Women have power. And there's no more rape.
Axelrod: You can still have taboo stories, but there's no more damsel in distress. Women have agency …
Barth: … they have jobs, they've moved away from family, they have the ability to choose their own loving partner.  
Kathy Lyons/Jade LeePerrin: Their loving partner can be anyone. The modern romance has all kinds of characters from different cultures, different sexualities, different ages and so on.
Lyons: In the Barbara Cartland days, heroines were late teens or 20 and virginal, and heroes had to be men of status, which meant a titled lord. No one wants to see a teenager married off to a 40- or 50-year-old duke or marquis, so women started aging up, and the men started aging down.
Perrin: If you're in your 40s, been divorced, a single mom, a whole group of readers can appreciate that. Those people want a love story, too. They may not know it! That heroine is a little older, probably a little wiser, finding her happily ever after in fiction. Even "The Golden Bachelor" on TV — that tells you that people want to see stories of people at different ages falling in love.
Barth: Nowadays women don't save themselves for marriage, so that's in romances, too.
Axelrod: The sexual content includes consent. They talk about what they want. A good writer can make that sexy.
How has your own background informed your characters and situations?
Perrin: I'm a writer of color, and my characters are too. Before, there weren't characters who look like me. You don't feel excluded when you see yourself on the cover or when the characters wear braids or dreadlocks or dance to R&B and hip-hop rather than Alanis Morissette.
Kayla PerrinLyons: I've been hailed as the first author to write mass market Chinese romance. I get asked for these books, but the sales numbers aren't high enough for publishers to be happy. Harlequin has asked me to bring a Chinese character into England … we'll see what happens.
Axelrod: I'm married to a white man, so a lot of my characters are in interracial relationships. And as a Black female musician, I wrote into a series my experiences on the road. My heroine goes through a lot where she's dismissed for her race or gender.
Barth: When I performed in musicals and opera, it was two hours to let people escape and find that happy ending. Now I'm doing it as a writer. My first book had theater in it; I graduated to rock stars and pop stars. But that's like the frosting on a cake — romance is always at the heart of it.
Perrin: Burned by love, that's me. I'm now more guarded, but hopeful, and portray characters who are the same. Readers get it!
Why the popularity of subgenres like the paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi? Is 'pure' romance played out? Do authors want to expand?
Lyons: Readers want to expand. There's a flavor for everyone, which wasn't true before the '90s—military romance; every shade of mystery from the cozies to the more suspenseful; fantasy; vampires, then paranormal….
Barth: Pure romance is never played out. They all have the love story at base.
Christi BarthLyons: My first love is regency romance, which is like "Pride and Prejudice" with sex, but I've been published in just about every romance subgenre.
Perrin: It's so much more than men and women. People are happy to see diversity of love whether it's same-sex relationships or Hispanic or paranormal or whatever.
Axelrod: At any event you run into a guy at a bar who hears we're romance authors and says, "Huh, convince me to read a romance." We say, "Okay, what do you like to read?" Cowboys, sci-fi, dystopia, music, billionaires, suspense, sports … we can point to dozens and dozens of choices.
Perrin: Now I see Mafia romances are a thing!
Barth: "Historical" has its own subgenres, including regency, medieval and other categories, such as— would you believe — 20th century. Because romance readers now include those who were not alive in 1995. I almost swerved out of my lane when I heard that [in the car].
Lyons: Paperbacks were shelved in different physical areas of the store. With e-books, there are so many more crossovers — a lot of shading between genres. The internet is perfectly made for that.
Axelrod: Unfortunately, we're still fighting to get people to read Black and brown and queer authors, to read more diversely. If you love "that," of course you're going to love "this" — it's a romance with a happy ending!
What do fans most appreciate about modern romance novels?
Lyons: Whatever you want love to conquer, you can find it now. A heroine may be jailed for self-defense, or a child may be desperately ill — that's an "issue romance." Characters face real problems that readers face, too, and overcome them. They're people readers can identify with.
Barth: I call it the messy underbelly of life. That means little things as well, like having to pee after sex. Wearing glasses (no one did that in the old days). Shaving her legs before a date. Maybe someone is struggling to pay her bills.
Perrin: Women are unapologetically pursuing their own goals, often going head to head with the men. Some people put down romance novels, not seeing the power of the heroine. The heroine gets what she wants — often she tames the hero.
Barth: People absolutely use birth control in books now; if it's a genre that it might not come up in, like paranormal, there'll be a throwaway line: They couldn't get pregnant with another species, or they mixed an herb to prevent pregnancy. Otherwise, the reader thinks, great, when is the unexpected pregnancy going to happen? You don't want to distract readers like that.
"Go back to a romance from 1995, and it sounds dated. For instance, ghosting didn't exist then. Now it's written into bestselling books."
Also, I think they appreciate that we are evolving with them, keeping up with technology and trends. Go back to a romance from 1995, and it sounds dated. For instance, ghosting didn't exist then. Now it's written into bestselling books.
Axelrod: Readers appreciate that some authors are going back to change language or portrayals in their older books that now may cause offense. Everyone's trying to be more mindful and inclusive in their work, which readers appreciate because it shows growth.
What's your wisdom for potential writers out there? 
Perrin: Read a lot, and read what you want to write.
Axelrod: Read in your genre. Learn the conventions and what readers' expectations are.
Perrin: And write what you enjoy reading — not just because something is hot these days.
Lyons: Writing and publishing are a marathon, not a sprint. Write a little every day. Prepare for a long process.
Barth: Yup. Treat it like a career from day one. Make a schedule; act like you already have a contract. It will get you in the mindset.
Perrin: You can't just knock it off in a weekend. You have to know your craft. So many people get rejected by Harlequin because they just don't understand the basic structure of a Harlequin novel.
Lyons: Your agent and publisher will ask you, what book is similar to yours, how is it different, how is it doing on the shelf? You have to be prepared.
Barth: I've become so much faster. My second and third books took a year each. I do two or three a year now. Readers can not only read a paperback; they can listen, read on a phone or pick up a Kindle. They can access a book over more hours, so there's more demand for books.
Axelrod: Some people write on a strict schedule. Some write when they have open time. Some write on their phone while their kids play. You'll find what works for you.


Modern Romances Are More Diverse. So Are Their Writers.

Ellen Ryan

In athletics, "peaking" means applying supreme effort at the exact right moment to achieve maximum success.
Recently retired and approaching seventy, I've become a late bloomer, a "late peaker," so to speak. Benefiting from the dual gifts of good health and, with work less prominent, the time to enjoy it, I'm catching up on the experiences, like Western skiing and hiking Colorado's high peaks, that I'd postponed for decades.
Jeff ZilkaWhat makes these activities possible, of course, is that I'm still physically able.
After long suspecting it would complement my enjoyment of the outdoors, I took up fly fishing at 64.  
A half-century ago, after graduation, I envied three fraternity brothers, all avid outdoorsmen, who'd skied Utah's Alta and Snowbird and hiked the Haute Route in the Alps. Today, one once-vigorous athlete has Parkinson's; a second has new knees and cannot ski; and a third fell victim to a cancer that took his life as he neared fifty. I'm thus deeply grateful to be alive, living my long-fantasized outdoor life.
I grew up an urban, middle-class kid in New York City. I hadn't traveled much west of the Hudson by the time I started college. Early-career business trips to far-flung Chicago and Minnesota moved my meridian westward, and I saw my first Western slope in my early 30s, when my wife and I trekked to Park City, Utah.
First Step: Fly Fishing 
Imagine my delight that here in my adopted home of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the trail to the top of Atalaya Mountain, a beloved 9,100 feet peak with a commanding view, is only seven minutes away.
Recently, several authors — among them Tom Vanderbilt, Nell Painter, Rich Karlgaard and Margaret Talbot – have advocated for acquiring a new skill later in life; that the experience of progressing from absolute beginner to proficiency not only adds to one's enjoyment of life's richness, but promotes mental agility. In that vein, after long suspecting it would complement my enjoyment of the outdoors, I took up fly fishing at 64.  
Starting was easy. Three times a year, one of Santa Fe's fly shops partners with the local community college to offer a popular "introduction to fly fishing" course. I signed up and the next four Saturday mornings found myself rigging my rod and making my first tentative casts in the company of four guides and two dozen other neophytes. 
The satisfaction of catching my first fish, a diminutive smallmouth bass, on the Rio Grande during my second lesson was immense.
Along with that bass, I was, all puns intended, hooked. The thrill of learning to read the water correctly, anticipating which artificial lure the fish would take, and then reeling in the splendid creature (and releasing it — I'm a "catch and release" fisherman) proved addictive.
One doesn't always catch actual fish, of course, which sometimes turns a much-anticipated outing into casting practice.
I quickly understood that fly fishing is more about learning to think like a fish – to assess the water conditions and calculate what kind of lure the fish is most likely to mistake for an edible delight – than the physical skill of casting. And then, there's the philosophical side: One doesn't always catch actual fish, of course, which sometimes turns a much-anticipated outing into casting practice. But these disappointments notwithstanding, it is always satisfying to spend time on the river.
Age Requires Accommodations 
Peaking late has taught me that while age requires accommodations, there really aren't any shortcuts. Three years ago, after completing a four-day, 80-mile guided mountain biking trip on Utah's magnificent White Rim, the sandstone plateau that lies 1,000 feet below Canyonlands National Park, two friends and I rented electric mountain bikes for an afternoon's ride. 
What a miracle: The bikes conferred the power to surmount otherwise-gnarly obstacles and the stamina to climb hills that would previously have stymied us.
But while the e-mountain bikes provided the ability to ascend previously impossible hills, they did not bestow the confidence to get down them. Nor did they confer the balance and technical ability to negotiate more-advanced trails. We three walked our bikes down a path we had joyously scaled, humbled but wiser, and unscathed.
When I regained consciousness, the Carbondale fire and rescue chief asked if I knew where I was – I did, "somewhere in Colorado" – and who was the president, which I didn't.
To be sure, peaking late is not without its pitfalls. Biking last year on a paved trail in Colorado, too much speed plus a moment's inattention took me off the path. My skinny tires slipped the asphalt surface, and I knew I was going down, hard. (I did, and don't actually know how long I was knocked out on the roadside.) When I regained consciousness, the Carbondale fire and rescue chief asked if I knew where I was – I did, "somewhere in Colorado" — and who was the president, which I didn't.
I was concussed and had punctured a lung and broken eight ribs. Six months' healing, disciplined physical therapy and considerable good luck that the damage hadn't been worse enabled me to get back on my bike, and back into the game.
All That Has Passed Me By 
There is, finally, a melancholic aspect to being a late peaker. So many things have undeniably passed me by.
For example, the air is thinner than I'd anticipated. I trained this summer to hike Mt. Elbert, at 14,400 feet the tallest mountain in Colorado and second highest in the continental U.S. Despite living at altitude and completing numerous training climbs, I couldn't make it to the top, despite having summited another 14er, Colorado's Mt. Sneffels, only two years earlier.
That melancholy is part of the devastating greater reality that our planet's best days are likely behind us. Daily, I read about America's finest fishing rivers, including Montana's Yellowstone and Big Hole, stressed from the increased heat and low river flows that characterize climate change. Only the introduction of farmed trout maintains the fishing on the rivers — the Rio Grande, Pecos and Chama — that are closest to my home.
Friends tantalize me with tales that "only" 30 and 40 years ago, Ski Santa Fe, a mere 30 minutes' drive from where I live, was blessed annually with more than 90-inch bases, deep powder guaranteed. Now, Thanksgiving opening days are iffy and snow groomers must manicure what's fallen naturally to sustain a 60-inch base.
A friend, raised on winter sports in Colorado, once said that since our perceptions are subjective, we normalize what we first experience. For that reason, I am fortunate: I moved West late in life – yet another late peaker moment. 
What I know today is all I've known. Measured against a lifetime's yearning, it's pretty darned good and I'll take it, thank you very much, better late than never — with gratitude.


Late Peaker

Jeff Zilka

(This article appeared previously on Tech50plus.com.)
To e-bike or not to e-bike? That is the question too many people ask when they hear about electric bicycles (ones that can either run on electric power or be pedaled). A better question is: to e-bike or not to bike at all? That’s the choice facing a lot of older adults.
Purists argue that using an e-bike is cheating. Of course, unless you’ve got one with a hidden motor and you’re doing a competitive race like the Tour de France, just how it’s cheating eludes me.
Of course, there’s no question that if you use a road bike for an hour and cover 20 miles you’re going to burn more calories than someone covering that same distance in the same time on an e-bike. But who cares? The benefits of riding an e-bike are better than not riding at all, as a recent New York Times article called “The Surprising Health Benefits of an Electric Bike” pointed out. 
An E-bike Convert
Certified diabetes educator Stephen Freed of Chicago had his first introduction to e-bikes last summer. It was a LifeBike from the German company Corratec.
“I had gotten an e-mail (from Lifebike) saying, ‘We’re going to be in Chicago and we’d like you to test drive an electric bike, an e-bike.’ I had never heard of an e-bike before but I said, ‘Why not? I’m a bike enthusiast. I’m curious,’” he says. “I went out there and met them on the bike path that runs around Lake Michigan, and within three minutes I fell in love with it.”
Freed, who is in his 60s, says he used to routinely ride with bike clubs, but found it harder and harder to hold his own with the 30- and 40-year-olds. “I couldn’t keep up with them, I felt depressed,” he says.

Now, Freed has no trouble keeping up. "I’m able to ride faster and further, keep my heart rate up and keep up with people in their 20s and 30s. And it’s brought a whole new way to bicycle," he notes.
Worth the Price
“The reason I ride is to relieve stress and tension,” says Freed, who publishes a newsletter for diabetic professionals called Diabetes in Control. “I used to go jogging but then my joints started bothering me. So that’s why I took up bike riding. I fell in love with it."
Freed wears a heart monitor while he rides and says he is getting a better workout biking — even on an e-bike — than he did while jogging.
“I’m able to keep my heart rate up but for a longer period of time riding a bike rather than jogging. I go jogging for an hour; I can go bike riding for three or four hours,” Freed says.
E-bikes aren’t inexpensive (they start at around $550 but can go into the thousands). Freed says an e-bike is a worthwhile investment, however, if it gets you out and moving and connecting.
“You’ve got to do something that you really have a passion for, that you love, that will get you outside, that lets you be with your family,” he says. “I rode with my daughter last year and she trains for triathlons. I rode on a regular bike and it was really difficult to keep up with her — I came to a hill; I didn’t think I would make it to the top. But now with my e-bike, I can keep up with my grandkids, I can keep up with my kids. It’s just so much more enjoyable.”
Next Avenue Editors Also Recommend:
The Bike Ride You Should Add to Your Bucket List
Lessons I Learned on a Family Bike Trip in France
Good Sports for Bad Knees








Could an E-Bike Extend Your Life?

Gary Kaye

As someone who frequently writes about careers, I'm all for networking. But even I get frustrated by the number of otherwise competent professionals who ask for my advice by requesting a networking meeting the wrong way. You know, those vague "Can I pick your brain" emails?
That's unfortunate, because when I receive a compelling and carefully crafted email or LinkedIn message, I'm inclined to help. That doesn't mean I agree to every networking meeting request. But when I can, I like to at least write back with a bit of advice.
Mastering the "art of the ask" is a skill that can be learned.
Admittedly, asking for a networking meeting can feel icky and awkward, especially when you're trying to connect to cold contacts — people you have no relationship with yet. It's hard to know what to put in the e-mail subject line, which details about your background to include and how much time to request for a meeting, call or video chat.
The Goofus and Gallant Approach to Networking
Fortunately, whether your goal is to find a job or start a business, mastering the "art of the ask" is a skill that can be learned. Shortly, I'll share some tips from an expert networker to help you do just that.
Dear Nancy,
Hope you're having a good week. I am a coach and would love to chat with you about your programs. Would you have a few minutes tomorrow, Friday or Monday? Thanks, Cathy
Cathy's note needs some work. She didn't include any compelling details about her background, beyond identifying as a coach. And her request to speak "tomorrow, Friday or Monday" didn't give me sufficient time to respond (and presumes I have little else on my calendar). If she'd just added, "If that doesn't work, please tell me if there is a more convenient time for you over the next few weeks," that would have come across better and I'd have been more inclined to talk with her.
Here's a second email, also from a coach, that did result in a meeting:
Nancy,
I found your information when I read your blog post on Barbara Sher. I was also a great admirer of hers and even had dinner with her in 1990 when she presented in Denver. I have recently completed my retirement coach training and am transitioning my 30+ year clinical practice towards those endeavors. If you have about 15 minutes for a brief call, I would love an opportunity to speak with you about your journey. Looking forward to connecting.
Why the Second Approach Is More Effective
Why did the second e-mail grab my attention, while the first fell flat? Three reasons:
The writer immediately established a common point of interest in career expert Barbara Sher. She clearly did her homework and I appreciate that she referenced my article (yes, flattery can work).She piqued my interest with a few key details about her professional background and training. Note that she didn’t drone on for paragraphs or attach a resumé; she only used one smart sentence to make her case.Her request for a 15-minute conversation was respectful and actionable (up to a 20-minute ask is appropriate, I believe).Ultimately, we ended up speaking for close to an hour, but that was my choice. As these examples demonstrate, when it comes to networking-meeting emails, every word counts. So, to help you land more useful introductions, I reached out to Rebecca Leder. She's a Denver-based consultant and author of the new book, "KNOCK: How to Open Doors and Build Careers That Matter."
4 Tips to Ask for a Networking Meeting
Here are her top four tips:
1. Warm it up! Do your research to make your emails your personal and specific for the recipient before you hit send. By doing your homework, it will be easier to convey why you have your sights set on this opportunity and this person.
Give the recipient a reason to care about speaking with you: Why are you reaching out to them? How can you help each other? What impact could you make if you partnered up? Think about ways you can make your note feel more familiar. Remember: if it feels like a cold email, you're not ready to send it.
2. Predetermine common ground. Find something connecting you two before reaching out, then highlight it. Did a mutual contact help you discover the company? Do you resonate with their ideas shared on social media platforms? Are you both trying to tackle similar issues?
When asking for a brief window of their time, put possible options in their time zone and offer a few choices.
By highlighting your shared interests, you'll feel more familiar to the person who you hope to speak with and will reduce their inclination to decline your request.
3. Write a concise, yet descriptive, subject line. Use one that highlights the impact the other person or company has made on you. Or something specific about their work that you appreciate. Focus on value, impact or appreciation. For example: "Your Article about Employee Well-being Opened My Eyes."
Another effective option is to reference a common contact or connection, such as "Referred by Mary Miller" or "Fellow Ohio State Alum Seeks Your Advice."
4. Make connecting easy for them. When asking for a brief window of their time, put possible options in their time zone and offer a few choices. This will help avoid the irritating back and forth to find a suitable time for both of you.
One last tip from me: After your networking meeting, express your thanks. It's the polite thing to do. And done well, a carefully written thank-you note can lead to more networking meetings, referrals – and ultimately, new opportunities.


The Right and Wrong Ways to Ask for a Networking Meeting

Nancy Collamer

For generations of Americans in the South and Midwest, a visit to a roadside Stuckey's convenience store was as big a part of road trips as the game I Spy and backseat cries of "Are we there yet?"
Stephanie StuckeyThat was certainly true when Stephanie Stuckey — granddaughter of Stuckey's founder and now CEO of the company — was growing up in the 1970s. She loved everything from the iconic pecan log rolls to the kitschy souvenirs. "I have a dunking bird to this day that I got as a kid," she says.
But one thing was different about her family's visits. "I hear from people who say that they had to beg their parents to pull over at Stuckey's," she says. "We never had to beg our parents; we always stopped."
That's perhaps ironic since the family no longer owned their namesake company by then. In fact, founder W.S. Stuckey Sr. had sold the chain to the Pet Milk Co. in 1964, the year before Stephanie Stuckey's birth.
Restoring the Family Legacy
While Stephanie Stuckey is a third-generation CEO — her father bought the company back from Pet while she was in college — her ascent to leadership wasn't preordained. After a career as a lawyer, Georgia state representative and Atlanta city official, she cashed in her life savings in 2019 to buy her namesake company.
"I just wanted to prove that it could be done ... that a family can lose their business and get it back and make it something amazing."
By then, the 82-year-old company was a shell of its former self. From a peak of 368 stories across more than 30 states, Stuckey's had shrunk to little more than a rented warehouse in Eastman, Georgia, and about 60 locations that licensed the name.
Oh, and corporate debt that ran into six figures.
"I think when it comes down to it, I bought Stuckey's because I loved my grandfather," Stuckey says.
But that was not her only motivation. "I just wanted to prove that it could be done, that comebacks are possible, that a family can lose their business and get it back and make it something amazing," she says.
A Quick Comeback
More than three years in, Stuckey seems to have succeeded. She acquired Front Porch Pecans in 2020 and named its founder, R.G. Lamar, president of Stuckey's. (He's also a co-owner.) She bought Atwell Pecans a year later and is now investing $5 million in Atwell's candy-making facility in Wrens, Georgia.
What's more, the company is profitable again. "I like to say we're ramen-noodle profitable because we're still very much trying to grow and rebuild this company," she says. "So everything that we make is being reinvested in the company."
That doesn't mean investing in new stores, however. "People ask me, 'When are you getting a store again?'" she says. "I'm, like, 'When do you want to give me $2 million?'"
Turn Rivals Into Partners
Instead of looking at real estate, Stuckey is striking distribution deals with convenience store chains like Wawa and E-Z Mart Stores that have sprung up since her grandfather founded Stuckey's.
"We are extremely successful and growing with pecan snacks and candy, so it's working," she says of her strategy. "And all those so-called competitors can be our partners."
Although she feels nostalgic for the stores of her childhood, Stuckey also recognizes that the brand must evolve or die. "A great example of that is Blockbuster, right?" she says. "People loved those Blockbuster stores; they were so much fun. But they went bankrupt; they're all shuttered except for one."
She also notes that Stuckey's began in 1937 as a roadside pecan stand, so her focus on product marks a return to the company's roots. "I like to say I don't live in the past, but I respect it and it's very much a part of what our brand is about," she says.
For generations of Americans in the South and Midwest, a visit to the iconic roadside Stuckey's convenience store was a big part of road tripsMaking a Midlife Pivot
Stuckey bought the company — and launched her business career — at age 53, which she calls perfect timing.
"Midlife is the best time of your life to embark on a new venture," she says. "It's where you have enough experience built up to really hit your stride, but your health is still there if you've taken care of yourself. I feel just as energetic and excited about life and the opportunities as I did at 20; if anything more so."
She notes that famed investor Warren Buffett looks beyond financial reports when he considers acquisitions. "It's not just the balance sheet, although that's certainly important," she says. "It's the emotional maturity and emotional intelligence of the leadership, and that comes with experience and age."
There's one more reason Stuckey believes her timing was right. "I also had something extremely important, which is good credit," she says. "You don't get good credit unless you have a lifetime of paying your bills on time."
Learning On the Go
Stephanie StuckeyEven though she'd never led a company or attended business school, Stuckey brought a wealth of experience to her new role. Across her career, she had run a nonprofit law firm, numerous political campaigns and Atlanta's Office of Sustainability.
To plug the gaps in her knowledge, Stuckey built a team of experts.
"My business partner has a lot of financial acumen, and I have a vice president who's got incredible experience with procurement and buying," she says. "We just hired a national sales director who has 30 years' experience working in distribution and supply chain. We've hired a top-notch human resources professional who came from Smithfield Ham and spent decades there. We've got an ops director who has been running the manufacturing facility we bought for 30-plus years."
Savvy Social Media User
Stuckey has also relied heavily on tools her grandfather could never have imagined, like YouTube videos, TED Talks and webinars. And if she doesn't know something, she's not afraid to ask (perhaps another benefit of being in her 50s instead of her 20s).
"I'd rather do that than sit through a meeting where we're talking about something I don't understand," she says. "It doesn't make me effective if I'm just sitting there pretending like I know what I'm doing, and I don't."
Apparently, Stuckey knows what she's doing. In a LinkedIn post to mark her third anniversary as CEO, she reported that the company was selling its products in nearly 5,000 stores across the country and had grown from nine employees to over 100.
Perhaps most importantly, however, she has honored her grandfather's legacy. "I think he's looking down from heaven and is happy with the fact that this business is still thriving," she says.


Rebuilding the Family Business, One Pecan Log Roll at a Time

Mark Ray

"My mom has always loved wearing beautiful clothes in bright colors, that is what she was known for and I don't want her to lose that identity simply because she had a stroke," says Ella Brown.
Six years ago, Brown, 63, moved from Los Angeles back home to Honolulu to care for her now 82-year-old mother. Brown was only there a few months when her father, now 87, was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
Kim Chomiak and her mom. They live together in FloridaBrown struggled to find comfortable, fashionable pull-on pants and front button dresses because her mother's right-side paralysis makes dressing her a challenge. A friend referred her to the Fresh Produce line which offers colorful, stretchy fabrics.
"No doctor or home health person really guides you on where to find anything other than medical equipment and supplies; most of the ads I see are for walk-in tubs and prescription drugs."
Recently Brown was turned on by another friend and fellow family caregiver to Kiziks. These fashionable sneakers and comfortable walking shoes use a patented technology design to make them hands-free rather than just slip on, a key reason Nike invested in the company two years ago. Brown said her father loves the comfort, convenience and the style of his new "kicks."
The dilemma for caregivers like Brown is where to find products that you can trust and that will work. To date, while many manufacturers and retailers have turned to TV or print advertising, caregiver shopping has mostly been driven by word of mouth.
"No doctor or home health person really guides you on where to find anything other than medical equipment and supplies; most of the ads I see are for walk-in tubs and prescription drugs," said Brown. "I don't have time to scour Amazon or other online sites so I mostly rely on other family caregivers who have been in the trenches."
Where Function Meets Fashion 
A new caregiver shopping site that launched during the pandemic is Joe & Bella, named for real people, one of whom is a WWII Holocaust survivor who grew up near Ukraine. While the site offered a variety of assistive products, the company found most of their customers came for the adaptive clothes.
"Innovation in adaptive apparel has been focused on those under thirty-five, yet the largest growth market is for older adults — it has been a gap in the ecosystem that we are focused on filling," said Jimmy Zollo, president and co-founder of Joe & Bella.
The projections for the global adaptive apparel market vary widely from $267 million to $400 billion worldwide by 2028 because many apparel and footwear manufacturers, such as Kizik, are assistive and adaptive but don't market themselves as such.
Yet the population of older adults with joint pain, stroke and those with diabetes and disabilities is growing. In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported approximately 61 million adults — 1 in 4 Americans — were living with a disability and 54 million suffer with arthritis.
Well-known brands such as Kohl's, Zappo's Adaptive and Tommy Hilfiger's Tommy Adaptive, who market for people with disabilities including shirts with magnetic button shirts, Velcro strap shoes, stretchy fabrics and longer length shirts, focus exclusively on a younger audience.
But retailers and investors are tuning in to potential older customers. The Target Incubator provided a supply chain to one start-up, No Limbits, that has created a designer jean line, the Amp Pant, for people of all ages with prosthetics legs. Founder Erica Cole, who lost her leg in a car accident, just won investment on TV's "Shark Tank." 
"Our goal is to create fashion that is age-aspirational by balancing form and function." 
OpenStyleLab won AARP's "Disrupt Aging Design Challenge" in 2018 for clothes designed for the visually impaired. All the items can be worn inside out and have a QR tag for a smartphone to describe the clothing.
Joe & Bella's success in offering clothing for older adults led the company to create its own fashion brand in 2022. They have hired a team led by a top fashion designer from Lululemon athleisurewear and FIGS health care scrubs, together with engineers and experts in aging. The company also embraces a social commerce philosophy by donating a percentage of each sale to frontline care workers in assisted living and home care.
"Comfort and functionality in clothing is paramount. But we also believe clothes are also part of one's identity — they speak to how you feel about yourself so style is equally important," added Zollo who said the Joe & Bella clothing label will launch this summer. "Our goal is to create fashion that is age-aspirational by balancing form and function."
One-Stop Shops Are What Caregivers Need 
While some companies are just emerging to help caregivers shop for older loved ones, Journey Health & Lifestyle has a 30-year-old history where it was previously known as firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond. Last fall Peloton Equity announced its investment and a new management team took over and reimagined the brand and every aspect of the business.
"There is not one single place to go to know what is available to me as a caregiver, but we can be that one-stop shop," said Mitchell Yoel, president and CEO of Journey Health & Lifestyle and a caregiver for his older parents. "We are proud to be a direct-to-consumer business. We don't design for insurance companies; we design for people."
Yoel advised the company is not constrained by Medicare requirements or channel partner profit margins. Instead the focus is on delivering premium, feature-rich products that improve the lives of older adults. The company also understands the importance of family caregivers in influencing or making purchases for loved ones.
He reported 55% of Journey Health & Lifestyle's shoppers are family caregivers ages 18-54. Part of the newly designed web site launching next month is to curate products to make it easier and faster to shop for mobility, bathroom safety and lifestyle comfort but also make it accessible to older adults with vision and hearing impairment, and easy to follow online directions are infused into the marketing and the brand.
In 2021, U.S. consumers spent $870 billion with online merchants, up more than 50% since the beginning of the pandemic. McKinsey reports that 50% of consumers will continue these online shopping trends now that the pandemic is abating.
How Technology Can Help 
'We are creatures of habit and during the COVID-19 pandemic we saw a surge in e-commerce and the convenience of home delivery," said Mark Gray, CEO and founder of Constant Companion, a smart home technology system provider using security-enabled voice assist solutions. 
"These new shopping habits are not going to go completely back to pre-pandemic norms but what is critical moving forward is for companies to note that convenience is one thing but the product has to be backed with market-leading customer service that shows you know the needs and concerns to support older adults and family caregivers," he said. 
An easy-to-wear top from Joe & Bella
According to Gray, Constant Companion customers have several options to make tech set-up easy: white glove service but with safety protocols, delivery with tech support for set-up done by the tech in their van outside, or delivery but with video set-up assistance.
"While only five percent of our customers were historically e-commerce, we see that changing as the demographics of older shoppers and caregivers are changing," said Yoel. "We've gone from a direct mail catalog-based enterprise that offered other brands and links to those individual sites to now creating a trusted resource with all products under one name in one place and diversifying how we reach older adults and younger family caregivers."
Yoel said that part of the revised strategy for Journey Health & Lifestyle is to back all its products — including popular task lighting and the best-selling So Lite mobility line — with industry-leading warranties, easy to set up or already assembled products, convenient delivery and direct-to- consumer selling, including an upcoming segment on Home Shopping Network for its popular Zinger chair.
Yoel also points to its customer consultants as best-in-class help where customers are guided by the consultants by talking through what they need.
"With many products, especially where there is an investment in dollars, people want to talk to someone before they make that transaction and get certain questions answered," advised Yoel.
More Options, But Cost is Still an Issue 
The good news is the growth in online shopping sites that cater directly to older adults and their family caregivers is growing and big brands are paying attention. But caregivers are feeling the pinch on rising costs including care-related products.
Recently Lowe's announced its Livable Home initiative to be the leading retail destination for aging in place solutions collaborating with AARP for online and in-store education; Amazon and Kimberly Clark's Depends brand are behind The Caregivers Hub; CostCo, Sam's Club, Walmart and Target all have curated products for online caregiver shoppers with everything from compression socks, CPAP machines, to diabetes care and mobility aids.  
Kim Chomiak, who lives in Florida with her 80-year-old mother, reports she spends between $200 - $1,000 every month on groceries, prescription drugs and other household and lifestyle items specifically for her mom. Chomiak and her husband made the decision to move her mother into their home shortly after relocating to a new city. Before the move, Chomiak retrofitted two homes to accommodate a walker, comfort features in the bathrooms, and that other needs have required a lot of time, effort, and dollars.
While technology has addressed some social isolation for older adults and made shopping easier for caregivers, there is still an education gap in knowing not only where to go but how to choose the right product. 
"My mom doesn't drive because of her neuropathy, a result of her chemotherapy 12 years ago, so I have been running her errands ever since," said Chomiak. "As she has gotten older, I have more concerns for her safety. After seeing a couple of wobbles, I could not live peacefully thinking of her being alone and maybe suffering from a fall with no one there. The decision to move together into one house was not an easy one, but one that I felt would give us all more quality time and peace of mind."
Chomiak, who took a job with Constant Companion after experiencing what she felt was the company's dedication to serving older adults, says her mother was originally resistant to using the Google Nest device.
"Now she loves getting a reminder that her favorite show is starting, finding the name of an artist that sang her favorite song or getting help spelling words for her puzzles," said Chomiak.
While technology has addressed some social isolation for older adults and made shopping easier for caregivers, there is still an education gap in knowing not only where to go but how to choose the right product. And, now more than ever caregivers need to find value in their purchases as higher costs of living — with inflation still on the rise — have created a dramatic squeeze on caregivers' finances.
The January 2022 Consumer Price Index reported that year-over-year inflation rose 7.5%, its highest rate in 40 years. According to a recent report from AARP, almost half of the 7 in 10 family caregivers who are covering out-of-pocket care costs have experienced a financial setback and 41% report spending more money since the pandemic.
"I lost one-third of my business during the pandemic," said Brown, who is a solopreneur event planner. "I'm definitely using savings to cover some costs for my parents' care and I spend a lot more money flying back to the mainland for work projects, but it's my choice and it makes me happy to give back to my parents when they gave so much to me growing up."
In his weekly meetings with staff, Yoel reminds his team why they are doing what they do. "We serve an older population who deserve us at our best. These are Americans who have taken care of us, who have sacrificed and worked and in general built the society that we get to live in today. Now we get to help them enhance the quality of their lives."
2 Shopping Trends Coming to A Mall or Screen Near You
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), here are two shopping trends expected to change how and where caregivers will buy:
1. Experiential in-person shopping environments
While e-commerce is growing, Forrester Research shows that 72% of purchases will still be made at bricks and mortar retail stores. Even Amazon, which owns Whole Foods Markets, is opening 90 – 300 retail department-style stores across the country. Shoppers still like the tactile aspect of shopping and walking away with a purchase.
What will change is the in-store experience using augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) popular with stores such as Sephora and Kohl's, and 3D "view in your space" popularized by home design e-commerce sites such as Wayfair. Also, purpose-designed stores that deliver meaningful improvements to customer experiences with actual experience centers and experts sales guides are being implemented in retailers such as Dick's Sporting Goods. 
Age-tech innovation centers such as the Thrive Center in Kentucky, which is currently a showroom for home care and senior living products, may offer a future template for bricks and mortar retail caregiver shopping.
2. Livestream shopping or commerce via social engagement
While eMarketer projects livestream commerce in the U.S. will create $50 billion in sales by 2023, this trend is currently exploding in China which is expected to top $423 billion next year. Influencer marketing — real world users with a fan base — are driving these efforts.
The success is based on social media activity. Pew Research shows most adults spend on average 2-3 hours daily with 7 in 10 Facebook users checking in at least once a day. And, for companies looking to infuse diversity and inclusion into their marketing efforts, more racial and cultural groups are embracing social marketing: more Hispanics (52%) and African Americans (49%) are on Instagram than its white audience (35%); and 70% of YouTube viewers are ages 30-64. 
Optimizing marketing via omnichannel efforts (a blend of in-store retail, e-commerce, mobile commerce and social commerce) is critical to reaching key caregivers where 25% of millennials who are family caregivers live on mobile and engage mostly via social media "buy" buttons.


The Latest Shopping Resources and Trends for Caregivers

Sherri Snelling

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 43 million Americans get their drinking water from domestic wells. Because these wells are on private property, it falls to the property owner, rather than a government entity, to ensure the safety of that water.
"Rural water quality varies tremendously from place to place, and is impacted largely by the area's geology, the depth of the well and the environmental threats in the area."If you live on a property serviced by a domestic well, do you know what's in your water? According to experts we interviewed, if you haven't had a certified lab test your water within the past one to three years, the answer is no.
The Potential Health Cost of 'Free' Water
For most rural Americans, having a domestic well on site is a necessary part of living out in the country. There's a hefty up-front cost to install the well when a home is built, but then the homeowner never has to pay a water bill. However, according to Sydney Evans, a Senior Science Analyst at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), this "set it and forget it" mentality poses a real health risk.
"Pathogens are the biggest concern because they can cause acute illness, rather than building up over time."
"Because domestic wells aren't regulated the same way as public utilities are, there's less data available," Evans said, "but there may be radioactive contaminants like radium or uranium, arsenic, nitrates, and depending on the age of the home, lead in the water."
Perhaps the biggest risk, though, is from microbial pathogens (harmful bacteria such as E. Coli), because well water isn't treated. According to Bruce Lindsey, a coordinator for National Water Quality at the USGS, microbial contaminants were found at much higher rates than other contaminants in testing done as part of the organization's National Water Quality Assessment project.
Both Lindsey and Evans stressed that every home on a well should test annually for bacterial contamination."Pathogens are the biggest concern because they can cause acute illness, rather than building up over time," Evans said.
Rural water quality varies tremendously from place to place, and is impacted largely by the area's geology, the depth of the well and the environmental threats in the area.
"It's a no-brainer that if you put chemicals on top of sandy soil and then irrigate the heck out of it, you're going to have problems with the water."
What's more, risk factors can change over time. That was the case for Mike Tauber, a plumber from Hackensack, Minnesota. He and his wife built their house a few miles out of town in 1995. In 2014, a large-scale agriculture company bought the land adjacent to their property. In 2018, Tauber had a test well dug near the boundary of his property bordering the new farm, and began testing the water in 2019.
"We kind of knew it was coming, so we were prepared," Tauber said. "It's a no-brainer that if you put chemicals on top of sandy soil and then irrigate the heck out of it, you're going to have problems with the water." Lab results from his test well bore this out.
From 2019 to 2021, the nitrate level in his test well was well below 1 mg/L. In 2022, it jumped to 2.5, then 4.27 mg/L in the spring of 2023. In the fall of 2023, Tauber had the water tested twice to be sure the numbers he was seeing were accurate: 9.68 and 9.78 mg/L.
The Only Way to Know Is to Test
In a written response to questions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated: "The quality and safety of drinking water from private domestic wells are not regulated by the Federal Government under the Safe Drinking Water Act nor by most state governments and laws. EPA recommends that well owners test their private well annually for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH levels. Owners can also contact your local health department to find out what substances may be common in the area's groundwater."
"The only real way to know, though, is to test your water."
At the EWG, Evans agreed. "The first place I recommend people look is any kind of public record - from when you purchased your home, something from the company that did the well drilling or county records," she said. "It's also a good idea to check nearby municipal water results from our database. The only real way to know, though, is to test your water."
The cost of having a certified lab test for a variety of contaminants can add up quickly, so we asked about lower-cost, at-home test kits. "Without looking at the individual tests and their claims and the science behind them, I can't comment as to their accuracy," Evans said. "Your best bet is going through a certified drinking water lab."
Evans also stressed that state and federal legal limits for certain contaminants are much higher than what is considered safe for human health. The EWG has created a page with recommended safe levels for some of the most common contaminants, with a link to a PDF listing around 100 more.
Treatment Options for Contaminated Water
So far, the well servicing Tauber's home has not tested high for nitrate, but he and his family use a countertop water filter just to be safe. He used the EWG's online water filter guide to choose the one that offered the best combination of protection against the specific contaminants in his area and long-term cost.
While a pitcher filter may be cheaper up-front, the cost of buying replacement filters, which wear out quicker, means your annual cost could be a lot higher.
We asked Evans about the guide and treating contaminated water in general. She explained that there are three main types of filters: activated carbon, like most countertop varieties; ion exchange systems, like water softeners, which are better against nitrate; and reverse osmosis, which tends to get most contaminants out but is quite pricey. "They're each effective against different types of contaminants," she said, "so the type and level of contaminants in your water will determine what filter type is best."
It's also important to think about ongoing costs. While a pitcher filter may be cheaper up-front, the cost of buying replacement filters, which wear out quicker, means your annual cost could be a lot higher. "And it's super important to follow the maintenance and filter replacement schedule according to the manufacturer's instructions," Evans said. After all, the whole reason for buying a filtration device is to remove contaminants, and a spent filter won't do that.
Resources for Individuals on Domestic Wells 
For a big-picture understanding of ground and domestic well water quality, the USGS webpage on Domestic Water Supply Wells is an excellent resource.
For those who want to learn everything about well water basics, maintenance and quality, check out this library of resources from the National Groundwater Association.
The experts we talked to agreed, however, that your best resource is your county's Health or Environmental Services department. There you'll learn what contaminants may be present in your area and whether your county has a well water testing program in place.
If financial constraints have kept you from testing your water in the past, your county office should also know whether there are any free or subsidized testing and treatment programs available to you.
In Iowa, for example, free well water testing and financial aid for treatment have been offered in participating counties since 1987. According to Erik Day, of the state's Water Supply Engineering Section, more than 90% of counties are currently participating.
Other states offer free or subsidized domestic well water testing on a limited basis through one-time or recurring grants. This clickable map, published by the EPA, has links to resources for each state. Additionally, some counties and even nonprofits offer free well water testing clinics for the most common contaminants in the area.
Even if free testing and treatment aren't available in your area, it's worth spending the money to ensure your water is safe. With the average American using 82 gallons of water each day, limiting exposure to potentially harmful chemicals is money well spent. The average household on municipal water pays around $1,000 per year in water bills, so why not put a percentage of that amount toward ensuring that your drinking water is safe?


Do You Know What's in Your Drinking Water?

Rashelle Brown

At age 84, Elizabeth Thaler of Rochester, New York, was lucky. Her daughter and son-in-law lived nearby and noticed when her memory began to slip, and she became too weak to cook. Soon she stopped getting out of bed.
More than 40% of Americans age 65 and older take five or more prescription drugs, a phenomenon known as polypharmacy.They hired an experienced caregiver who suggested, "we have my mother's medications checked," says Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, her daughter and a freelance writer. But when Thaler-Carter took Elizabeth to her longtime doctor, "the doctor didn't change a thing," she says.
Her mother had no chronic conditions other than low blood pressure. Yet she was taking at least six prescription drugs.
Thaler-Carter was disappointed. Her mother had no chronic conditions other than low blood pressure. Yet she was taking at least six prescription drugs. Thaler-Carter worried that some might be unnecessary or interacting with one another and doing more harm than good. So she signed her mother up for a service that sends doctors, nurses and technicians to people's homes.
After a thorough evaluation, the team eliminated some medications and cut the dosage of others. Soon after, her mother became more coherent and took meals at the table instead of in bed, says Thaler-Carter. "She seemed to be more like her real self."  Her mother lived for five more years, dying at 89. 
Older Populations Are Taking More Drugs Than Ever
There are many others, like Elizabeth Thaler. More than 40% of Americans age 65 and older take five or more prescription drugs, a phenomenon known as polypharmacy, entailing a 200% increase over the past 20 years, as the Lown Institute (2020) reported. 
In addition, nearly 20% of older adults take ten drugs or more.
When the harms of polypharmacy outweigh the benefits, medication overload results.
"As we age, our cellular functions and organ systems continue to change, and those physiologic changes result in both increased risk of developing chronic conditions and increased severity of existing conditions," says pharmacist Barbara Zarowitz, a senior advisor with The Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging at the University of Maryland Baltimore. 
As a consequence, older Americans are particularly susceptible to polypharmacy. "Multiple medications can be beneficial for some patients," says Judith Garber, a senior policy analyst at the Lown Institute. Nevertheless, research shows that each additional medication raises a person's risk of suffering an adverse drug event by 7 to 10%. 
Such events send as many as 750 older Americans to the hospital each day. "Side effects can range from dizziness or digestion issues to much more serious side effects such as falling, hemorrhaging, brain bleeds and even death," says Garber.
Garber adds that when the harms of polypharmacy outweigh the benefits, medication overload results.
Factors Driving Medication Overload
Experts say many factors contribute to the rising percentage of older adults taking multiple medications and the heightened risk of medication overload, including:
"There is a prevalent view in the United States, and other countries too, that a pill is the best way to deal with every health issue you have." 
• Pharmaceutical company advertising: Only the United States and New Zealand allow direct-to-consumer ads for prescription drugs, which may lead patients to pressure doctors for a prescription. Companies also advertise to doctors and visit their offices, often bringing food and small gifts. "It's been shown in study after study that giving a free lunch or even pens can make a difference in what doctors prescribe," says Garber.
• Culture: "There is a prevalent view in the United States, and other countries too, that a pill is the best way to deal with every health issue you have. And that is not always the case," says Garber.
• Cascade effect: Doctors may prescribe a drug for one condition and then prescribe others for the resulting side effects, says Zarowitz. "Rather than someone stopping and saying, 'What started this whole cascade?' it just continues."
• Miscommunication: Specialists caring for a patient may not communicate with one another, which can result in medication duplication or dangerous drug interactions.
• Time pressures: Doctors often have only 10 minutes to spend with each patient. "If the physician feels that pressure of a full waiting room and having to turn people around to make a profit, then there is an incentive to write a prescription and get them out the door," says Zarowitz.
Future Lines Of Research
Dr. Michael Steinman, a professor of geriatrics at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, would like to see more physicians regularly review the necessity of their older patients' medications. But it isn't an easy task.
"If someone comes to their clinician with concerns about their medications, it's not always clear to that clinician how to figure out which medications might be causing which symptoms because people can feel bad for all sorts of reasons," Steinman says.
Steinman co-directs the US Deprescribing Research Network, founded in 2019 with a grant from the National Institute on Aging to support and coordinate research into deprescribing. Until recently, such research was scant.
The network defines deprescribing as "the thoughtful and systematic process of identifying problematic medications and either reducing the dose or stopping these medications in a manner that is safe, effective and helps people maximize their wellness and goals of care."
"I think raising awareness is a collective responsibility."
The network's broad research mandate includes using Medicare data to identify common medications that cause problems and studying how to deprescribe safely without a rebound in symptoms, says Steinman.
Likewise, he says that researchers study the most effective ways to communicate with patients because suggesting a patient stop a medication can confuse and scare them. Raising awareness among clinicians and patients about medication overload is at the top of the agenda. 
The network posts evidence-based guidelines for clinicians about how to deprescribe. It also has handouts with advice for patients interested in reducing their medications. "I think raising awareness is a collective responsibility," says Steinman. "It can come from government, individual doctors and from patient advocacy organizations." 
Some medical societies, particularly in cardiology, are beginning to discuss deprescribing in their guidelines to members, Steinman says, but he adds that the process could be faster.
In a 2021 study of health care practitioners in Veterans Affairs primary care clinics, most of the 411 survey respondents reported having patients taking unnecessary medications. But less than one-third recommended deprescribing to their patients.
What Families and Patients Can Do
Patients and their families with concerns about polypharmacy and its possible harms should not wait for their health care providers to bring it up, say experts. Instead, there are several steps they can take:
• Read medication inserts and become familiar with your medications' side effects.
• Consult with a pharmacist about side effects and drug interactions. If your local pharmacist is too busy, you can find a senior care pharmacist at the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.
• Armed with this information, make a list of questions for your health care provider.
• Use 'I,' statements when talking with your doctor, says Zarowitz, such as, 'I wonder if I need all these medications,' or 'I would find it easier if I had to take only five medications instead of eight.' 
On the other hand, avoid statements such as "You have me on too many medications." In this way, "you are not threatening their authority or their judgement, and you're not accusing them of overprescribing," says Zarowitz.
 This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations, and The Commonwealth Fund.

More Older Adults Than Ever Are Taking Multiple Drugs

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