Special needs summer camps are specialized programs designed for children and young adults with a range of disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, Down syndrome, and other developmental or physical challenges.
Over the past six years, I've had the privilege of caring for patients with varying degrees of cognitive impairment. As a medical cannabis doctor, I often visit these patients in memory care units, seeing these once self-sufficient individuals, their personas now diminished, no longer able to care for themselves. They become angry and anxious as they confront the fact that their minds, their memories, what made them who they were, recollections of all that they have lived through and accomplished, are slipping away from them.
As you age, your body gets less efficient at repair and recovery, as your: Immune system gradually loses some of its resilience Digestion slows Chances of chronic conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis increase Retirement can also impact your health in complex ways. While stepping away from work often reduces stress, it may lead to less physical activity and fewer social interactions-both of which can raise your health risks.
Psychologists who study narrative identity have found that elderly individuals often repeat specific stories as a way of preserving and transmitting their core identity and values. These aren't random tales that bubble up from failing memory. They're carefully curated selections from a lifetime of experiences, chosen unconsciously for their significance.
The people who never feel invisible? They're the ones asking questions. My buddy Frank is seventy-one. When his grandson talks about some video game, Frank doesn't say 'When I was your age, we played outside.' He asks, 'What do you like about it? How does it work?' And he actually listens to the answer.
When our family moved to Oregon from Southern California in 1974 for my husband's new job, I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. But there was one problem: There wasn't enough sunshine or swimming pools - both of which I had enjoyed in California. When the community college where I taught offered free memberships at a new gym, I quickly signed up. I expected exercise, but I got so much more.
It got me thinking. While everyone's obsessing over the latest fitness trends and biohacking protocols, these folks have been consistently moving their bodies for decades. No fancy equipment, no Instagram-worthy routines, just simple habits they picked up long before movement became a multibillion-dollar industry. So I started asking around, digging into research, and talking to people who've stayed active well into their golden years. What I found wasn't revolutionary or complicated. It was refreshingly simple.
The senior center, operated by the nonprofit North East Medical Services, will take over the existing two-story, 11,093-square-foot building at 25th Avenue and Noriega Street, according to a planning application approved in January. The new facility will serve as a primary care clinic for seniors, featuring a 1,620-square-foot activity room and 959-square-foot dining area - much like a sister location in Chinatown, which provides health care and community activities for seniors.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dorenne Simonson, 66, who is her granddaughter's kinship care provider in New Jersey. Simonson has parented her since she was two months old. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. I've always been in a situation where I had to spend whatever I made. There's no retirement account when you're single and raise five kids by yourself.