Two Third Agers

In our final episode of our first podcast season, the Two Third Agers, Katy and Jenny, switch it up a bit to focus on the upsides of being the age we are and discuss similarities and differences between us and between us and others of our age. This is a fun discussion about all things aging, but not too old yet!!  Stay tuned for our second season after a break when we plan to have invited guests talk with us about their experiences with aging and some of their particular expertise.  THANKS for listening!  

In this 7th episode, two third-agers Jenny and Katy talk about ways to manage the material goods passed down from parents and other relatives, all those family photos, and the emotions as well as the practicalities of sorting and giving away precious mementos.  

In this 5th episode, Jenny and Katy discuss friendships across their lives and the differences in finding and keeping friends in the Third Age where we are now.  This episode touches on the changes that COVID has made in how we engage with friends as well. 

Jenny and Katy discuss their thoughts on parenting adult children in the Third Age, both some of the joys and some of the challenges. Letting go of knowing every detail about your child's life is a very gradual process and some developmental stages, like leaving for college, seem to be harder than others. Each of us has had some worries about our grown children as they've matured from teens into their 20s and early 30s, and we acknowledge that sometimes if we hover too much or offer un-asked-for advice, the young adult may pull away abruptly. We discuss some of the feelings and adjustments around the avocations and other big life choices our adult children pursue, their significant others, and milestones like an adult child's wedding and the first grandchild.

In this episode, your two third age hosts, Katy and Jenny, talk about our very common concerns about our own cognitive health  - e.g., everyday "forgetting," losing things, and so on. We discuss normal changes and who to see if one is concerned about memory loss. We touch on ways we try to stay mentally active and share some of the stories of our parents' dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's dementia, and the wrenching experience of placing a loved one into a Memory Care facility.  

In our second episode, Jenny and Katy catch up from last time, and then discuss recent experiences with travel and adventure. Some things get a bit harder, are more of a hassle, or simply change as we've aged, but travel for near and farther adventures can certainly give us joy that lasts beyond the actual time away.    

Music and sound editing by Harrison Adams, PatterandHum.com studio

In this first episode, longtime friends Jenny, a former attorney, and Katy, a former gerontological social worker, introduce ourselves to listeners and discuss some of the things we have in common. Our podcast will focus on what it's like to be in "The Third Age" - the time of life when you start to be "older" but not yet "old." Some things have changed and some stay the same since we first met 35 years ago! We each discuss our current lives as long-married women with empty nests, what we're up to, and what we find satisfying or not so satisfying. We touch upon many issues and in future episodes will address topics such as loss, changing interests, grown children, health, travel, work and volunteering. 

Recording through Zencastr.

Music and production by Harrison Adams at PatterandHum.com studio on the Ridgewood/Bushwick border, New York.