Easing the Toll of Long-Distance Grief
For immigrants navigating loss from afar, support can come from community, new rituals, and better policies.
Aging and dying
The Tenderness of Eldercare
How aging caregivers are putting their self-care first.
The Rainbow Connection
Intergenerational housing for LGBTQ elders and youth can relieve isolation and housing instability for both groups.
Not What They Expected: Grandparents As Day Care
Expanded federal funding for child care ended Oct. 1, and in many cases, extended families, including grandparents, will shoulder the burden.
Embracing Death as Community Care
An Indigenous Indian tribe once embraced voluntary and assisted euthanasia in specific contexts, a cultural practice fundamentally driven by a care for the common good.
Back to the Land (Literally)
More Americans are choosing human composting—now legal in six states—to avoid mainstream deathcare.
The Shape-Shifting Power of Menopause
“I know there is a way to grow older that brings us deeply into living.”
Rethinking Retirement Communities
Philadelphia is among a growing number of cities creating programs to help residents “age in place” and maintain a connection with their community.
Is This the World’s Best City to Grow Old In?
Arnsberg, Germany’s Department of Future Aging is dedicated to ensuring quality of life for its residents over age 55.
Nursing Homes That Feel Like Home Help Avoid COVID
Nursing homes using the Green House Project’s model of residential care are weathering the pandemic better than traditional institutions. Here’s why.
How Celebrating the Day of the Dead Abroad Brought Me Home
Living in the United States, I came to understand the ancient Mexican tradition of honoring the dead.
The Feminist Magic of the Older Witch
Witchcraft is having a moment. But look past pop culture's teenaged spellbinders and consider the encouraging example of the unconventional crone.
How Cities Can Combat the Dangerous Combination of Extreme Heat and COVID
Heat is deadlier than other climate-related disasters, but the solutions are simpler.
How Muslims Are Mourning Without Proper Death Care Rituals
Due to COVID-19, the Muslim community is grappling with how to grieve without traditional burial practices that are essential in Islam.
Why the Coronavirus Brings Out the Best (and Worst) in Us
The idea of death is front and center for many people right now, and this psychological tendency has a strong influence on human behavior.
Grieving Our Collective Loss—One Stitch at a Time
Taking a cue from the many traditions that liken human life to fabric, I started knitting a COVID-19 death-toll blanket.
Making Room for Spirits Among the Living
How immigrants have brought diverse traditions to keep their ancestors and dead loved ones close.
The Kids Are All Right, But the Adults Are Struggling
While much attention on the rising suicide rate focuses on youth, data shows that it's actually working-age adults who are being hit hardest.
Making National Parks Accessible to Native People Again
A violent, racist history has kept Native people off their ancestral lands for decades. How can we remove the barriers that still exist today?
How Death Doulas Ease the Final Transition
End-of-life caregiving is an ancient practice that’s now re-emerging in the death positivity movement, which urges a shift in thinking about death as natural and not traumatic.
Why I Wore Black After He Died: Lessons from Victorian Mourning Culture
I needed others to see me—to acknowledge my grief.
Editor’s Note: The Death Issue
When I learned that my first issue as editorial director of YES! would be on death, I cringed a bit. No one likes to think about death, much less talk about it. In fact, death might be more taboo to discuss than even sex or money. A recent survey found that only about a third of people had discussed making wills with their partners, or their wishes concerning their funerals. It’s almost as though we believe that dying doesn’t actually happen. At least not to us.
Some Blunt Advice About Your Death
Author and end-of-life educator Sallie Tisdale gets real about death and dying.
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