Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Ask Tracey”
Dear Tracey, Can you tell my why some people are so hell bent on refusing to wear masks? I don’t get it. My mother is in an assisted living place and she’s terrified the virus will get in there and infect all of them. She says she feels like a “sitting duck” and I don’t blame her. She calls it …
I frequently receive inquiries about the pros and cons of Seniors having pets. Ten years ago, my mother and I discussed this topic at length, which I wrote about in a 2010 column. Sadly, both she and our faithful dog, Bella, have passed on, but I thought this column might still benefit others grappling with this decision. *** My mother …
In the eight grade, my mother allowed me to read Travels With Charley: In Search of America, by John Steinbeck. She had some reservations about it, so she read it first. Ultimately, she felt it was a book all Americans should read, including me, her then 13 year old daughter. Always a voracious reader, Travels with Charley had been on …
Dear Tracey, I know it’s usually my younger generation that gets accused of being addicted to our electronic devices but in my family it’s my dad who has the biggest problem with them. That’s okay, I don’t have to live with him, except now he wants to give our son a smart-phone for his tenth birthday. My husband and I …
Dear Tracey, I have a terrible situation. My mother is 84 and housebound. A woman comes in three times a week for basic care. I do everything else. (I’m divorced and retired, living on a fixed income.) She gets Social Security and a small pension. We’ve been living like this for the last ten years. The problem? My mother has run through all of her savings. She’s been doing her …
Dear Tracey, It’s finally happened. My mother, who is 84 and mentally quite sharp, had her driver’s license taken away. Between my mother’s poor vision, slow reaction time, and inability to fully turn her head, her doctor said she needed to put the safety of herself and others first. I’m relieved. But my mother is sad and irritated. She says …
Dear Tracey, I love my children but they’re driving me nuts. I finally moved to be closer to them, which meant giving up my life that I had been happily crafting for the last fifty years. It seemed easier for them if I lived closer. I’m 79, single, and a retired librarian. I’m healthy, have my own apartment, passed …
Dear Tracey, I’ve been a widow for four years. Last year, I went to my 50th high school reunion. I couldn’t believe it but my old boyfriend was there and we had the best time. (He’s been divorced for ages.) It was as if no time had passed. We had such fun. It was so easy. We kept in touch …
Q: My friend is still very upset about how the last national election turned out. He brings it up all of the time, complaining about how much better things would be if his party had won instead of mine. I am tired of it but haven’t said anything. What do I do? A: Speak up! Your friend will continue to …
Q: My kids want me to have “safety bars” installed in my bathroom and next to simple, three step staircase. I don’t think I need them. Those things are expensive and they look terrible. I’m very careful. How do I know if it’s time for things like this? A: Generally speaking, by the time most adult children bring up these …