At the Age of Aging, we are sometimes lucky enough to have too many great stories to fit into a single podcast episode. We ran into this fortunate circumstance last season with our episode, “Ambiguous Loss,” which shared the stories of two caregivers grappling with their loved one’s decline from dementia. On today's mid-summer bonus episode, we share a third story we recorded that didn’t make the cut – not because it wasn't good enough, but because it was too complete to be a piece of something else.

Margo Woodacre is an author, teacher, former state senator, and for eight years, the primary caregiver for her husband, Ernie, who was living with Alzheimer's. In this standalone conversation, Woodacre reflects on caregiving, grief, identity, and the slow work of asking, “Who am I now?” that followed the loss of Ernie.

Inside this episode:

2:02 – Becoming a Caregiver: Woodacre reflects on the early signs of Ernie’s Alzheimer’s disease, the fear that followed his diagnosis, and the emotional challenge of caring for someone whose personality was beginning to change.

6:18 – Learning to Dance in the Rain: After a difficult moment in Ernie’s illness, Woodacre shares how a neighbor’s advice helped her reframe caregiving, change her own responses, and meet Ernie where he was. In doing so, she learned how to reduce conflict, preserve connection, and keep finding meaningful moments with him.

10:26 – Delayed Grief: Woodacre reflects on the surprising sense of relief that followed Ernie’s passing, the administrative work of closing a life, and the delayed grief that emerged once the busyness faded.

13:49 – Losing and Reclaiming Identity: After years of caregiving, Woodacre found herself asking who she was without Ernie and without the caregiving role that had shaped her daily life. She discusses journaling, meditation, teaching, politics, support groups, and solo travel as part of her path back to herself.

16:20 – Traveling Alone Again: Woodacre shares the story of her first solo trip after Ernie’s death, a dude ranch vacation that began in loneliness and became a turning point in rebuilding confidence, openness, and independence.

19:08 – Advice for Grieving Caregivers: Woodacre offers guidance for people beginning the grieving process: take your time, allow yourself to grieve, but don’t stay so long in pain that you miss the next lesson life may still have to offer.

Resources available on the episode webpage linked below

• Learn more about Margo Woodacre

• Read more about Woodacre’s essay, “Journey Back to Self: Life After Caregiving,” on Making Sense of Alzheimer’s

• Read Woodacre’s previous book, I’ll Miss You Too: The Off-to-College Guide for Parents and Students
• Learn more about Woodacre’s forthcoming book, Crossroads: Reclaiming Identity When Life Changes Everything, scheduled for release in early fall

Special thanks this episode to Margot Woodacre for sharing her story with us.

If this episode, or another episode, has resonated with you, please subscribe, leave us a review, or share it with somebody who would appreciate it. This makes a real difference in helping others find the show. And if you have a topic you’d like to hear, email us at hello@ageofaging.org.

The Age of Aging is a Penn Memory Center production, hosted by Editorial Director Terrence Casey and Producer Jake Johnson. Contributors include Dalia Elsaid, Jason Karlawish, Emily Largent, Alis...

At The Age of Aging, we know that the stories we tell about dementia shape the perceptions, resources, and, ultimately, the lived experience of people with the condition. As such, it is our number one priority to understand what narratives serve an aging population and which ones are better left in the past.

For the Season 5 finale, our team reflects on a special report from Hastings Center for Bioethics, Living with Dementia: Learning from Cultural Narratives of Aging Societies. Through a series of personal audio essays, some familiar voices from this season explore how cultural narratives influence the lived experience of dementia—and how new stories might help us build a more compassionate, creative, and supportive future.

Inside this episode:

4:21 – Managing Dependence: Dr. Jason Karlawish discusses Mercer Gary's essay on assistive technologies in dementia care. He explores the tension between fears of technological dependence and hopes that technology can eliminate dependence altogether.

11:47 – Creativity, Collaboration, and Dementia: Terrence Casey, editorial director and co-host of The Age of Aging, reflects on Julia Henderson's essay examining participatory arts programs and how projects like Anne Basting's Penelope Project challenge conventional narratives about dementia.

16:19 – Learning from History: Dr. Emily Largent discusses Jesse Ballenger's essay on the history of dementia. She explores how modern anxieties about cognitive decline are shaped by changing ideas about identity, aging, and selfhood.

20:15 – New Narratives for a More Just Future: Producer and Co-Host Jake Johnson examines how cultural narratives influence dementia care and why imagining ourselves into the lives of people living with dementia and caregivers is essential to meaningful social change.

25:34 – Rethinking Housing and Care: Dr. Holly Elser discusses supportive housing as a promising model for people living with dementia, offering an alternative to the traditional divide between aging in place and institutional care.

28:14 – Season 5 Reflections: Dr. Jason Karlawish, Jake Johnson, and Terrence Casey discuss their favorite episodes from the season, lessons learned from reporting on aging and dementia, and what listeners can expect this summer and in Season 6.

Resources available on the episode webpage linked below

• Use offer code “AGING” to get 50% off your copy of Dementia Care’s Radical New Era

• Read the essays featured in the special report, Living with Dementia: Learning from Cultural Narratives of Aging Societies from the Hastings Center for Bioethics

• Read the Pope Leo’s Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence

• Learn more about Anne Basting’s Penelope Project

• Explore Penn Memory Center creative engagement programs

Special thanks this episode to Jason Karlawish, MD, Emily Largent, PhD, JD, RN, Jake Johnson, and Holly Elser, MD, PhD, MPH.

The Age of Aging is a Penn Memory Center production, hosted by Editorial Director Terrence Casey and Producer Jake Johnson. Contributors include Dalia El Said, Jason Karlawish, Emily Largent, Alison Lynnn, and Morgann Adams.

The show is made possible by generous support from the Michael Naidoff Communications Hub Fund and Lena Chao.

Caring for an aging loved...

The air around us is invisible, but its effects on the brain are becoming harder to ignore. Research now links long-term exposure to air pollution with increased Alzheimer's pathology, cognitive decline, and greater dementia risk, and older adults face the greatest threat.

On this episode of The Age of Aging, we go inside that science. Dr. Eddie Lee shares new findings from the University of Pennsylvania connecting lifetime particulate matter exposure to amyloid and tau buildup in the brain. Toxicologists, lung health experts, and clean air advocates explain what air pollution actually is, why Philadelphia's air quality ranks among the most concerning of major American cities, and what individuals and communities can do to protect themselves. And Dr. Holly Elser joins host Terrence Casey to explore the broader relationship between environment, place, and brain health — and why the fight for clean air is also a fight for healthy aging.

Inside this episode:

5:45 – Air Pollution and Alzheimer’s Disease: Dr. Eddie Lee explains how his team linked lifetime exposure to particulate air pollution with increased amyloid and tau pathology in the brain.

9:27 – What Is Air Pollution?: Dr. Trevor Penning and Bev Stewart break down the science of particulate matter, ozone, and toxic gases, and explain why older adults are particularly susceptible to their harmful effects.

13:06 – Philly’s Air Quality: Clean Air Council advocate Russell Zerbo discusses the biggest contributors to air pollution in Philadelphia, including transportation, industry, and urban density, and what local efforts are underway to improve air quality.

15:01 – Protecting Yourself: Experts share practical steps individuals can take to reduce exposure to poor air quality, from tracking the Air Quality Index and wearing N95 masks to improving indoor air filtration.

22:08 – Environment and Brain Health: Dr. Holly Elser joins Terrence Casey to discuss the emerging science connecting environmental exposures and dementia risk, the importance of policy solutions, and how climate and place shape healthy aging.

Resources available on the episode webpage linked below

• Use offer code “AGING” to get 50% off your copy of Dementia Care’s Radical New Era

• Read Dr. Lee’s full study

• Learn more about the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology

• Visit the American Lung Association’s website

• Learn more about the Clean Air Council

• Check out Clean Air Council’s crowdsourced air quality map

• Learn more about the “Stop Trashing Our Air Act” in Philadelphia City Council

• Track local air quality with AirNow.gov

• Explore Philadelphia’s air quality monitoring network

Special thanks this episode to Eddie Lee, MD, PhD, Trevor Penning, PhD, Russell Zerbo, Bev Stewart, and Holly Elser, MD, PhD, MPH.

The Age of Aging is a Penn Memory Center production, hosted by Editorial Director Terrence Casey and Producer Jake Johnson, in partnership with the Penn FTD Center, the Penn Institute on Aging, and Penn’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Contri...