Special Project: Senior Housing
As the city’s older population swells, seniors who can no longer live at home face high costs, limited choices
EDITOR'S NOTE: Full profiles of the seniors interviewed will be published each day after today's introductory story. Publishing dates are noted in the...
Life in the Later Lane
Stephanie Ernst-Scott runs the last tackle shop in San Francisco. It’s been in her family for 60 years.
Walk through the doors of Gus’ Discount Fishing Tackle, and you’ll likely be greeted before you even...
City College café owner customizes and caters to make students, staff and professors feel at home
Thanks to Alberto Campos, students at City College of San Francisco’s Mission Campus can get an affordable...
One bold step opened up education and a career charting demographics in low-income countries
Sara Seims, an 18-year-old British girl, walked into the admissions office at New York University and knocked...
K.D. Sullivan: From Park Bench to Publishing House
At 15, K.D. Sullivan was homeless, hungry, and sleeping on park benches in Honolulu’s Aina Haina neighborhood....
Retired conference consultant embraces San Francisco and its history with tour of her own neighborhood
As she strolls toward the smallest park in San Francisco, Bonnie Wallsh calls back to the group...
Farm life couldn’t compete with the excitement of big cities and the challenge of the executive life
In college, Bob Britt worked as a night auditor at a roadside Holiday Inn in Southern Illinois....
Successful sous chef finds equilibrium and support after career sidetracked by health and hard times
Jon Insco has been a go-getter most of his life — always hustling for his next adventure....
Being an ‘old soul’ isn’t just about age but an attitude – best nurtured by intergenerational contact
SF SENIORBEAT GUEST COLUMN – There’s a corner of Gen Z internet culture that has popularized the...
How a dedicated teacher of young children became a dedicated civic volunteer.
Sharon Yow’s father drove a truck and tried his hand at farming. Her mother worked a switchboard...
Famed boogie-woogie pianist embroiders her performances with her own hand-crafted art
Caroline Dahl has never forgotten the glamorous, red-haired woman in a sequined dress she saw at a...
The biggest, best walk – and bath of a lifetime.
Tina Martin SENIORBEAT GUEST COLUMN – I love San Francisco, and I love to walk. So when...
‘So hard, all the losses and pain:’ Personal and world tragedies led daughter of Holocaust survivors to life of helping others help others
Juliet Rothman was living in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1992 when her 21-year-old son Daniel attempted a double...
Rock ‘n’ roll and diamonds shaped the life of Arthur Indenbaum
WRITER'S NOTE: Arthur Indenbaum died on November 28, 2025, with his wife and daughter by his side....
All Posts
Coffee shop regular never fails to sport carefully selected attire and adorable dachshund
Wilma Winston visits Farley’s coffee shop on Potrero Hill several times a week, enjoying a cup and conversation with her neighbors. SENIOR FASHIONISTA – The 25-year resident of Potrero Hill, known at Farley’s for her elegant style and devoted dachshund Hexley, is a native of Germany. Now retired, she was the West Coast representative for ...
Artists’ community working and aging together in shared space – for now
Residents of artists's community for quarter to nearly half a century have eight years left on their live-work lease.
Keeping the city clean, one candy wrapper, cigarette butt and newspaper flyer at a time
Melanie Grossman regularly picks up litter on the streets of Russian Hill. But when she does, she said, “people look at me like I’m insane.” That baffles her: “Don’t people care about their neighborhood, about making San Francisco a more livable city?” When Grossman and her family moved to the neighborhood about 20 years ago, ...
Lonely or troubled seniors find support, companionship on the Friendship Line
Society – and seniors themselves – view sadness and depression as a normal aspect of aging. Not wanting to be a burden on friends or family, they are often reluctant to reach out for emotional support. The Friendship Line is there to help. Read More...
Meals on Wheels a force against senior isolation, not just a food provider, CEO says
Ashley McCumber is on a mission to make San Francisco an age- and disability-friendly city. “It’s hard to grow old in San Francisco,” said the Meals on Wheels CEO and executive director, noting “the breakdown of neighborhoods, declining community participation in clubs, low voter turnout, all the way down to the way we treat others ...
Plenty of assistive devices to help those with ‘fumble fingers’ get through the day
SENIOR TECH – Do you use a credit card to pay for everything because digging into your wallet for the right bills or coin purse for just the right change has gotten too cumbersome? Is it impossible to pluck keys off the bottom of your purse without turning it upside down? Do you have trouble ...
