Life in the Later Lane
As a teacher, playwright & screenwriter, Cary Pepper has lots of inside Hollywood info to share
You probably stream most of your movies. But if you happen to rent a film on old-style...
July 15, 2026
All-women punk band still on stage thanks to leader’s career, which started in a mortuary
Invite Klara Lux somewhere, and she’ll always show up early – except on the rare occasion when...
July 6, 2026
Playwright Lynne Kaufman, the author of two dozen plays and five novels, is still going strong, despite some hiccups
The day after Lynne Kaufman retired in 2005, she woke up in tears. “What had I done?”...
June 29, 2026
A win for people power: Supervisors and mayor restore millions of dollars in cut to services for city’s most vulnerable
A months-long campaign by advocates for seniors, the disabled and other vulnerable populations has convinced San Francisco's...
Following in the footsteps of heroes: My visit to the cradles of Civil Rights
SF SENIORBEAT COLUMN – March 17, 1886. A date you probably never considered. Carroll County, Mississippi. A...
June 4, 2026
Couple’s script for their own movie? Shared creative passions and a bent for banter
“I'm Chiquita Banana, and I'm here to say, bananas have to ripen in a certain way,” Margot...
May 28, 2026
Social justice lawyer and activist infusing others with her love of SF’s Great Blue Herons and dedication to conservation
One day in 1993, on her daily walk from her Richmond District home to Golden Gate Park’s...
April 29, 2026
Nonprofit director is happy to bug you, whether you’re 2 or 92, about saving the wild
If you grow up in Los Angeles, where do you find the wild? Norm Gershenz is not...
April 14, 2026
Bass playing lawyer takes on the landlords when seniors call for help
During the day, you’ll find Thomas Drohan in court or at his law office on Mission Street....
April 5, 2026
Former SFSU teacher shifts to helping union workers build leadership abilities
Like some people need coffee, Joan Wong needs to walk – and talk. Mornings, she puts in...
March 25, 2026
Joe Edley, a three-time national champion, has been racking up great Scrabble scores for decades
Joe Edley tucks his co-authored book, “Everything Scrabble,” under his arm and surveys the room. Around him,...
March 16, 2026
As the city’s older population swells, seniors who can no longer live at home face high costs, limited choices
EDITOR'S NOTE: See full profiles of the seniors interviewed by clicking links within the story. A panoply...
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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 ...
Startups pitching products at Aging 2.0 conference focus on keeping people at home
Mid-November brought the Aging2.0 OPTIMIZE conference, a global network for innovators in aging to San Francisco. The conference attracted tech start-ups looking for partners and funding, and venture capitalists in search of new projects. As someone accustomed to the format of 90-minute presentations and roundtables at conferences addressing societal needs, Aging2.0s schedule of 5-minute pitches ...
Upper Haight shopper says his favorite styles are vintage and ethnic
SENIOR FASHIONISTA – Thomas Kennedy, 49, is the manager at La Boulangerie in Noe Valley. He’s from Cape Cod, Mass., but has been in San Francisco for 22 years. Describing his favorite styles as vintage and ethnic, he said he tried to shop locally. Most of his clothes come from three stories on the same block ...
Eclectic is the style guide for retired Municipal Railway employee
SENIOR FASHIONISTA – Do you know an older adult whose a sharp dresser? We might want to feature them in this column. Email janrobbins-sfseniorbeat@gmail.com. Martha Huey, 74, lives in the Lower Pacific Heights and shops on Fillmore Street. Her favorite stores are Mio and Ruti. She calls her style eclectic. Retired from 45 years of ...
