The Enlightened Cynic (Formerly Specifically for Seniors)

Rob Surette's speed painting performances and fine art creations are a testament to his exceptional talent and passion for the arts. Through his dynamic speed painting displays, he brings art to life in a way that captivates audiences and leaves them in awe. His fine art pieces, on the other hand, offer a glimpse into the creative depth and technical mastery that define his work. Rob Surette&#...

The number of Americans over the age of 65 is projected to more than double in the next forty years, increasing from 40.2 million in 2010 to 88.5 million in 2050. As many of us. know from personal experience, we start to have problems remembering names or where our car keys are or whether we took our morning pills. Specifically for Seniors in conjunction with a program instituted by Hebrew Senior...

Today’s podcast is being recorded on June 15, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. we at specifically for seniors and our guest from the national center on elder abuse, encourage you to share this episode of the podcast with friends and relatives who know an older adult who may be in jeopardy.  Lori Mars, JD, LLM, is the Deputy Director of the National Center on Elder Abuse. She is an assistant profes...

Adam Centamore has presented more than 2000 classes and events and written more than 70 articles in magazines like Saveur, Culture Cheese, WGBH and other print and online magazines. He is a professional certified food and wine educator. Adam is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals where his first book - Tasting Wine and Cheese: An Insider's Guide to Mastering the...

James Geary is the deputy curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, editor of Nieman Reports, and former editor of the European edition of Time magazine. He is the author of Wit's End: What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It, I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How It Shapes the Way We See the World, Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists, the N...

Alastair Henry retired at 57, shed his possessions and went to live with a First Nations band in the Northwest Territories. Alastair and I talk about his life-changing 2 years in a fly-in community in northern Canada, his life in Lutsel K'e, the cultural differences and challenging environment. Alastair explains how his experience there led to learning a larger purpose in life. Alastair will r...

This episode's guest on Specifically for Seniors is Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, Medical DIrector of Hebrew Senior Life's Wolk Center for Memory Health and co-author of "A Guide to Cogntive Fitness." This podcast introduces a series of six additional podcasts throughout the year that discuss ways to maintain our cognitive health. Correction: In our introduction on the podcast we mis...

Sorell Schwartz, PhD is Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology at Georgetown University Medical Center, Senior Pharmacology Advisor at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has had advisory appointments at the National Library of Medicine, the FDA, the EPA, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the FTC, the U.S. House of Representatives, OSHA, the Department of Defense, the FBI and WHO. Dr. Schwar...

Dan and I chat about ChatGPT, AI uses and abuses, the future of AI, what it can and cannot do, benefits for seniors. Dan wrote three books using Chat GPT and tells how and why. Dan introduces an app for grandparents that uses AI to create bedtime stories. It's available for iPhone on the App store - the app is called Tall Tales - Bedtime Stories.

Jane Caro - author, novelist, social commentator, award winning columnist, broadcaster, documentary maker, TEDX speaker, feminist and self-proclaimed troublemaker speaks out on the issues of ageism, feminism and sexism, topics close to heart. And then she and I talk about America's issues with abortion legislation and guns and how we appear to the rest of the world.

Dr. Giannobile and I discuss the importance of dentistry as an integral part of overall health and the integration with physicians as part of the healthcare team. We talk about the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and the training that students receive that differs from other dental schools. Dr. Giannobile and I then address specific needs of senior adults and the problems dentists can encounter...

Marty and I discuss all aspects of a senior move whether they are managing the move for themselves or for aging parents. We talk about the psychological and physical moving process including downsizing, organizing and the actual move itself. We discuss the extra problems when a member of the move has dementia or a physical infirmity. Marty clarifies the role or a move management company. For those...

This is the story of three remarkable women - a 79 year old champion weight lifter and body builder, an 88 year old holder of the Guinness Book of World Records for the oldest working female comedian and a 103 year old blue ribbon prize winnng baker.  Each woman has a different story to tell but each will serve as an inspiration and will share their secrets for a long, health and active life....

Whether you are an older adult looking to stay active and independent or simply interested in learning more about balance, mobilty and fall prevention, this is the podcast for you. Dr. Rose discusses  the importance of fall prevention  and balance assessment and training as part of a broader overall fitness regime. She has developed a program that provides a multidimensional approach to...

Andrew Budson, MD and Elizabeth Kensinger, PhD are the Authors of the newly published book "Why We Forget and How To Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory". In easy-to-understand layman's terms, the doctors discuss how we create and store memories and why we forget things. We discuss normal age-related forgetfulness and how to distinguish between that and forgetfulness associated with disease...

Natalie Dattilo, PhD is a clinical psychologist who treats patients with depression. Her treatment approach is based on wellness science. We chat about mental health in general and specifically about the importance of playfulness and laughter in our daily lives. Natlie and I discuss the scientific effects of laughter both spontaneous and self-initiated laughing and why we older adults should dismi...

Sebastian and I talk about his mission to teach photo artistry and to urge participants to live a photo artistic life. What is it all about? Listen to Sebastian as he talks about the joy he gets when he sees his students succesfully create art. 

Brett Johnson holds the distinction of being the only guest on the podcast who has ever been on the U.S. Most Wanted List.  He was convicted of 39 felonies, sentenced to more than 7 years in prison, escaped and built the first cybercrime community known as Shadowcrew, a precursor to today's dark web.  The United States Secret Service called him "The Original Internet Godfather." Brett fo...

Rick and I talk about his art, philosophy and passion for taking photographs and teaching photography. We discuss travel photography, what gear you should bring on a trip, the value of the camera in the iPhone. Rick talks about the interrelationship of music and photography.  His many books are available on Amazon.

Ashton Applewhite, author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism and TED speaker, and I discuss what ageism is. We talk about how the attitude and published article of a prominent physician may be one of the best examples of out-and-out ageism. We discuss the tell tale signs of ageism, why we are our own worst enemies, how to combat ageism and its relationship to all prejudices and other...

Howard and I have an essential discussion about aging in America. We talk about the lack of a long term care system in the United States as opposed to other countries, aging at home vs. senior living facilities, and how to know when we should be talking to our parents and deciding for ourselves when it's time to consider alternate housing and how to accomplish the change. Caring for our Parents -...

I talk with Dr. Mindy Koch from the Seniors for Crist Coalition. We talk about Charlie Crist's political background and the reason he changed parties from Republican to Democrat and his thoughts on caring for seniors in Florida, his Covid policies, gun reform, school safety, parental rights in education, election gerrymandering, the Florida State Guard and Critical Race Theory. But most importantl...

I talk with Drs. Xiaosi Gu and Daniela Schiller about The Social Brain app, which  is an exciting new app that gives users the opportunity to be part of cutting edge social neuroscience experiments. The app was developed to assess our social cognition and how that relatesto mental health. Today's podcast was a bit different than other podcasts in that my guests are going to ask you to partici...

Laurence and I talk about the origins of digital art, missing a fateful meeting with Sid Vicious, teaching Andy Warhol to use a computer, starring in Apple's "Think Different" ad, his art and his art cars. Web Site: https://gartelmuseum.weebly.com

Riley and I talk about retirement, what to expect when the times comes. We discuss the psycholgical changes one goes through an the good and not so good parts of retirement.