"Taking Care of Dad" is the show's second segment, following a report on how noninsured Angelenos cope without access to medical services. In the first piece of an on-going initiative about taking care of the elderly, SoCal Connected looks at the possible closures of adult day care health centers as a result of the proposed cuts in Medi-Cal in the 2011/2012 state budget. Dealing with Medi-Cal admission regulations was a nightmare for my parents during my father's final illness. I can't imagine how hard it must be for those struggling with the idea of losing these benefits in the wake of the state's financial retrenchment. Catch a preview of Friday's episode here. The first airing occurs at 8:30 PM on KCET.

Watch and weep.

He's not alone. Trendwatchers are spreading the news about the nation's first assisted-living RV park. As reported in the August 29, 2011 issue of the New York Times, nomadic seniors reluctant to sell their RVs can pull into Escapees Care in Livingston, TX, the country's first RV park with assisted living. For $824 a month, or $1,236 a couple, residents get access to the Care Center, where registered nurses are on call to help with routine care and schedule doctors' appointments.

My friends and I have cobbled together a plan for our own semi-golden years. We are going to keep our jobs but all move into one SRO and fill up all the vacancies on one floor. That way, we can be a unit together and order food in bulk from Vons.com delivery and coordinate social services and nurse-visits.

But this RV-idea intrigues me so perhaps we should crowd-source the purchase of a big-ass RV.

How are you going to spend your golden years?

Unfortunately, I don't need a souped-up spacesuit to teach me to slow down and enjoy being in a relatively-healthy body. I just have to spend time with my seventy-something mother who faces knee replacement surgery this fall. Her every step makes me wince, knowing that she has no cartilage left in her right knee. She refuses to use a cane or pain meds, despite the fact that her knee joints are reduced to rubbing bone on bone.

Oh these stubborn seniors. But we live in an age of miracles. In addition to surgery, we are exploring stem cell replacement therapy. My mother had her initial cell replacement shot two weeks ago and we're hoping the cells can regenerate her cartilage.

As James Crabtree explains in the above-linked article "Agnes the Aging Suit," more innovative tech to alleviate the frailties of aging will follow. Joseph Coughlin, founder of the AgeLab at MIT, articulates the best perspective on the effects of longevity I've heard so far:

"We need a vision that says ageing is not just about the frail. Ageing is about all of us, and how we keep people productive for as long as possible; " Coughlin tells me. "What we're left with is a crisis, where we're using yesterday's social and policy models to address today's new ageing population. It is a fundamental disconnect."

I guess we all need to take urgent steps into the future.

Cullen Gallagher reviews several new collections of pulp fiction stories for the "Los Angeles Review of Books," including a collection called Damn Near Dead 2: Live Noir or Die Trying that bills itself as "Geezer Noir."

Standout tales include "Joe R. Lansdale's pithy 'The Old Man in the Motorized Chair,' about a grumpy, retired detective who solves crimes between commercial breaks..."

The project stars Karen Black and Barbara Bain. Who doesn't love Karen Black? She populated all those great 70s movies made by "maverick" filmmakers. Black was a maverick, too, who acted like a loopy old lady even when she was a hot chick in her 20s. I also adore Barbara Bain, who starred in the original "Mission:Impossible" TV series and lent gravitas to that 70's British TV import, "Space: 1999."

The funding description details the filmmaker's struggles to obtain financing from indie outfits who just don't see the appeal of 60 something characters who haven't had work done to their faces or spend the movie engaging in raunchy behavior that's beneath their dignity.

In other words, is all this cougar business good for the crones?

While watching Channel 35, I caught Connie Martinson Talks Books interview with L.A. author, Sonya Sones, whose current book is a local bestseller called The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus. At first I was startled to see a book show discussing fiction at all; that's a rarity.

As the interview progressed, I became intrigued by the subject matter. Sones has written a novel in verse about facing menopause in LA, combating empty-nest syndrome and coping with the pressures of caring for an ailing parent from a long distance. There's so much fiction about the travails of young women that it's nice to find new work that acknowledges life after 50.

Martinson's show is based in Southern California and this interview had a lovely local flavor to it. Sones even name-checked legendary UCLA poetry teacher, Myra Cohn Livingston, as a mentor. Martinson and Sones charmed me most when both women reached for their reading glasses to read passages from the novel. You never see that on TV. I wonder why Martinson didn't ask Sones why she was wearing a hat in the interview. What's up with that?

After watching the program, I'm looking forward to reading the book.

I leave you with Sones's advice for aging in LA, as shared during an interview with Elina Fuhrman in "Angeleno Magazine":

Three secrets for aging with grace in Los Angeles:

1. Keep your sense of humor.

2. Never look at yourself in the bathroom mirror with your reading glasses on.

3. Install dimmer switches in all your lamps.

Cutie offers free advice live on Facebook every Thursday for her "Ask Grandma Anything" segment on the blog.

I love her big glasses. I plan to get a pair when I'm 65.

Yet, I have a lot of affection for her. She's one of my favorite celebrity-train-wrecks and not just because she once complimented my haircut in a Beverly Hills beauty salon. I have come to admire her honesty during her stint on the latest iteration of "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew." She spoke movingly about how her relapse into addictions was motivated by a need to cope with the symptoms of menopause. I thought that was unusual and brave. She didn't blame menopause for her relapse or mitigate her responsibility for keeping sober.

I considered her story as similar to those of my older friends who tell me their initial bout with the symptoms of menopause left them unglued. They had no preparation for it and didn't know how to cope or seek relief for the memory loss, insomnia, dizziness and headaches.

Dickinson's emotional candor got me thinking about trying to prepare for my own menopause. I've been reading up on symptoms and educating myself about alleviation treatments. Did you know there are up to 34 symptoms? 34?! It's all so confusing. Perhaps that in itself is another symptom.

Predicted lifetimes were also extended for future old people, although the extension that today's old people get was bigger."

Whoa. This is sobering news that I have to plan for now since Medicare accounts may be depleted by then, but I'm glad that men over the age of 65 will be living longer... a whole 6 months. That should stimulate my future senior dating pool a bit.

I think every woman should have a Divorcee Sale, whether or not they married. As I grow older, I find that I need to let go of the accumulation of stuff. It's not just physical accumulation, but also old habits, attitudes, and even vocabulary words. Its amazing how good I feel when I can get rid of an object associated with an unwanted emotion or experience. The adage "out of sight, out of mind" really works.

She blogs "The crowd [at LAB ART gallery] was very 'happening' and at one point I almost felt like I was in NYC. But that was until LMFAO walked in the door and I spotted a 60 year old woman in 4 inch heels with double D's and a facelift bumping and grinding in front of the DJ both. Then I remembered 'Oh! Wait, yes we are in Hollywood'."

I know the type. We all know the type, but I'm here to tell you that's not the only way women choose to age in this town.

"They grew up in this difficult environment and naturally came to resent it," Dr. Frost said. "But at the same time, these are your parents and you have to not only respect and love but take care of them. What happens when they get old?""