• Carol Colborn is a full-time carer to her husband, William, who has Alzheimer's disease.
• She struggled, especially after being diagnosed with cancer, and the pair was confined to the house.
• A Medicare benefit designed to help carers and keep their loved ones at home changed all that.

This story is based on an interview with Carol Colborn, 77, a retired academic from Mesa, Arizona. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My husband, William, and I married in 2008 when I was 60, and he was 65.

We both retired and went on an amazing adventure together: RV-ing full time across North America for eight years.

We drove to every state in the US, every state in Mexico, and every province in Canada. Then we traveled the world, visiting 29 countries in total.

The trips stopped after William was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2018, so we're glad we built so many happy memories on the road.

He'd shown symptoms of the illness, mostly forgetfulness. I gave him a shopping list of three items written in large print, and he'd come back with two.

We had a ritual: he'd bring me a mug of herbal tea while we watched TV in the evening. It made me calm and serene and helped me sleep better. He'd done it every day since our wedding and, when he forgot the first time, I was distraught.

William had mild cognitive impairment for the first four years, which progressed into moderately severe Alzheimer's.

He needed 24/7 support, and I was his full-time caregiver. He stayed in bed a lot of the time, but I gave him his medication, three meals a day, and baths.

I had chemotherapy for lung cancer

His mobility was limited, but we still did our evening walks past four houses. It was his main exercise.

Things were relatively manageable until July 2025, when I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I had surgery in September and was in the hospital for four days.

My daughter and William's daughter stepped up to care for him, but it was a temporary arrangement because they lived in other states.

I began chemotherapy and had to juggle my husband's health needs with my own. It was incredibly stressful.

"How can I take care of him while taking care of myself?" I asked myself. We considered assisted living, but we couldn't bear the thought of leaving our own home.

One of our biggest expenditures was transport. William gave up driving long ago, and I'd never driven. It meant we'd spend around $500 a month on Uber rides to get to things like his doctors' appointments and my cancer procedures.

We were paying between $30 and $40 a trip. It got to the point where we stayed home most of the time because we couldn't afford the cost.

It was exhausting trying to navigate the Medicare system

The walls closed in on us. We didn't go to mass or socialize with our friends. Things like date night at a restaurant were out of the question.

It was exhausting trying to navigate the Medicare system. It felt as if I was fighting for every benefit and getting nowhere. Every day was a challenge.

Earlier this year, I saw an ad on Facebook for Ez Health, a free or low-cost service that deals with Medicare on your behalf. It explained how federal legislation passed in January 2024, called Community Health Integration, aims to keep people who want to stay in their own homes as long as possible.

The program supports carers like me. We were appointed a health advocate, known as a guide, who helped me through the qualification process.

We suddenly got many of the benefits I'd been struggling for, including eight hours a week of respite care. We also had access to medical professionals who came to your home, such as a physical therapist, a palliative nurse, a dentist, and a phlebotomist.

Dining out again has strengthened our marriage

Our transport is subsidized. The guide introduced us to a local paratransit service that costs $3 per ride. It has saved us as much as $400 a month. Best of all, it's opened up our world.

We use it not only for grocery shopping and health appointments — I'm having maintenance therapy for my cancer now — but also for date nights. Dining out again is transformative and has strengthened our marriage.

These days, rather than William's caregiver, I refer to myself as his "present companion," as I steer him through his later years.

• Ariel Grunberg was unhappy with his appearance at 72 and decided to do something about it.
• He opted for plastic surgery, including a facelift, a lower blepharoplasty, and a neck lift.
• The grandad is pleased with the results, and said some people think he's in his fifties.

This story is based on an interview with Ariel Grunberg, 72, a semi-retired real estate owner and manager from New York City. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My eyes bothered me the most as I got older. I always felt they were drooping too much, and if I didn't do anything about them, they would cover my vision.

One of the turning points was attending a presentation when the speaker had eyes similar to mine and peered upward in an exaggerated way.

I remember thinking, "Why doesn't he get them fixed?" Sure enough, when I saw him again, I noticed that he'd had his eyelids lifted. You could see a lot more of his eyes, and he no longer had that mannerism of looking up.

In February 2026, I consulted the New York cosmetic surgeon, Dr. John Layliev, who came highly recommended, to discuss my options. He suggested eye surgery and a brow lift.

As we got talking, I mentioned how much I didn't like my turkey neck, which made me think about my age.

People had remarked about how young and fit I looked — I did triathlons, including a half IronMan — but I was still self-conscious.

The total cost was around $60K

In the end, we settled on a deep plane facelift, neck lift, brow lift, lower blepharoplasty procedure, facial fat grafting, and fat-based liquid rhinoplasty.

I thought that, if I were under anesthesia anyway, I might as well get more than my eyes and brow done. The total cost was around $60,000.

My girlfriend was supportive, but I only told my two daughters about two weeks beforehand. I suspected they'd say I didn't need it, but they said it was up to me.

I'm not the nervous type, so I wasn't worried ahead of the operation on July 31. It took around eight hours, and I stayed in the hospital overnight.

My face felt very stiff afterward, which I'd expected. I had a spinal surgery a year earlier, and my body had temporarily stiffened, too.

There is less of a stigma about men having cosmetic surgery

There was very little pain or puffiness, but I stayed inside for three weeks, though it probably wasn't necessary.

I'm not very good at keeping secrets, and I thought there was no point. There is less of a stigma these days about men and cosmetic surgery.

In fact, I told everyone who cared to listen.

I think the results are exceptional, as I don't have as many wrinkles or as much facial drooping. I recently visited a new dentist, who said I looked 50. A taxi driver guessed my age at 55.

My younger brother used to joke with restaurant waiters when we were together that I was his dad. He can't do that anymore, and it's a good thing.

I'm considering veneers

I know 72 is relatively mature for a facelift, but I feel I'm less likely to need another one in the future. I'm considering veneers on my teeth, but I'll leave it at that.

I didn't go ahead with the surgery for my girlfriend, but she is delighted by my rejuvenated look. The feeling is certainly mutual.