“It’s OK to Be Old” Conference: You’re Invited!
Everything You Want to Know About Aging but Were Afraid to Ask
We can talk for hours about our grandchildren, our favorite restaurants, and where we’re going on our next vacation. But when the conversation turns to getting older, some questions become harder to ask.
Is this change in my body normal? How do I make sense of my medications? What happens to romance and intimacy? How do I navigate loss, stay connected, and keep finding things to look forward to?
Imagine an afternoon where those conversations are welcome, where you can learn from professionals, ask questions, and meet people who share your curiosity about this chapter of life.
That’s the invitation behind “It’s OK to Be Old,” a Long Island Conference for Living Well and Aging Well, taking place Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Roslyn, 3 Harbor Park Drive, Port Washington.
And I’m delighted to be participating as a guest speaker!
The woman bringing this afternoon together is Patricia Greenberg, author of It’s OK to Be Old: Thoughtful Acceptance of Your Age and host of the YouTube show of the same name. With a background in nutrition, food science, and the culinary arts, Patricia encourages people to approach aging with knowledge, confidence, and an appreciation for what experience brings.
She has completed 20 marathons and 115 half marathons, mostly after turning 50. While running a marathon may not be on your wish list, or mine, her accomplishments remind us that discovering a new interest or setting a new goal doesn’t come with an expiration date.
Patricia will open the conference with a discussion of the foundations of healthy aging, including nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, spirituality, and community. She’ll also address ageism and the importance of finding people and places that support the life we want to lead.
Becoming Unforgettable: My Invitation to You
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I’m especially proud to join Patricia, bringing a subject close to my heart to the conversation: how to become unforgettable to the people we love.
As the author of The Tradigital Grandma and creator of From Favorite to Forever, I help older adults bring their family stories, traditions, and memories into the digital age. My 31 years as an educator, followed by work in journalism and radio, taught me the power of helping people find their voices. Being a grandmother of three gave that work a deep personal purpose.
My presentation will explore how technology can help us strengthen family connections and create a lasting digital legacy. Imagine your grandchildren hearing you tell a childhood story, watching you prepare a treasured family recipe, or opening a message you recorded especially for them. These are ways to share who we are, what we believe, and how much we love them.
Through The Tradigital Grandma, I blend cherished traditions with approachable digital tools. Through From Favorite to Forever, families can preserve and share photographs, videos, voice recordings, letters, recipes, and memories for generations to come.
Think about a voice you wish you could hear again. A family story you remember only in pieces. A recipe that disappeared because no one thought to write it down.
Now think about what you can share today.
You don’t need to be a technology expert to begin. I’ll introduce ways to preserve the pieces of your life that your children and grandchildren may one day treasure most: your voice, your wisdom, your humor, and your love.
www.grandmagrandmatellmemore.com
The Questions We’re Ready to Ask
The conference’s planned presentations will also explore the everyday concerns many of us carry, beginning with an “Ask the Doctor” discussion about lifestyle habits and managing health conditions as we age.
Heart health, heart disease, advances in care, and the role of lifestyle choices are on the agenda. Another presentation will examine oral health. There will be a discussion of stress and anxiety, along with a pharmacist’s perspective on how and why we take medications, their benefits and drawbacks, and how to monitor our responses over time. Audience questions will be part of the conversation.
And yes, the program makes room for subjects that don’t always get discussed so openly: sex, love, romance, personal power, and money after 60. Men’s sexual health and aging are also among the planned topics. These are meaningful parts of adult life, and having a welcoming place to discuss them can make it easier to ask what’s on our minds.
The spiritual side of aging will also receive attention, including how faith and spiritual communities can support us through life changes, loss, grief, and end-of-life planning.
The afternoon will close with a collective question-and-answer session and an open discussion about aging, returning to the fears we brought with us and considering whether what we’ve learned has helped ease them.
Light refreshments will be available throughout the afternoon, and a small expo will give attendees an opportunity to browse local goods and services for older adults.
Come Curious. Leave Inspired.
Bring your questions. Bring a friend. Come with something you’re curious about, even if you haven’t quite found the words to ask it yet.
Perhaps you’ll leave with useful information, a new connection, or the encouragement to try something you’ve been postponing. I hope you’ll also leave feeling that this chapter deserves your attention, your enthusiasm, and your plans for the future.
We have experiences worth sharing and possibilities worth exploring. Let’s give ourselves an afternoon to do both.
Join us Sunday, November 8, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Roslyn, 3 Harbor Park Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050.
Tickets are $50 per person, or $35 per person for groups of five or more. Use code EARLYBIRD by November 2nd for the advertised 20% early-bird discount.
For tickets and more information, visit:
I hope to see you there!
Andrea Peponakis
Andrea Peponakis is a retired foreign language teacher who then became a local newspaper journalist and local radio show host. Born and raised in Astoria, Queens and on Long Island, Andrea is now focusing on writing children’s books. The motivation to become an author was inspired by her three grandchildren. Her book, Grandma, Grandma, Tell Me More: My Family Loves Me, was featured at this year’s London Book Festival and at The LA Times Book Fair. Andrea currently resides on Long Island near her children and grandchildren. Her days are spent creating everlasting memories with her grandchildren and writing.
