AARP The Magazine: Wynonna Judd on Grief and Growth, Kyle MacLachlan on Staying Curious, Plus Stories on Housing, Music and Community

Regarding his past performances, MacLachlan admits, “When I watch an early film of mine like Blue Velvet, I look at the performance and cringe. But if I could give that younger me advice—though he certainly wouldn’t have listened to me— it would be: Put more trust in yourself. Know that you can’t do everything and be OK with that. You’re not going to be right for everything, but you’re going to be really right for some things.” On Showgirls: “While filming, I felt good. Then I saw it. Just awful. Cut to a few years later and people now enjoy it. Over time, I’ve done different things—some great, some regular. And that all balances out somehow.”

UPFRONT/LISTEN: WHO’S NOT IN THE ROCK HALL?

Rock fans are all peace, love, and understanding...until the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame comes up. Then everybody starts debating who deserves to be there. AARP rock critic Edna Gundersen offers her choices of worthy candidates including these top 10: Smashing Pumpkins; The Monkees; Chic; The Smiths; Devo; Connie Francis; John Coltrane; Jane’s Addiction; The Replacements; and The Shangri-Las. Tell AARP what you think: Leave a comment about which artists should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at aarp.org/rockhall.

STANDING UP FOR THEIR HOMES

Nearly half of mobile home residents are 55-plus, and mobile home parks, once affordable havens for older Americans, are being targeted by private equity firms that jack up rents and often evict longtime tenants. But Meadowood Village in Littleton, Colorado, just 10 miles south of downtown Denver, decided to fight back after they received a 10-page “Notice of Intent to Sell” without warning. The park’s 139 residents—most of them retired and living on fixed incomes—understood at once what that meant. A new owner would control the facilities, the rules, the lot rents, everything. Their days there were numbered, if the experience of many other recently bought-up parks was anything to go by. These residents banded together to halt the sale and change their destiny. 

One of AARP’s main missions is to help older people choose how—and where—they live. Recently, that meant working in Congress to support the June passage of the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. This landmark housing law will help households recover more quickly from natural disasters and provide funding to low-income homeowners for needed home repairs. At the state level, AARP has pushed for legal protections against companies that pressure older people to sell their homes for cash. For advice and news on how to keep your own home safe and affordable, visit aarp.org/housing.

REAL/PEOPLE: DRESSING THEM UP - GIFTS FROM A "FAIRY GODFATHER"

Christophe Waggoner, 63, is a customer success manager in Austin, Texas, who turns thrift store items into costumes for kids. “When I’m at my sewing machine, I’ll get an idea for a great Halloween costume and think, I bet I could do that…I buy my materials from re-sale stores, then wash and repair them. With some dye, decorations sewn on and a wig added, it all comes together. Then I put the costume into my inventory and wait for a child to pick it out.”

His inspiration started with Halloween. He explains, “The idea of giving away costumes came to me after I moved into my first house in Austin in 2016 and started getting trick-or-treaters. I saw children in nice Star Wars and Toy Story costumes. But I also saw them with torn shirts and what seemed like a longing, a wishing. Halloween can be an equalizer. I wanted to make sure that every child had the chance to dress up and be anybody…I decided to buy some things, adapt them and hold a free yard sale before the following Halloween…In September, I hung 50 or 60 costumes in my garage. People came and took all of them. The biggest thing I remember is the laughter of kids and their parents.”

REAL/PEOPLE: COMFORT AND JOY - A CHORUS WHERE EVERYONE BELONGS

Connie Young, 78, a retired virologist who lives in Gainesville, Virginia, and Susan Dommer, 62, the music director at the Manassas Church of the Brethren in Manassas, Virginia, created a musical community for people with dementia and their caregivers.

“There’s extensive research about music and the brain. We know that in dementia patients, response to music is one of the last things to leave. People’s speech may be gone, but when they hear the right music, they can sing,” explains Dommer. “Caring for someone with dementia is hard, sad, and isolating. After my mother died, I saw a post about the Giving Voice Chorus in St. Paul, Minnesota, where people with dementia and their caregivers sing together. I immediately forwarded it to Susan, the choral director of the church I attend. I asked, ‘What do you think?’” To which Dommer replied, “‘I’m in!’ We started our group, Forgetful Friends Chorus, in 2016, to perform at our local Walk to End Alzheimer’s.” 

She adds, “I have seen people who were nonverbal start to nod and then sing…Everybody deserves to have joy, and singing can often provide that.” Says Young, “For people with the disease, their world isn’t making sense anymore. But when they sing, it makes a bit more sense to them. When we perform, we tell people in the audience, “Sing with us if you want to.” 

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About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the 125 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest-circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and the AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit aarp.org, aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPLatino and @AARPadvocates on social media.