381 Joan Greene: A Lifelong Advocate for Aging and Mental Health

381 Joan Greene: A Lifelong Advocate for Aging and Mental Health

Author: Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau May 19, 2026 Duration: 35:16

Joan Greene, 84, trained to be a teacher but found her true calling as a social worker and innovative advocate for older adults. In New York State, she helped create programs from the ground up—from nutrition services and Meals on Wheels to case management and family support. When her accomplished daughter was diagnosed with severe mental illness, Joan’s work took on new urgency and personal meaning. In this conversation, she reflects on key turning points in aging, gerontology, and mental health care, while urging our culture to recognize mental health as an essential part of overall health. Joan calls for greater advocacy, research, and access to providers for older adults and families alike. Stay to the end to hear how knitting has become an unexpected source of connection, creativity, and advocacy.

Connect with Joan

Email: greeneward@yahoo.com

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Shining the Light on Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. This week we highlight Beverley Glazer, a transition coach and strategic thinking partner whose podcast—Aging with Purpose and Passion—showcases the raw, empowering stories of high-achieving women who have navigated the most extreme life transitions with unshakeable resilience.

https://www.agingwithpurposeandpassion.com


Hosted by Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau, Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined turns the page on a well-worn cultural script. This is not a series about decline, but a collection of dialogues focused squarely on expansion. You’ll hear from women who are starting businesses, deepening their creative practices, forging new relationships, and confronting societal expectations with a refreshing blend of honesty and humor. These conversations, rooted in personal journals and lived expertise, delve into the practical and the profound-from the science of longevity to the personal journeys of resilience that define this chapter. The podcast moves beyond inspiration to offer tangible insight, framing the later decades as a time of active reinvention. Tune in for stories that replace stereotypes with specificity, and discover a community redefining what it means to grow older with purpose and curiosity.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined
Podcast Episodes
386 Kathy Bresler: The Magic of Intergenerational Connection [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:22
Kathy Bresler, founder of ALTAR Community in Chicago, has created a welcoming space where women of all ages come together to be seen, heard, and supported. ALTAR is a third space for women centered around meaningful gath…
385 Regan Burke: Using Your Voice for Good [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:16
At 80, Regan Burke is still organizing, advocating, and speaking out.But her path to becoming a respected activist, columnist, memoirist, and political influencer was anything but straightforward. Before she found sobrie…
384 Sybil Kolon: A Lifelong Commitment to Legacy and Conservation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:23
For nearly fifty years, Sybil Kolon has devoted herself to protecting 79 acres of family land in Michigan’s Irish Hills. Originally owned by her grandparents, the property was placed under option with Legacy Land Conserv…
383 Jill G Hall: Shaped by her Past: Creativity Unleashed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:50
Author and artist Jill G. Hall, 71, joins us with her luminous new novel On a Sundown Sea, inspired by the mysteries surrounding the visionary woman who built Lomaland—a utopian community near the home Jill grew up in. F…
382 Sandra Sokol: Championing social justice through social service [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:34
For more than six decades, Sandra Sokol has devoted her life to building stronger, more equitable communities. Although she once imagined a career teaching in schools serving children of color her path evolved into groun…
380 Mindy Greiling: Schizophrenia: Three Moms in the Trenches [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:47
This episode, first released in 2021, is a reminder that Mental Health Awareness Month requires all of us to tell our stories. We checked back in with Mindy and learned that, even though she is now retired, she continues…
379 Ilene Dillon: Mental Health Awareness Month [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:11
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re revisiting a powerful earlier conversation with Ilene Dillon (Episode #148). A pioneering voice in emotional well-being, Ilene is an Emotional Realignment Master Tea…