Category: Longevity News 2012

6/25/2012 - Aging: A Collective Response

Published by the University of Texas Press with support from several foundations, and edited by Henry Cisneros, a former secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and two senior researchers from the Stanford Center on Longevity, “Independent for Life” gathers stellar contributors from a variety of fields. The authors research many aspects of aging, yes, but… Read more 6/25/2012 - Aging: A Collective Response

6/23/2012 - Share the Wealth

In 1959, over a third of those over age 65 were poor; today, only 9 percent are. Contrary to campaign rhetoric about old ladies on fixed incomes, many Social Security recipients are quite well-to-do: the median income of married couples between the ages of 65 and 69 is $61,000, and a quarter of these households bring in… Read more 6/23/2012 - Share the Wealth

6/22/2012 - Old vs. Young

Throughout the 1980s and ’90s, younger and older adults voted in largely similar ways, with a majority of each supporting the winner in every presidential election. Sometime around 2004, though, older voters began moving right, while younger voters shifted left. This year, polls suggest that Mitt Romney will win a landslide among the over-65 crowd and that President Obama will do… Read more 6/22/2012 - Old vs. Young

6/18/2012 - Mapping Your End-of-Life Choices

Studies have shown that advance care planning reduces stress on patients, their families and health care providers. It also results in 30 percent fewer malpractice suits, greater patient and family satisfaction, and a lower incidence of depression, drinking problems and other signs of complicated grief among survivors. Read the full article at The New York… Read more 6/18/2012 - Mapping Your End-of-Life Choices

6/17/2012 - Vitamin D plus calcium tied to longer life

Older people who take vitamin D and calcium supplements may live a bit longer than their peers, according to an international review of several studies covering more than 70,000 people. Read the full article at Reuters.

6/15/2012 - U.S. targets financial abuse of elderly

Americans over 60 lost at least $2.9 billion in 2010 to financial exploitation, a study finds. This 12% rise over two years is leading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to begin looking into the types of scams affecting older consumers. Read the full article at the Los Angeles Times.

6/12/2012 - Common genetic Alzheimer’s risk factor disrupts healthy older women’s brain function, but not men’s

For every two men diagnosed with Alzheimer’s there are three women who have it. The primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s is, of course, old age – and it’s true that women tend to live longer than men. But even after correcting for this longevity difference, the ratio of female to male Alzheimer’s patients remains skewed… Read more 6/12/2012 - Common genetic Alzheimer’s risk factor disrupts healthy older women’s brain function, but not men’s

6/11/2012 - Senior citizen housing option offers community feel

The Realife Cooperative in St. Cloud, Minnesota, one of a growing number, primarily in the Midwest, offers seniors independent living in a community setting. Unlike assisted-living facilities or other common forms of senior housing, members own the cooperative collectively, enjoy tax and financial benefits as homeowners and have control over decisions affecting the community. Read… Read more 6/11/2012 - Senior citizen housing option offers community feel

6/9/2012 - Forced to Early Social Security, Unemployed Pay a Steep Price

According to an analysis by Steve Goss, chief actuary for the Social Security Administration, about 200,000 more people filed initial claims in 2009 and 2010 than the agency had predicted before the recession and he said the trend most likely continued in 2011 and 2012, though that is harder to quantify. The most likely reason… Read more 6/9/2012 - Forced to Early Social Security, Unemployed Pay a Steep Price

6/7/2012 - Low Interest Rates Crimp Retirement Plans, Survey Finds

Rising pessimism about the course of the economy, along with low interest rates and increasing health care costs, are squeezing Americans’ retirement plans, a new survey finds. Read the full article at The New York Times.