1/3/2013 - On the Way to Hospice, Surprising Hurdles

A study in the journal Health Affairs recently pointed out that hospices themselves may be turning away patients because of certain restrictive enrollment policies. It’s possible, too, that physicians who know of these policies aren’t referring patients whom the doctors fear wouldn’t qualify. Read the full article at The New York Times.

1/2/2013 - Aging Americans May Weigh on Entitlement Cuts: Chart of the Day

Growth in the number of Americans ages 65 to 74 is due to peak this year and slow for most of the next quarter-century, according to estimates by the Census Bureau. Within a decade, the 75-and-up age bracket will increase at a faster pace. Read the full article at Bloomberg.

12/29/2012 - How Can Astronauts In Space Contribute To Aging Research?

The Canadian Space Institute (CSA) recently teamed up with the Institute of Aging, a branch of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, to see what the medical issues faced by astronauts can tell us about the aging process. The two groups pooled resources and knowledge during a workshop in June, and hope to develop an… Read more 12/29/2012 - How Can Astronauts In Space Contribute To Aging Research?

12/28/2012 - United States Lags in Alzheimer’s Support

This month, the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging released a report examining how five nations — the United States, Australia, France, Japan and Britain — are responding to growing numbers of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Every country has a strategy, but some are much further ahead than others. Notably, France… Read more 12/28/2012 - United States Lags in Alzheimer’s Support

12/24/2012 - Staying Independent in Old Age, With a Little Help

When asked, 80 to 90 percent of older people say they want to remain in their own homes as long as possible. Yet remaining in one’s home indefinitely is not always the best choice, even if it is financially feasible. As life draws near a close, many older adults need more care than can be… Read more 12/24/2012 - Staying Independent in Old Age, With a Little Help

12/24/2012 - Fudging the Facts, for Peace of Mind

A large national study showed an increased incidence of general anxiety disorder beginning after age 55, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness notes that, like depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder tends to worsen in old age. Factors contributing to the prevalence and severity of anxiety disorders in the elderly include a host of concomitant medical problems… Read more 12/24/2012 - Fudging the Facts, for Peace of Mind

12/20/2012 - Boomers and Millenneals Feel a Need to Care for Each Other

A new study by the Pew Research Center suggests that not only is there no Boomer-Millenneal war, but rather the two generations feel a duty to care for each other. The vast majority of 18- to 29-year-olds polled — 84 per cent — said adult children have a responsibility to provide financial assistance to an… Read more 12/20/2012 - Boomers and Millenneals Feel a Need to Care for Each Other

12/20/2012 - Scientists in Hong Kong map initial anti-aging formula

Scientists in Hong Kong appear to have mapped out a formula that can delay the aging process in mice, a discovery they hope to replicate in people. Their finding, published in the December issue of Cell Metabolism, builds on their work in 2005 which shed light on premature aging, or progeria, a rare genetic disease… Read more 12/20/2012 - Scientists in Hong Kong map initial anti-aging formula

12/20/2012 - Chained CPI: Diet COLA for Social Security (The Wall Street Journal)

As negotiations between President Obama and Speaker Boehner rapidly close on the end of the year deadline for avoiding the fiscal cliff, media attention has been focused on the back-and-forth over increasing taxes. But there hasn’t been much attention to the spending side of the negotiations. That is, however, with one exception — changing the… Read more 12/20/2012 - Chained CPI: Diet COLA for Social Security (The Wall Street Journal)

12/19/2012 - New study reveals stark differences among baby boomers (Investment News)

Younger boomers appear to be less comfortable with financial advisers than older ones. Baby boomers, the roughly 78 million Americans between the ages of 48 and 66, are the meat and potatoes of the financial advisory industry. They control the bulk of investible assets in the country and constitute the core of most advisers’ book… Read more 12/19/2012 - New study reveals stark differences among baby boomers (Investment News)