ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

This is crazy. New findings on brain cancer has been a huge deal for leading researchers in the field over the last couple of years, and AARP and Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa give us a peek into why exactly this is so important.

Dr. Quiñones heads the Brain Tumor Center at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, where he works on research behind the theory that stem cells adult stem cells act as triggers for brain cancer, yet also act have an "uncanny ability to repair damage to their DNA and are therefore able to withstand standard radiation and chemotherapy treatments." This, in turn, allows the treatment to do its work. Quiñones says:

"We were once taught that brain cells die and can't be replaced . . . We now know that the mammalian brain has the ability to regenerate through adult neural stem cells. What we are exploring--and this is the great leap--is whether normal neural stem cells can lose their ability to self-regulate and become dangerous stem cells that create tumors. We are just beginning to understand this link between stem cells and cancer . . . We have to prove that brain cancer stem cells exist. But I think the potential here is real."

But stem cells might not only cause cancer in the brain; new studies are finding that breast, prostate, colon, pancreas, lung and other types of cancer may grow from adult stem cells. Check out the whole article here.

The craze over the movie release of the hit book series Twilight is just about everywhere - I admit I haven't read it yet, but I'm starting to think I should. I'm seeing a lot of commentary that Twilight's appeal goes beyond age. In short, tweens, teens, moms and, yes, older women, are all going nutty for this vampire series.

While it seems so many movies are age-specific these days, there's nothing I appreciate more than flicks (and books) that can reach all ages. For example, Finding Nemo is a favorite of mine. That's right, one of my favorite movies is a cartoon. But so what? The ability for a movie to be clever enough to pull in an adult but funny enough to make a 5-year old belly laugh is amazing to me.

Any age-defying favorites you'd like to share?

Trying to save a little money on housing? Have parents or kids that can't afford to be on their own? Join the club. The Census Bureau reported that over 3.6 million parents lived with their adult children in 2007, up 67% from 2000. There are a lot of benefits to inter-generational living: shared housing costs, dividing the chores, and extra help watching the kids. There can be some strain though, so keeping the lines of communication and understanding open is crucial. Does this sound like your living situation? Tell us about your living experience in the comments.

So I've spent a lot of time in this space talking about the host of economic troubles we're facing. While I don't want to diminish the horrible impact the economy has had on people, the optimist in me wants to point out a bright spot. With the economy in such bad shape and unemployment increasing, it looks like the calls for health care reform are growing. As people lose their jobs, and their employer-sponsored insurance, they will demand action. Companies themselves are having a tougher time affording healthcare under our current system. All the momentumthat comes with this bad economy might finally force the government to take some action and get Americans insured.

The cost of unpaid caregiving in the country was $375 billion last year according to a new AARP study. This was more than the government's expenditure for Medicaid and a $25 billion increase from 2006. With 34 million Americans providing unpaid care to family and friends for an average of 21 hours per week, it is easy to see how caregiving has such an enormous cost. Aside from monetary value, caregiving places a huge strain on caregivers who often have to take time off of work and face additional stresses. Tell us your caregiving stories in the comments.

While we've been discussing the various ways in which the economic crisis has been effecting our retirement funds, our jobs, and our financial security, we haven't really delved into the way in which these times are effecting our emotions. In the other words, is the stress of it all getting the best of us?

AARP.org has a great piece, "Losing Control: Why Money Worries Are Keeping Us Up at Night", that discusses the ways in which the economy has our stress levels sky-high:

According to an American Psychological Association (APA) poll released in October, the miserable economy "significantly stressed" a whopping 80 percent of Americans in September, up from 66 percent in April. The survey compared the stress levels of more than 2,500 adults nationwide.

Among the respondents, women reportedly felt more anguish about declining economic conditions than men did--84 percent compared with 75 percent. And those over age 63 reported more stress (86 percent) than boomers ages 44 to 62 (83 percent) and those ages 18 to 29 (71 percent). However, when it came to day-to-day pocketbook issues, the youngest age group (83 percent) reported being more worried than boomers (79 percent) and those 63-plus (73 percent).

And of course, stress isn't good for the body, says Katherine Nordal, executive director for the APA's professional practice. "If Americans continue to experience these high levels of stress for prolonged periods of time, they're at risk for developing serious illnesses." And considering the high costs for health care, that is the last thing Americans - particularly older Americans - need right now.

So if you're feeling anxiety, it may be time to start thinking about ways to reduce the stress in your life. My best outlet is yoga - the perfect zen body and mind workout. How do you de-stress?

According to a recent Time Magazine article, having to postpone retirement for a few years might not be such a bad thing. When millions of Americans have spent their careers preparing for the day they could retire, there are benefits to holding onto your job for a bit longer. The country could see a big boost in the size of the economy if boomers were to stay at their jobs for a few more years. Moreover, the extra years of work could lessen the impact of the looming labor shortage resulting from retiring boomers. On a more individual level, as many as two thirds of older boomers aren't fully prepared for retirement. Working longer could help these people properly prepare for an enjoyable and secure retirement.

Looks like my pithy commentary about Starbucks woes got more than a few folks fired up! I, like a few of you who commented earlier, count myself among the lucky. I have another 30 years more in the workforce and am taking care of myself, not a family or even my parents...yet.

I think the most important point here, is that we're all feeling the pain...in our own ways. My mom feels it when she goes to fill up the gas tank. My father feels it when his company (where he's worked for 30 years) announces yet another round of lay-offs or buy-out opportunities.

From the comments posted, everyone's feeling the pinch everywhere you can possibly think of spending money. One reader, Peggy, left a note that struck a chord:

People having to move in with other family members or even strangers just to try to make ends meet. I for one just moved in with my daughter and grandkids hoping to be able to survive. Between the high cost of rent (even though the housing has gone down) and going to the grocrey store there goes everything. Forget trying to save a dime for retirement. Where oh where is this world going to.

So what now? If you could tell President-elect Obama to do one thing in his first 100 days...what would you tell him to do?

According to the Agriculture Department's annual study on food security, hunger rates for American children have reached there highest point since 1998. In fact, the number of children who have experienced major disruptions in their food supply increased 50% in the last year alone. In all, over 36 million Americans went hungry at some point in the last year. I know the economy is in bad shape right now, but there's no excuse for people in this country to be unable to get enough food. Just one more problem to throw on the to-do list for President-Elect Obama.

I went for my usual before work Starbucks run this morning and while I was standing in line I had a moment of pause. Do I really need a muffin? Aside from trying to be healthier, is it really worth the $1.65? Maybe I should get a grande instead of a venti?

Seems like these days every where I go I'm taking an extra moment to think about my purchases. I'm not planning my retirement, or even working toward buying a home right now...I'm just trying to make my dollar stretch a little further so I can see a movie this weekend!

Where are you feeling the pinch the most? Is it your utility bills? Or maybe at the grocery store (I feel your pain there!)? Share with us and I'll pull some of your stories up for highlights later today and tomorrow!

Remember how President-Elect Obama promised his daughters they can have a puppy when they move to the White House?

He's hardly the first President to have a pet keep the First Family company. AARP TV went back and looked at recent presidential pets. Watch it here:

I found this Bulletin Today article really interesting, and one that applies to many more people than we think. The title, "Are Your Risking You Own Retirement If You Give Financial Help to an Adult Child?"

While some parents may think that they must always support their children no matter what, but this piece may give you some questions to think about. A couple of example:

• Was it a situation that your child couldn't control? Or are you paying to help him recover faster from financial carelessness? The most valuable help you could give toward becoming financially responsible may be not to help.
• Is it an investment that will pay off eventually in financial independence for your child? As they say: That's priceless.

And if you're a parent with a younger child, I find it incredibly important to teach your children about finance and how to manage your money, it could be an enormous tool for them as they grow up. Not to mention, the current state of our economy is all the more reason to do it!

In the wake of harsh criticism and a growing number of headlines like this, many people are having doubts about the usefulness of 401(k)'s as a retirement savings tool. However, despite shaken consumer confidence and an unstable stock market, 401(k)'s still have their supporters. Individual retirement accounts are really the only way to prepare for retirement over the long hall and they can be the difference between affording retirement or having to keep working. Times may be tough right now, but these accounts are all we've got at the moment so we need to stick with them.