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Americans in their 60s, 70s and 80s are flocking to language immersion experiences, the New York Times reports. It's a well-worn axiom that learning a foreign language gets harder the older you get. To which Randy Balla might say: Who cares? The 63-year-old retired teacher took up French recently, and he hasn't limited his learning to textbooks or computer-based language lessons: Last summer, he took a three-week French immersion program at the University of Quebec, and plans to return this year.
Oof. The latest estimate of an average American couple's retirement health care costs is $240,000. The calculation, from Fidelity Investments, is based on a 65-year-old couple with Medicare coverage, and factors in things like premiums, co-pays, deductibles and out-of-pocket prescription drug costs. It doesn't factor in things like long-term care, dental services, over-the-counter meds or hearing aids.
The first in a series of White House conferences devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender aging was held in Miami, Florida, yesterday. Many of the issues addressed"”retirement security, health care, housing"”are concerns shared by older Americans of all sexual stripes. But LGBT seniors also face unique obstacles, including discrimination and a lack of certain legal protections.
An Alzheimer's diagnosis isn't enough to keep some older adults from staying in their homes"”even if they live alone. According to a new study from the Alzheimer's Association, one in seven Americans with Alzheimer's"”some 800,000 people"”live alone.
Fashion may be fleeting, but style isn't"”as a new crop of digitally and sartorially savvy older women have been proving. Whether starting their own personal style blogs or appearing on blogs curated (and usually featuring) those decades younger, these women aim to show that aging doesn't have to bring muumuus and orthopedic shoes.
According to the Pew Research Center, more than one-fifth of adults ages 25 to 34 live with their parents or in other "multigenerational" arrangements, the highest level since the 1950s. You've probably heard enough stories about this trend by now to know it doesn't just reflect a renewed interest in family bonding; these "boomerang children" are mostly moving back in with mom and dad (or grandma and grandpa) because of unemployment and economic hardship. In fact, the recession reduced the rate at which Americans set up new households by at least half.
If you have children, you've probably thought about who would care for them should something happen to you. But have you thought of who might care for aging parents? Today's society demands "new considerations" when it comes to estate planning, says the BMO Retirement Institute. The group's new report, "Estate planning in the 21st century: New considerations in a changing society," instructs Americans to review estate plans to factor in parents, pets and technology.
When it comes to saving enough for retirement, it's important to keep the big picture in mind, right? Wrong, say researchers from Boston College's Center for Retirement Research; the best strategy is to think in small, concrete steps.
Too many pictures of Alzheimer's patients present dim nursing home hallways or grim hospital corridors, lives of isolation and unwitting apathy. Cathy Greenblat aims to show another, brighter side of the disease, in her new book, Love, Loss and Laughter: Seeing Alzheimer's Differently, and accompanying photo exhibition in New York.
On the Road: New technology aimed at making navigation easier for older drivers is in the works at England's Newcastle University, where researchers have converted an electric car into a mobile laboratory for studying the challenges these drivers face. Tricked out with eye trackers, bio-monitors and other monitoring systems, the DriveLAB car"”designed to pinpoint older drivers' habits and stressors"”is part of the UK's Research Council's nearly $20 million program to help seniors stay on the road.