AARP Eye Center
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New Gingrich once again touted private Social Security accounts at last night's Republican presidential debate in South Carolina. The televised debate was spirited but lacking in substance.
Discussions of social safety net programs for older adults tend to evoke images of some exemplary past, where things like Social Security and Medicare weren't needed because adult children lovingly took care of aging parents, multigenerational households were so common that no one even bothered labeling them that, and sick seniors never got carted off to nursing homes. But "such accounts often draw on a deeply sentimental view of the past," writes history professor and author Hendrik Hartog. And today's caregiving situation might actually be preferable.
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says adults over 65 binge on alcohol more frequently than any other age group.
Brain Gamers Show Cognitive Gains: The box for Nintendo's Brain Age claims the game can 'keep your brain young and sharp' in just 'minutes a day!' Skeptical? Yeah, me too. But a new study from Japan's Tohoku University shows it's more than just marketing hype: Playing Brain Age really can improve 'cognitive fitness' in older men and women.
Older voters propelled Mitt Romney to victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary. A new website provides interactive tools for assessing likelihood to die. And 'virtual villages' are helping older adults who need a little assistance around the home or with completing routine errands.
A recent survey, conducted by Bankers Life and Casualty Company, found 82 percent of middle-income Americans on Medicare say they're 'extremely' or 'very' satisfied with access t0 and quality of health care. Only 2 percent said they were 'not satisfied' with Medicare access and quality.
The Republican presidential candidates were all over Social Security, Medicare and other social safety net programs (like LIHEAP and Medicaid) last night. At a televised debate in Concord, New Hampshire,moderator David Gregory asked the candidates what they would cut and what sacrifices they would ask Americans to make.
Overall cancer deaths in the United States are down, driven by steep declines in fatal cases of lung and breast cancer. But certain, more rare cancers are up"”and older adults have seen the steepest inclines.
People with a lot of the fat hormone adiponectin may be at increased risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease, according to a new report .... And a group of older gay men in Spain are planning the country's first gay and lesbian retirement home.
Scratch the surface of all the partisan rhetoric, and Medicare policy prescriptions from leading Democrats and Republicans don't really look so different. And the 1.5 million boomers a year signing up for Medicare will be at the forefront of any policy changes.