Just about everybody knows that having an optimistic outlook tends to make life more enjoyable. After all, who wants to wallow in pessimism? You could say – generally speaking – that optimists have more fun, but there’s much more to being a positive person than simply enjoying life. In fact, according to an article that…
It has been called “a bombshell,” “a perfect storm” and “a tsunami.” No matter what you call it, it’s one of the leading topics of conversation here in the Puget Sound area where AgingOptions is based. What’s causing all this conversation and consternation? In two words, “property taxes” – or, more to the point, it’s…
A bewildering number of articles have been written – many of them here on the AgingOptions blog – about the best strategy for maximizing Social Security. In spite of all the times this topic has been examined, Social Security inquiries rank near the top of questions we get on our radio program and at our…
Do you remember the scene in the blockbuster movie Jurassic Park when the intrepid hunter took to the woods to hunt down a pair of escaped raptors? He was so busy focusing on the hungry dinosaur he could see right in front of him that he completely missed the danger coming from the side. It…
Early last year on the AgingOptions blog we wrote about the staggering cost of wasted medical care and unnecessary tests. It’s a cost that weighs down our over-burdened health care system and drains away billions of medical dollars each year. Many experts suggest that seniors are disproportionately affected by these unnecessary and often harmful tests,…
There’s good news and bad news in a recently released report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) concerning the use of antipsychotic drugs on long-term residents in America’s nursing homes. The good news: since late 2011, the percentage of residents being given these powerful medications has dropped from 24 percent to about…
None of has a crystal ball, so when we look ahead to our retirement years we have to make some educated assumptions about all sorts of things – where our money will come from, how healthy we’ll be, and how much our kids will be involved in our lives, just to name a few. But…
The baby boomers are commonly thought of as the generation that changed everything. Born roughly between the end of World War Two and the early years of the Vietnam War, that huge group of Americans has had an outsized impact on everything from the media we consume to the food we eat to the cars…
Among the “hot button” issues that create conflicts between seniors and their family members, one of the hottest can involve driving. Older adults generally want to keep on driving as long as they can, enjoying the benefits of freedom and mobility. Meanwhile their adult children worry about slower reflexes, cognitive decline or increased reaction time,…
In February, we honor African Americans by celebrating Black History Month. Created in 1926, this event coincides with Abraham Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglass’s birthdays. African American communities have celebrated these birthdays together for over 90 years. Honoring our shared history is one way we can remember that we believe in freedom and democracy for all.…