For the majority of us, aging will bring a host of physical challenges. Even a relatively healthy senior adult can have some difficulty walking, rising from a chair, or reading the small lettering on a sign, especially in busy public places. Unfortunately, some of those public places that should be designed with seniors in mind…
According to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) one senior in three passes away with some form of dementia – and those numbers are increasing. So that presents a pretty strong likelihood that an aging person you love will at some point have to deal with the effects of cognitive impairment. Every month there are many articles…
Here at AgingOptions we run across retirement-related articles all the time that are about financial planning and little else. As Rajiv Nagaich has said repeatedly, a retirement plan and a financial plan are simply not the same. Having plenty of money is no guarantee of retirement satisfaction – on the contrary, unless you plan carefully…
What if there were one small device that, if worn, could help seniors avoid falling, slow the onset of depression, and even reduce the risk of being diagnosed with dementia? According to recent research described in this story recently published on the MarketWatch website, there is. It’s called a hearing aid. As the article’s author,…
Fall officially begins soon, and with it come all the autumn traditions: football games, chilly nights, falling leaves, and, of course, Medicare open enrollment. Whether you’re completely satisfied with your current coverage or eager to make a change, this is the season when you really need to do your homework and make your choices. One…
Here at AgingOptions we’ve reported several times (most recently in recognition of Labor Day 2019) about the disconnect between intentions and reality as people facing retirement think about work. Many surveys have shown that men and women are generally too optimistic about their ability to keep working in retirement, or about their hopes to phase…
It’s difficult to pinpoint the actual number of aging parents who – either by choice or by necessity – are moving in with their adult children, but the figure is definitely on the rise. We decided to take a look at this “reverse boomerang effect,” as some have called it, in order to let our…
Back in the dark ages, before the 1960s, the phenomenon of unmarried couples living together used to be somewhat rare. That’s definitely not true anymore, especially among aging boomers. The number of men and women aged 50-plus who decide to live together and not get married is on the rise – but what many of…
Most people approaching retirement age probably dream about retiring debt-free. Entering retirement without the burden of debt is certainly the ideal – but if you think it’s the norm, think again. The reality is, about seven out of ten households headed by those in the 65-74 age group are carrying at least some debt load,…
We’ve written about the problem of what hospitals and doctors call “observation care” multiple times before here on the AgingOptions blog. When most people hear about this Medicare rule, they respond with angry disbelief – but in spite of new regs designed to curb the practice, the problems associated with what amounts to a giant…