Seniors News

Euphemisms and terms for older people include seniors, an American usage, elderly, and lately the catch phrase, baby boomers is used a lot.

Baby boomer is a term used to describe a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom. The baby boom had profound demographic, cultural, economic, and political implications. The term baby boomer is used around the world, however it can have very different implications in different areas; in some areas it refers merely to the time period, rather than an actual "baby boom."

In the 1960s, as the relatively large numbers of young people became teenagers and young adults, they, and those around them, created a very specific rhetoric around their cohort, and the change they were bringing about.[3] This rhetoric had an important impact in the self perceptions of the boomers, as well as their tendency to define the world in terms of generations, which was a relatively new phenomenon.

Today, Baby Boomers comprise nearly 28% of the adult US population. The U.S. Census Bureau considers a baby boomer to be someone born during the demographic birth boom between 1946 and 1964.

The medical study of the aging process is gerontology, and the study of diseases that afflict the elderly is geriatrics.

The boundary between middle age and old age cannot be defined exactly because it does not have the same meaning in all societies. In many parts of the world, people are considered old because of certain changes in their activities or social roles. Examples: people may be considered old when they become grandparents, or when they begin to do less or different work, retirement. In North America and Europe, people are often considered old if they have lived a certain number of years.

The effects of aging can cause wrinkles and liver spots on the skin, change of hair color to grey or white or loss of hair (or both), lessened hearing and sight abilities, loss of reaction time and agility or reduced ability to think clearly or recall memories.

Aging Statistics

Worldwide, the number of people 65 or older is increasing faster than ever before. Most of this increase is occurring in developed countries. In the United States the percentage of people 65 or older increased from 4 percent in 1900 to about 13 percent in 1998. In 1900, only about 3 million of the nation's citizens had reached 65. By 1998, the number of senior citizens had increased to about 34 million. Population experts estimate that more than 50 million Americans, about 17 percent of the population, will be 65 or older in 2020.

Health Problems for Seniors and Elderly

Further Information Regarding Seniors News

Preventing Walking Disability in Older People
Recovery Act Funds Support Large-Scale Clinical Trial to Test Specific Exercise Program. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced the award of $29.5 million in grant support over the next two years to determine whether a specific physical activity program can stave off disability in older people.

Solutions for Better Care for Pennsylvania Elderly
Fight for quality of life for Pennsylvania consumers - Assisted living industry pushes for smaller rooms and less space

GeriCare Finder - Website for Senior Care and Health Resources
GeriCare Finder is a website where seniors can find a plethora of care and health resources.

Study Links High Heel Shoes to Heel and Ankle Pain
Women should think twice before buying their next pair of high-heels or pumps, according to researchers at the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife in a new study of older adults and foot problems.

Older Americans and the Recession
Older Americans have weathered the financial crisis relatively well, although many now expect to work longer than they did just a year ago, according to a University of Michigan study released on Capitol Hill.

Seniors and Health Insurance Reform
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today issued a new report, America's Seniors and Health Insurance Reform: Protecting Coverage and Strengthening Medicare. The report highlights the problems with the status quo that leave seniors paying escalating costs for their health care while outlining how health insurance reform will strengthen Medicare and protect coverage for seniors.

Hip and Back Fractures Increase Mortality Rates in Seniors
If you are 50 or older and you break your hip, you have a one in four chance of dying within five years. Break your back, and you have a one in six chance of dying that soon, says a McMaster University study.

Risk of Frailty in Older Women
This research is the first evidence that frailty is related to the number of abnormal physiological systems, rather than a specific system abnormality, a chronic disease, or chronological age. It suggests significant alterations in system biology with aging, and underlying frailty.

Reducing Risk of Hospitalization in the Elderly
Exercise programs focusing on muscle density could reduce disability and hospitalization. Older adults who have less strength, poor physical function and low muscle density are at higher risk of being hospitalized compared to adults with more strength and better function. That's the finding of a new study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.

Green Paper Aged Care Reform - UK
While agreeing that a public debate is needed, the charity called on politicians from all the political parties to set out definitive proposals for reform and a clear timetable for action as soon as possible. To protect older people's dignity and independence, urgent action is needed not just to fund care in a fairer way but also to ensure good quality care is available to all who need it.

Long-term Care Costs Exceed Yearly Income for many California Seniors
In Los Angeles County, being disabled can cost a year's income. That's because the annual cost of in-home care services for seniors living alone is now $319 more than this group's median income of $17,029.

Computers for Seniors - Learning How to Use a Computer
Seniors, contrary to popular opinion, are thrilled with modern technology and have embraced the world of computers enthusiastically. There are no "simple" computers designed especially for seniors because the concept of computers isn't that difficult to begin with, it just seems that way.

Women Live Longer but not Better
Obesity and arthritis that take root during early and middle age significantly contribute to women's decreased quality of life during their senior years, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

Government of Canada Supports Seniors in Saint John
Mr. Rodney Weston, Member of Parliament for Saint John, today announced federal support for the Hospice of Saint John under the Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Program.

Senator Isakson Addressed Seniors at Park Springs, Stone Mountain
U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga. spoke to a group of more than 200 seniors last week at Park Springs, an award-winning residential community offering a continuum of care for those over the age of 62, in Stone Mountain.

Personality Traits - Siblings and Offspring of Centenarians
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine's (BUSM) New England Centenarian Study have noted specific personality traits associated with healthy aging and longevity amongst the children of centenarians.

Octogenarian Muscles don't get Stronger with Exercise
Octogenarian women were unable to increase muscle mass after a 3-month weight lifting program targeted at strengthening the thigh muscle, according to a new study from the Journal of Applied Physiology.

Things Old People Can't Do
We old folks are often given impossible task. Marketers, newspapers, cable television companies, news channels, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, etc., all absolutely hate us. They give us these impossible task. As a public service to marketers and other that deal with we old folks, here are some things that old people can’t do:

Mortality Risk Greater for Elderly Women Who Nap Daily
A new study appearing in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society has found that older women who reported taking daily naps had a significantly greater risk of dying. The results of the study are in contrast to a number of prior studies which have indicated that daily napping improves health.

Moderate Alcohol Intake Associated with Bone Protection
In an epidemiological study of men and post-menopausal women primarily over 60 years of age, regular moderate alcohol intake was associated with greater bone mineral density (BMD).

CDC Recommends Shingles Vaccine for Seniors
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends People age 60 and older should be vaccinated against shingles, or herpes zoster, a condition often marked by debilitating chronic pain. CDC recommends a single dose of the zoster vaccine, Zostavax, for adults 60 years of age and older even if they have had a prior episode of shingles.

California's Single Seniors Lacking Sufficient Income to Pay Bills
Nearly half a million elders living alone in California cannot make ends meet, lacking sufficient income to pay for a minimum level of housing, food, health care, transportation and other basic expenses, according to a new policy brief by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the Insight Center for Community Economic Development.

Vitamin B and Folic Acid may Reduce Age Related Vision Loss
Taking a combination of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid appears to decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration in women, according to a report in the February 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in older Americans, according to background information in the article.

Exercising Brain Prevents Memory Loss
Participating in certain mental activities, like reading magazines or crafting in middle age or later in life, may delay or prevent memory loss, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 to May 2, 2009.

Seniors in Medicare Doughnut Hole Use Less Medication
Beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part D who reached a gap in health care coverage known as the "doughnut hole" were much less likely to use prescription drugs than those with an employer-based plan, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study. The findings, published in the Feb. 3 online issue of Health Affairs, raise concerns about health consequences and increased costs from hospitalizations and physician visits that may arise from lack of coverage.

Vitamin D Linked to Cognitive Impairment
Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan, have for the first time identified a relationship between Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin", and cognitive impairment in a large-scale study of older people.

Seniors Affected by Hurricane Katrina Show Decline in Health
In the year following Hurricane Katrina, the health of survivors 65 and over declined nearly 4 times that of a national sample of older adults not affected by the disaster, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Impaired Kidney Function Raises Risk of Heart Problems in Elderly
A study published next week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine suggests that elderly people with damaged kidneys are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease, such as heart failure and stroke, and other causes of mortality.

Seniors Universal Health Care and Dementia
A new study has found that in spite of their universal health care system which facilitates access to free dementia care, older adults in the United Kingdom are less willing to undergo dementia screening than their counterparts in the U.S. because the Britons perceive greater societal stigma from diagnosis of the disease than do Americans.

Slow Bone Healing in Seniors - New Research
Researchers have unraveled crucial details of how aging causes broken bones to heal slowly, or not at all, according to study results published today in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. The research team also successfully conducted preclinical tests on a potential new class of treatments designed to "rescue" healing capability lost to aging.

Moderate Alcohol Consumption may Help Seniors Keep Disabilities Away
It is well known that moderate drinking can have positive health benefits, for instance, a couple of glasses of red wine a day can be good for the heart. But if you're a senior in good health, light to moderate consumption of alcohol may also help prevent the development of physical disability.

Interstate Travel Cheaper for Australian Seniors
Australian seniors will pay less to travel on public transport outside their home states after a $50 million injection into state and territory coffers.

Adult Day Care Centers
Several baby boomers who have aging parents are often concerned their parents are in danger in their own homes. Not because their homes are unsafe, but because their aging parents are not as alert or are handicapped in some way that doesn't allow them to live without aid.

New Year Resolutions for Grandparents
It's that time of the year again - resolution time. Making and breaking resolutions has become something of a tradition. So, this year how about making some resolutions that you plan to keep? Try these realistic ones.