health

Social Security Survives – This Time

After an offer from President Obama to throw elders under the economic bus by changing the way Social Security cost-of-living adjustments are made from the current CPI-W to the chained CPI which would reduce increases, the fiscal cliff bill finally passed Tuesday night without that provision.

But not without scaring Social Security beneficiaries nearly into early graves, particularly those whose monthly income is in the hundreds of dollars – nowhere near adequate to feed, clothe and shelter oneself.

Is too much running bad for boomers?

I’ve had a love-hate relationship with running for the last two decades (love being able to fit into my pants, hate the actual running). And like many of my peers I’ll be cautiously reinvesting in that relationship this week as I do penance for my holiday excesses. But as I do so, I’ll be mindful of Kevin Helliker’s recent article in the Wall Street Journal, One Running Shoe in the Grave. The thesis: While running, like all forms of cardiovascular exercise, is undoubtedly beneficial to boomers, doing too much of it can essentially erase many of the health benefits.

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Crabby Old Lady’s New Health Annoyance

Another year, another ailment. And nobody ever tells you to expect them.

So there was Crabby Old Lady last Thursday afternoon sitting in the place she can most frequently be found – in front of the computer. She doesn’t recall what she was doing when, with no warning, there were a bunch of black strings and spots in front of one eye.

She blinked. She blinked some more. The strings and spots remained swirling here and there as Crabby glanced from side to side.

Finding safer cars for older drivers

The car-key debate can be a thorny source of friction in families where the elderly parents are still healthy and active. While self-aware seniors will usually admit that their reaction times and sensory acuteness aren’t what they were in their prime, they’re seldom willing to risk forfeiting the independence that comes with being able to drive on their own from place to place.

A Web tool can help elderly drivers–your parents, perhaps?– zero in on models with the right “assistive features.”

Is too much running bad for boomers?

I have great respect for the midlife athletes I know, so I’m not deriving any schadenfreude from Kevin Helliker’s article from Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, One Running Shoe in the Grave. Helliker’s thesis: While running, like all forms of cardiovascular exercise, is undoubtedly beneficial to boomers, doing too much of it essentially erases many of the health benefits . . . New research suggests that over-50 athletes’ health can suffer if they run too far or too fast.

Farm Policy is Health Policy

Now that we’ve all stuffed our faces this past week, it seems appropriate to talk about food. As I’ve mentioned before, preventative medicine needs to be improved in this country, especially if our health reform.

Dr. Mark Crooks, A 57-Year Cancer Survivor, A Life Dedicated to Showing Baby Boomers How to Age Well

I have completed writing a biographical novel inspired by Dr. Mark Crooks, my long-time friend and fitness mentor, entitled: WARRIOR: The Life and Lessons of a Man Who Beat Cancer for 57 Years. Here’s a pre-publication book trailer: Mark Crooks, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist, sports psychologist, fitness pioneer and daredevil risked everything to survive five bouts of cancer spanning 57 years. This is the second of a two-part post, the first of which you can read by clicking here. The…

The true cost of sleeplessness

It’s 2:30 a.m. and once again, you’re wide awake, mind racing. (Did you finish that project at work? Did you lock the front door? Is the oven still on?) In your younger years you slept just fine, but as you’ve gotten older, sleep has gotten more elusive.

Insomnia causes the average American worker 11.3 days in lost productivity each year, according to the American Insomnia Study. For a self-employed person who earned $300 a day, that would add up to almost $3,400 a year in lost income – bad news for a boomer trying to shore up a retirement nest-egg.

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Good, Humane News From Medicare

On Tuesday, the Obama administration announced a proposed settlement agreement that would make it easier for people with disabilities and chronic conditions to qualify for home care.

Until now, Medicare beneficiaries have been required to show they were likely to improve (the “improvement standard”) for Medicare to cover skilled nursing care and therapy services at home.