You’ve probably heard the quote “Getting old ain't for sissies,” which is typically attributed to Bette Davis. Most of us would agree! As we grow older, our bodies often start to feel the wear and tear of a lifetime of use, and in some cases, a health issue or even a health crisis may arise. [...]
There are many factors that determine your lifespan, some of which you can’t control (genetics) and others of which you can (lifestyle). A combination of these two forces determines your body’s “biological age,” which, in some cases, can be far different from a person’s chronological age. We all know a lifestyle that promotes healthy aging [...]
Do you remember what you were doing the last week of April in 2020? Odds are, you weren’t doing much of anything as the COVID-19 lockdown was in full force in numerous areas of our nation. It was a lonely time for many people as the social isolation intended to keep us safe wore on [...]
It’s the headline no one wants to read: Hospitals are once again exceeding their capacity in many parts of the country as beds fill up with sick patients. Just when we thought we might be out of the woods with COVID-19, new strains are emerging, landing some of our most vulnerable, including young children and [...]
Turning 65 is a major milestone for a lot of people. In the U.S., it’s considered the typical “retirement age,” opening the door to a variety of benefits, including the ability for retirees to sign up for a Medicare health insurance plan. While Medicare can help ensure seniors get the healthcare and services they need, [...]
A video that went viral last year highlighted an all-too-common issue. In the video, a British couple, both age 89, who had been separated by the pandemic, were finally reunited after months apart. Living in different long-term care facilities, they had not been permitted to visit one another amid COVID lockdowns. As restrictions eased, the [...]
From time to time, we like to highlight senior living-adjacent topics that are more serious in nature — including around mental and behavioral health — in the hopes of starting important conversations that are not always easy to initiate. The past two-plus years of the pandemic have tested people in countless ways. Concerns about staying [...]
I recently read a disheartening article about the prevalence of ageism in the healthcare system in this country. Age discrimination and bias is a longstanding issue — one that has had a light shined upon it during the pandemic. Poor treatment of seniors in nursing homes and crisis care standards that withheld healthcare resources from [...]
“Age is just a number.” “You’re only as old as you feel.” “Age is a state of mind.” Such clichés may seem trite, but there’s more and more evidence that these sentiments about aging may be quite accurate. A man-made time warp Ellen Langer is a renowned Harvard social psychologist who has been researching the [...]
Although different people thrive in different environments, it’s hard to deny the research showing the health benefits often experienced by seniors who opt to move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC, also called a life plan community). For example, the 2018 Age Well Study found that, when compared to a demographically similar control group [...]
