grow older better

Author: Lynn Dorman, Ph.D.

  • Our Golden Years Are Being Tarnished – Badly

    I posted about aging and economic insecurity

    and here is yet another glimpse into what it is like to be old in America in the 21st Century.


    We like to think the housing and foreclosure "crisis" has slowed down and that help has come to those who most need it.

    But it's not true for the elders among us.

    According to the AARP,  more than 3 millions older Americans face losing their homes.

    As of December 2011, approximately 3.5 million loans of people age 50+ were underwater—meaning homeowners owe more than their home is worth, so they have no equity; 600,000 loans of people age 50+ were in foreclosure, and another 625,000 loans were 90 or more days delinquent. From 2007 to 2011, more than 1.5 million older Americans lost their homes as a result of the mortgage crisis.

    We had years of no increase in Social Security Income, a very bad economy which destroyed retirement savings accounts, a lack of jobs, and ever increasing costs for food, fuel, heat, and medications. On top of this, towns and cities have also lost income and have raised property taxes to cover services. It became a vicious cycle and that has led to many of these foreclosures.

    Older Americans lost their savings and now they are losing their homes.

    What financial institutions are going to work out a negotiated deal on a mortgage or home equity loan for someone who has a fixed income and increasing costs of living?

    What happened to the "respect your elders" that we used to hear?

     

    Thoughts about what can be done?

  • Inactivity is BAD

    sitting too many hours

    I posted about sitting more than 3 hours a day as being bad for us…

    then this came across my screen:

    Inactivity is BAD BAD BAD

    Inactivity is a major cause of death worldwide, with new research suggesting that a sedentary lifestyle is on par with both smoking and obesity when it comes to raising the risk for disease and mortality.

    Since posting the first bit of research I have tried to not sit as much and move around a lot more yet here I am sitting …. again.

    No matter how health conscious we are, it takes a whole lot more being conscious of how much sitting we do and how inactive we really are.

    All this research is forcing me to take a look at my lifestyle and make changes.

    I'm getting a new laptop and I plan on standing a lot more when I am on the computer…that's hard to do right now…

    And as it is summer and nice out, I am walking more, biking and kayaking – but sitting is still something I am doing too much of..

     

    Thoughts? Comments? Thank you….





  • Our Golden Years? Not Really

    golden_years

    Reaching 65, retiring, relaxing and having fun used to be the goal of most Americans…the "golden years" of aging.

    With the economic bust, many who thought they would be retired are still working….out of sheer necessity…they need the income and they sorely need the health insurance.

    According to the National Council on Aging:

    Over 20 million Americans aged 60+ are economically insecure—living at or below 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL) ($27,225 per year for a single person). These older adults struggle each day with rising housing and health care bills, inadequate nutrition, lack of access to transportation, diminished savings, and job loss. For older adults who are above the poverty level, one major adverse life event can change today’s realities into tomorrow’s troubles.

    Women, who earn less than men [77 cents to the man's dollar] fare less well as they age too. 56% are disadvantaged financially – while only 30% of men are.

    But life need not be economically bleak as we age.

    It may be difficult to find a "job" but it is far less difficult to have your own business.

    A business that can bring in sufficient income to take the tarnish off the golden years and make them shine!!

     

    If you want to learn more about being self-employed let me know…I've written some on this and will write more….

     

    Thoughts? Comments? Thanks!




  • New Scam Tied To Affordable Care Act

    phone scams

     

     

    Now that the Supreme court has upheld the Affordable Care Act –

    the scammers are in full swing scamming – using the act and saying they are from the government and need some further information.

    According to the Federal Trade Commission [the FTC:]

    They [the scammers] say they're from the government and that, using the Affordable Care Act as a hook, they need to verify some information. They might have the routing number from your bank, and then use that information to get you to reveal the entire account number. Or, they'll ask for your credit card or Social Security number, Medicare ID, or other personal information.

    I've said it before and I will say it again –

    Do not give personal information to people who call you!

    Even if they say they are from the government….

    Believe me, the government already has your information!

    Stay safe! Stay healthy! Keep your personal info private!

  • Stop Sitting So Much – and So Badly

    sitting-at-desk

    Do you want to live longer and be healthier?

    Then sit less than 3 hours a day – and when you do sit –  sit with better posture.

     

    Recent research shows that sitting for long periods of time is unhealthy and that sitting for fewer than 3 hours a day may add up to 2 years to your life.

    A wave of new research indicates that sitting all day is actively damaging your health. By forcing a body designed for movement to hold a crushingly immobile position, sitting strains muscles, slows your metabolism, increases your risk of heart disease, and even shortens your life span. "Sitting is a health hazard on the order of smoking," says Marc Hamilton, PhD, a microbiologist at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

    Wow!

    From about the 1st grade on most US schools have kids sitting hours and hours a day. And often physical education or even outdoor recess time are among the first "extras" to go when budgets are tight.

    [Or when we teach to the tests.]

    Sitting badly

    Sitting itself is a problem as our metabolism slows to a halt when we sit – and then most of us sit in bad positions posture-wise when we do sit.

    Add to this that we sit more than 3 hours a day makes this sitting-issue a double-plus whammy.

    Get out of your chair and move around! work while standing and when you sit:

    Here is a better way to sit

     

    Comments? Thoughts? Thank you