Two economic stimulus checks were sent to most Americans in 2020. The first was for $1,200 and the second for $600, although those amounts varied depending on income and the number of dependents claimed on tax forms. Individuals or families with high incomes may not receive a payment. Most Americans should receive a third payment […]
Updated: March 2025 By end of 2024, the COVID-19 pandemic caused more than 1.2 million deaths. The death rate was higher for groups of people who had certain underlying health conditions. Older Americans disproportionately fell into the category of individuals who were most vulnerable to the deadly consequences of an infection. The death rate has fallen, but […]
Updated July 2025 The pandemic exposed multiple flaws in the nation’s healthcare system. Some of those flaws were apparent even before the pandemic began. A nationwide shortage of direct care workers contributed to the impact that the pandemic had on aging Americans. Direct care workers include home care workers, personal care attendants, and home health […]
Updated June 2025 Aging Americans have a wide variety of living options. The right choice is usually determined by a combination of need and affordability. Maximizing independence is the goal of most seniors. Whether that means staying in a family home, downsizing, or moving to a retirement community is a decision that healthy seniors will […]
Updated June 2025 Many of the nation’s nursing homes deliver quality care to people who desperately need it. Still, some deliver care more capably than others. How do consumers evaluate the promises that nursing homes make to provide excellent care to their loved ones? With the best of intentions, the federal government instituted a rating […]
Updated June 2025 In January 2021, a committee of the House of Lords published a report about the state of healthy aging in the United Kingdom. Notwithstanding the report’s focus on the UK, an editorial in Great Britain’s leading medical journal, The Lancet, notes that the impediments to health aging identified in the report pose […]
Updated June 2025 While we often hear people say, “Age is just a number” or “You are only as old as you feel,” it is just as common to hear disparaging remarks about older people. The notion that seniors are “over the hill” doesn’t reflect the reality of post-retirement living. The age at which one […]
Many seniors are energetic and tech-savvy. Both of those qualities may be necessary to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccination. Unfortunately, seniors who do not have the stamina or skills to navigate online resources may be left behind. Supplies of COVID-19 vaccines are increasing, but distribution continues to be challenging. Shipping the refrigerated doses, supplying […]
Living in the same household as an aging parent is often the best way for an adult child to provide for the parent’s needs. About 14% of adults who live in someone else’s home are the parent of the head of household. That percentage doubled between 1995 and 2018. Multigenerational households have been increasing for […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused hardship to many in a variety of ways. Coping with the pandemic has been particularly difficult for families who, heeding the advice of experts, have minimized their in-person contact with elderly relatives who suffer from health conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. The rollout of promising vaccines might […]