The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines healthy aging as “the process of maintaining good physical, mental, and social health and well-being as we grow older.” Ideally, that process begins early in life. Adopting healthy habits before middle age decreases the risk of acquiring debilitating diseases and disabling conditions later in life. Still, […]
“Aging well” means growing older while maintaining independence, good health, and financial security. Everyone would like to age well, but some seem to age more gracefully than others. Seniors might wonder whether aging well is a matter of luck. Some suspect that their healthier peers simply won the genetic lottery and were predestined to avoid […]
It should come as no surprise that older adults prefer chocolate pudding to vanilla. That finding would probably hold true across all generations. A new study took a deeper dive into that common dessert preference in its effort to identify “desirable, safe, and nutritious dairy-rich breakfasts and desserts for older adults.” Nostalgic Comfort Food The […]
The federal agencies with primary responsibility for helping Americans stay in good health are the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CDC monitors outbreaks of disease and offers advice that — if followed — should help Americans improve or maintain their health. The […]
Every year, about 2 million Americans experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI), typically in the form of a concussion. While concussion victims usually make a full recovery, TBIs cause about 100,000 deaths in the United States annually. Even when a TBI is not fatal, brain damage can impair physical abilities, including the ability to walk […]
Most caregivers in America are unpaid. They take care of family members, including disabled parents. Many unpaid caregivers forego wages and sacrifice their careers to take care of their parents or other loved ones. They might lack funds to pay a professional caregiver, or they might be unable to find one. The nation is facing […]
Older adults are too often stereotyped as being incapable of learning to use new technologies. Studies suggest that seniors may resist new technology because they worry that failing to use it properly would contribute to negative stereotypes about their age group. Research confirms that older adults, when given a chance, “are just as capable as […]
Medical science has not identified a clear cause of Alzheimer’s Disease. While changes in an aging brain seem to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors all play a role. Age itself does not cause dementia. About a third of people who are 85 or older are living with Alzheimer’s, but […]
Each year, about 14 million older adults in the United States report that they have fallen. Unreported falls are estimated to bring the total number of falls by seniors to about 36 million. About 37% of reported falls cause an injury that requires medical treatment or that causes a senior to restrict her activities for […]
The number of Americans who are working two jobs to support their families has been growing steadily. In October 2023, 8.4 million Americans had multiple jobs. By January 2024, that number increased to 8.7 million. The trend to hold multiple jobs does not appear to be abating. About 5.1% of American workers held more than […]