The season of autumn has long been used, especially in poetry, as a metaphor for old age. It is a season in which nature prepares itself for the coming winter, when leaves and flowers and fruits have dissipated, and life seems to come to a standstill. We are reluctant to talk about—or even think of—death, must less prepare for it. However, when we reach a certain age, we know that death is inevitable. In our “autumn” years, we can learn a lesson from nature and begin thinking in positive ways about our own death, and start preparing for it, so when it eventually comes, it will not be a surpri ..read more

If you have been listening to the news recently, you would have certainly heard about Artificial Intelligence “AI” for short. You may have discarded it, thinking that it’s for young people. In fact, the opposite is true. Seniors are rapidly becoming affected by AI in the form of AI money scams. With AI, it is now possible to “clone” or copy the voice of any person from a few words that the person spoke in a video or audio clip posted on social media. With this new AI technology, a scammer can make a computer say anything in the voice of that person whose voice has been cloned. This is general ..read more

A Healthy Approach to Retirement One of life’s major transitions that we all face is retirement. Some of us approach it eagerly, thinking that it will be a time of release from routine and stress—one long vacation. Others approach it with unease and anxiety, wondering how we’ll deal with all the extra time on our hands. Researchers are now looking into what is the healthiest, most positive way to approach retirement and to live as a retired person. One researcher who has spent nearly two decades investigating this issue is the gerontologist Dr. Ross Andel, Director of the School of Aging Stud ..read more

As summer approaches, people begin to get outdoors more and enjoy outdoor hobbies and activities—taking long walks, visiting museums or art galleries, going to the theater or the local library. As we switch from an indoor to outdoor lifestyle, the elders among us face a potential problem that younger folks are not concerned about—that is, getting lost. One of the effects of aging is that as we get older and our cognitive abilities begin to decline, we become more likely to get disoriented and lose our bearings. When an older person loses his or her bearings in an outdoor environment, confusio ..read more

According to the Gerontological Society of America, seniors are the most vulnerable group about shingles. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California found that about 25 percent of Americans in their 90s have had shingles, about 21 percent in their 80s have had it, about 15 percent in their 70s, about 11 percent in their 60s, and about 9 percent in their 50s. As you can see, as you get older, your chances of getting shingles increase quite sharply. The study also found that older women are more likely to get shingles than older men, and that Whites are more likely ..read more

One of life’s major transitions that we all face is retirement. Some of us approach it eagerly, thinking that it will be a time of release from routine and stress—one long vacation. Others approach it with unease and anxiety, wondering how we’ll deal with all the extra time on our hands. Researchers are now looking into what is the healthiest, most positive way to approach retirement and to live as a retired person. One researcher who has spent nearly two decades investigating this issue is the gerontologist Dr. Ross Andel, Director of the School of Aging Studies at the University of South Flo ..read more

Artificial Intelligence Scams Targeting Seniors If you have been listening to the news recently, you would have certainly heard about Artificial Intelligence “AI” for short. You may have discarded it, thinking that it’s for young people. In fact, the opposite is true. Seniors are rapidly becoming affected by AI in the form of AI money scams. With AI, it is now possible to “clone” or copy the voice of any person from a few words that the person spoke in a video or audio clip posted on social media. With this new AI technology, a scammer can make a computer say anything in the voice of that pers ..read more

One of the major life transitions that we all face when we reach a certain age in our later years is retirement. Some of us approach it eagerly, thinking that it will be a time of release from routine and stress—one long never-ending vacation. Others of us approach it with unease and anxiety, wondering how we will spend all that extra time that we will have on our hands. Researchers are now looking into what is the healthiest, most positive way to approach retirement and to live as a retired person. One researcher who has spent nearly two decades investigating this question is the gerontologis ..read more

As winter melts into spring, fresh plants come to life and emerge from the soil, we are surrounded by a sense of new beginning and a fresh start, and we feel the urge to consider new ideas and to try new ways of doing things. One person who was inspired to look at things in a fresh new way is Anne Basting, a professor of theatre at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, and the founder of TimeSlips, a non-profit organization dedicated to training caregivers who engage with the elderly experiencing cognitive decline creatively. Anne Basting was working as a volunteer with dementia patients when ..read more

Ways to Slow Down the Aging Process Scientist studying the aging process have made great advances in understanding how and why our bodies age. Everyone does not age at the same rate—some experience aging more rapidly than others. For this reason, specialists differentiate between chronological age and biological age. Our chronological age is, of course, the number of years since we were born. Our biological age is how quickly or slowly our physical and mental functions are declining. Anti-aging researchers have discovered that the speed of the aging process depends on our live styles. One espe ..read more