Senior Living
/Health

What the dead have to say to the living: Lessons from a psychic reading
LOS ANGELES -- With shoulder-length blond hair, black dress and black knee-high boots, Jennifer Rose cuts a preacherly silhouette — less Bible-thumping, more New Age — standing on a small stage in the retirement community of Laguna Woods Village.
"There's a lot of spirit here already," she says. Her audience grows quiet. "So I hope you're ...Read more

What the dead have to say to the living: Lessons from a psychic reading
LOS ANGELES -- With shoulder-length blond hair, black dress and black knee-high boots, Jennifer Rose cuts a preacherly silhouette — less Bible-thumping, more New Age — standing on a small stage in the retirement community of Laguna Woods Village.
"There's a lot of spirit here already," she says. Her audience grows quiet. "So I hope you're ...Read more

Travel Trending with Kathy Witt: Margaritaville at Sea Islander is ‘heaven on earth with an onion slice’
From the 14-foot-tall flip-flop in the atrium and the orange and blue plumage of the parrot artwork adorning cabin walls, to a playlist of party-on ditties lilting across the decks and song lyrics scripted on surfaces all over the ship (“Booze in the blender,” at the 5 O’ Clock Somewhere pool, “Can’t you feel them circling, honey?” ...Read more

For seniors with hoarding disorder, a support group helps confront stigma and isolation
A dozen people seated around folding tables clap heartily for a beaming woman: She’s donated two 13-gallon garbage bags full of clothes, including several Christmas sweaters and a couple of pantsuits, to a Presbyterian church.
A closet cleanout might not seem a significant accomplishment. But as the people in this Sunday-night class can ...Read more

For seniors with hoarding disorder, a support group helps confront stigma and isolation
A dozen people seated around folding tables clap heartily for a beaming woman: She’s donated two 13-gallon garbage bags full of clothes, including several Christmas sweaters and a couple of pantsuits, to a Presbyterian church.
A closet cleanout might not seem a significant accomplishment. But as the people in this Sunday-night class can ...Read more

'Florida seniors have a lot to lose': Medicaid cuts could devastate the state's elderly in nursing homes
In nursing homes across Florida, elderly residents have much to lose from the spending cuts proposed in Washington, D.C.
Medicaid is the primary payer for nursing-home care in Florida — and the only way that two-thirds of nursing-home residents can afford help with daily tasks such as eating, bathing and dressing.
What would happen if ...Read more

Home improvements can help people age independently. But Medicare seldom picks up the bill
Chikao Tsubaki had been having a terrible time.
In his mid-80s, he had a stroke. Then lymphoma. Then prostate cancer. He was fatigued, isolated, not all that steady on his feet.
Then Tsubaki took part in an innovative care initiative that, over four months, sent an occupational therapist, a nurse and a handy worker to his home to help figure ...Read more

Members of the ‘club that nobody wants to join’ find the support they need
MINNEAPOLIS -- The women smiled as a musician played music that dominated the airwaves decades ago, when they were younger and their memories were sharper.
In an adjoining room at the Plymouth Community Center, their relatives gathered for a break and the chance to chat with others who understand the trials of caring for someone with dementia. ...Read more

Hearing and vision loss may increase risk of heart disease and stroke
Middle-aged and older adults with trouble seeing, hearing or both may face a higher risk of having a stroke or heart attack than those with good eyesight and hearing, according to a new study in China.
The findings, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, suggest screening for sensory deficits, treating them with eyeglasses ...Read more

Jolted awake at 2 a.m., his aorta had torn
Roy and Kim Reid started a Memorial Day weekend with dinner and a movie at home. When Kim went to bed, Roy decided to watch another film. At some point, he fell asleep on the couch.
Around 2 a.m., Roy jolted awake in intense pain. It felt like someone was punching a hole through his chest and squeezing the life out of his heart. He managed to ...Read more

A longtime firefighter could barely walk. Now, he's running a 5K a day
Paul Dunwell was sitting in a town council meeting when he started feeling off. He was having trouble breathing and couldn't focus on the conversation.
He shook it off that night, assuming it wasn't a big deal. But he kept feeling worse over the next several weeks. His energy plummeted. He struggled to walk the mile and a half to work, a ...Read more

How Mark Wahlberg, 53, gets ‘a head start’ with 2 a.m. workouts
Sometimes all someone needs is a good head start. For 53-year-old Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg, those head starts come well before sunup and begin with a 35-degree cold plunge.
“The Departed” actor is no stranger to the gym, getting up as early as 2 a.m. to break a sweat. His “4 a.m. club” workout routines have since become legendary, ...Read more

Couple who found love later in life had different journeys before their paths converged on the dance floor
CHICAGO -- Sanna Longden and Clint Seely were in their 70s when they met in 2016 at a dance at the annual Door County Folk Festival in Wisconsin. She had traveled from Evanston, Illionis, and he was local to the area. The two got to talking and hit it off.
“The next day, he came to a class that I was teaching, and I was very impressed that he...Read more
Am I just getting older? How to recognize dementia warning signs vs. normal aging
DALLAS — It could be as simple as constantly misplacing keys, or forgetting to pay a bill, or repeating questions over and over.
As people age, their memory and cognition tends to take a small hit. But about one in 10 older Americans experience dementia, characterized by cognitive and memory issues that are connected to a disease process, as ...Read more

Travel Trending with Kathy Witt: Awesome, new and unusual immersive experiences
Catch your breath on a wellness retreat in an Alaskan forest. Meet unsung African American heroes from history via augmented reality in Kentucky. Ensconce yourself in a full-on “Hocus Pocus-themed” sanctuary, replete with caldrons and crystals, spells and spook vibes, in Salem, Massachusetts.
Here are three new immersive experiences worth ...Read more
‘Life got too expensive’: Miami seniors are increasingly falling into homelessness
MIAMI — On a recent Thursday evening, Maria Morales pulled her car into a parking lot in downtown Miami. The 75-year-old, along with dozens of others experiencing homelessness, queued for a hot meal provided by the nonprofit One World One Heart.
Shuffling through the line, Morales filled a deep plastic bowl with sausage and white bean stew. ...Read more
'Life got too expensive': Miami seniors are increasingly falling into homelessness
MIAMI — On a recent Thursday evening, Maria Morales pulled her car into a parking lot in downtown Miami. The 75-year-old, along with dozens of others experiencing homelessness, queued for a hot meal provided by the nonprofit One World One Heart.
Shuffling through the line, Morales filled a deep plastic bowl with sausage and white bean stew. ...Read more

Simple lifestyle changes can defy the effects of aging
When Dr. Ian K. Smith isn’t writing books about healthy living, or penning novels, you might find him walking around his favorite city, Paris.
He loves the French capital because, among its many charms, he says it’s one of the easiest places in the world to meet one’s daily step count.
“Walking is a way of life in Paris,” Smith told ...Read more

Simple lifestyle changes can defy the effects of aging
When Dr. Ian K. Smith isn’t writing books about healthy living, or penning novels, you might find him walking around his favorite city, Paris.
He loves the French capital because, among its many charms, he says it’s one of the easiest places in the world to meet one’s daily step count.
“Walking is a way of life in Paris,” Smith told ...Read more

For homeless seniors, getting into stable housing takes a village — and a lot of luck
COLUMBIA FALLS, Mont. — Over two years ago, Kim Hilton and his partner walked out of their home for the final time. The house had sold, and the new landlord raised the rent.
They couldn’t afford it. Their Social Security payments couldn’t cover the cost of any apartments in northwestern Montana’s Flathead Valley.
Hilton’s partner was...Read more