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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: seniors

seniors stories: 15 news summaries

GOP Ramps Up Attacks on AARP Over Health Care

Republicans see 'backroom deals' over reform

Oct 28, 09 4:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - The "right-wing commentariat" has a new villain to replace ACORN, and it has a far more familiar acronym: AARP. The basic line of attack is that the AARP has struck "backroom deals" with Democrats on health care reform to steer insurance business its way, writes Evan McMorris. The... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Congress • AARP • health care reform • seniors • Republicans


 America's 
 Most 
 Powerful 
 Octogenarians 

Slate ranks the country's top old people

Oct 21, 09 4:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Retirement? Bah! Slate’s annual 80 for 80 list ranks America’s mightiest octogenarians, giving extra credit for post-80 achievements, and “being really, really old.” The top:
  1. Thomas Monson (82): As the head of the Mormon church, 13 million people think he’s a prophet “in
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barbara Walters • Alan Greenspan • list • John Paul Stevens • Daniel Inouye • Thomas Monson • senior citizens • seniors • Noam Chomsky

(Newser) - The RNC has joined the fracas over health care reform with a proposed “seniors’ bill of rights” that guards against Medicare cuts, ABC News reports. “Our seniors have really come under fire in the last few weeks,” says RNC chair Michael Steele—who backed Medicare cuts as... More »

MORE ABOUT:
RNC • Medicare • Medicaid • Democratic National Committee • health care reform • DNC • seniors • Obama administration • President Obama • Michael Steele • Republican National Committee

 In LA, You're 
 Never Too Old to Rap 

Seniors learn to love the music in unusual class

Aug 3, 09 12:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - A new crop of rappers is emerging in Los Angeles, and they have one thing in common: They’re senior citizens. Hip-hop artist Keith Cross started his unorthodox rap class in 2004 to show seniors “there is positive rap out there; we just have to look for it,”... More »

MORE ABOUT:
entertainment • pop culture • rapper • rap music • senior citizens • seniors • Jay-ZTV

(Newser) - Conservative radio hosts are scaring America's seniors with a campaign against an end-of-life counseling proposal in the health care reform bill, the Washington Post reports. Under the proposal doctors would be reimbursed for consulting with elderly patients about what medical interventions they would prefer as the end nears, but opponents... More »

MORE ABOUT:
health care • euthanasia • death • AARP • health care reform • end of life care • seniors

(Newser) - Seniors are wholeheartedly embracing Wii Bowling as a fun social activity mercifully devoid of the weight of an actual ball, the Chicago Tribune reports. “Can you think of anything better to do?” says the president of a league at a Chicago-area retirement community. “It's the piece de ... More »

MORE ABOUT:
sports • elderly • Nintendo Wii • retirement communities • video games • seniors • bowling • league

Inner-Ear Woes Linked to Many Elderly Tumbles

More than half of Americans over 60
have the disorder

May 27, 09 7:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - Researchers have shed light on the frequent, debilitating, and sometimes life-threatening falls among the elderly: many tumbles may be caused by inner-ear imbalances, Time reports. Some 35% of Americans over 40 have such vestibular dysfunction; the condition affects more than 50% of Americans 60 and older. An inner-ear imbalance multiplies... More »

MORE ABOUT:
medical breakthrough • elderly • balance • seniors • inner ear • fall

Analysis

 Watch Out World, 
 You're Going Gray 

Aging, population decline mark next decades

Jan 4, 09 11:38 AM CST
(Newser) - Wall Street's a wreck and terrorists are clamoring for WMDs, but the world's real crisis is far worse: It's getting old, Neil Howe and Richard Jackson write in the Washington Post. By the 2020s, baby boomers will push the median age in Western Europe and Japan to near 50,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
United States • aging • youth • extremism • old age • developed countries • human population • seniors • demographic trends



 Seniors, 
 Remember 
 Ledger: Don't 
 Mix Meds 

Seniors in danger from drug interactions

Dec 24, 08 7:15 AM CST
(Newser) - Millions of older Americans take so many prescription and over-the-counter drugs that they risk serious side effects from the drugs’ interactions, USA Today reports. A new study found that about 30% of people aged 57 to 85 now take at least five prescription drugs regularly—plus non-prescription medications and supplements—... More »

MORE ABOUT:
vitamins • prescription drugs • over-the-counter drugs • seniors • dietary supplement • drug interaction • glucosamine-chondroitin

 Japan's Seniors Turn to Crime 

Violence surges among over-65s

Oct 17, 08 9:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - It's not the kids who are causing hand-wringing in Japan these days, but the elderly, who are responsible for a crime wave, the Daily Telegraph reports. With some 49,000 people over the age of 65 convicted of crimes ranging from petty theft to murder last year—more than triple... More »

MORE ABOUT:
elderly • crime • Japan • violent crime • seniors

 'Sweetie' Talk 
 Saps Seniors' 
 Health 

Condescending treatment builds poor self-image: study

Oct 7, 08 7:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - Many believe they’re bridging a divide with the elderly by calling them “sweetie” or “dear”—what experts call “elderspeak.” But studies show that such language may actually be hurtful to older people, causing “negative images of aging” that can trigger a “downward... More »

MORE ABOUT:
elderly • aging • speech • dialogue • seniors

analysis

 Oldsters Not Diggin'
 Whippersnapper Obama

Seniors see their worldview in McCain

Aug 12, 08 6:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama is facing an unusually pronounced generation gap among voters: though normally apathetic young people are supporting him in droves, those over 65 are leaning heavily toward John McCain—a fact that’s keeping the race tight, the Washington Post reports. And seniors have a loud voice on Election... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • John McCain • Election 2008 • the senior vote • seniors

'Young Old People' Defend McCain From Age Attacks

'What was the question?' quips one

Aug 11, 08 3:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - A group of fit Florida seniors have stepped up to the plate to defend candidate John MCain from criticism that he's too old to competently govern the country. "I think he could do the job in his 90s," said a supporter, one of several men born within days... More »

MORE ABOUT:
John McCain • elderly • politics • age • seniors

Seniors Wield Canes in Martial- Arts Training

Exercise and self- defense meet in
'Cane Fu' classes

Jul 12, 08 8:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - Call it cane fighting, combat cane or cane fu: in classes across the country, seniors are turning to a different kind of self-defense, the Wall Street Journal reports. While the practice serves as a healthy way to get exercise, it also provides comfort to elderly people interested in protecting themselves... More »

MORE ABOUT:
elderly • fight • martial arts • self defense • retirement communities • seniors

 Sex Revolution for
 Granny & Gramps 

Over 70s enjoying more nookie than ever

Jul 9, 08 5:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - Men and women in their 70s are having more sex than ever, according to a series of surveys. Over a 30-year period the number of married men still enjoying sex in their 70s increased from 58% to 62%, while that  figure jumped 38% to 58% for married women, the Independent ... More »

MORE ABOUT:
sex • Viagra • sexual revolution • single women • seniors • over-70s • married couples

15 Stories


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