In 2005, there were 270,000 people over age 100 in the world–a figure the United Nations expects will explode to 2.3 million by 2040 due to gains in nutrition, health and healthcare. By that year, the U.S. Census Bureau expects the proportion of people over age 65 will more than double from 2008 levels, to [...] [...more]
The word retirement needs reinvention, especially in our post-crash economy. For the huge generation of baby boomers now approaching the traditional retirement years, achieving security will depend on working longer—often in new careers. We’ll also need to reexamine our traditional notions about investing and spending. For anyone approaching this profound life transition, the first challenge [...] [...more]
The profession of geriatrics suffered a huge loss earlier this month when Dr. Gene Cohen died. Cohen, who died from metastatic prostate cancer at age 65, was a pioneer in geriatric psychiatry, and he played an enormous role in revolutionizing our thinking about aging. Cohen was especially well known for his research on the effects [...] [...more]
Worried about losing it as you age? Google it. Research by a leading scientist in the fields of memory and longevity suggests that searching the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning–and that searching the Web may help stimulate and boost brain function for certain people middle-aged and older. [...] [...more]
The Great Recession is pushing older workers to postpone retirement, but will employers accommodate them? Demographics dictate that the workforce will age in the years ahead. By 2016, one-third of the U.S. workforce will be age 50 or older, compared with 28 percent in 2007, according to AARP. But the current brutal jobs climate raises [...] [...more]