Senior Spirit Online

According to a report released March 28, 2008 by AARP,  while older Americans 65+ have a limited awareness of new technologies, they are willing to use a wide variety of items if they were available to maintain social contact, gather information, be safe at home, and promote their personal health and wellness.  Click here to read report.

A report released Tuesday, March 18, 2008, by the Alzheimer’s Association predicted that an estimated 10 million American baby boomers, (1 in 8) will develop Alzheimer’s disease.  In addition, the report showed that the disease is now the seventh deadliest in the nation and that women are at greater risk than men. Currently, at least 5.2 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, including 200,000 to 250,000 people under age 65. By 2010, projections say there will be 500,000 new cases of the mind-wasting disease each year, and nearly one million new cases annually by 2050, the report estimates.  To learn more about Alzheimer’s, visit the Alzheimer’s Association website.  To read the report, click here.

Many seniors are on a fixed income, and one of their biggest expenses is often utilities/energy costs.  Visit http://hubpages.com/hub/Low-Income-Energy-Assistance to learn about low income energy assistance programs.

Holidays can be strained for the inter-faith family.  Here are some tips for a stress free holiday:   
http://hubpages.com/hub/Holiday-Tips-for-the-Interfaith-Family

RetireeWorkforce.com is dedicated to providing exciting employment opportunities for experienced and motivated retirees. Their goal is to match organizations with experienced, reliable, and hard-working employees.

Because of the expense involved with individual health insurance, making it to Medicare has become one of the biggest challenges for baby boomers who retire or are laid off before 65, The Dallas Morning News reports.

More than half of the pre-65 boomers on such policies spend at least $300 in monthly premiums for single coverage, according to the Commonwealth Fund, a Washington-based policy institute.  Individuals with a chronic medical condition may be denied coverage related to that condition or be turned down altogether.

However, because of the baby boomer generation’s size and affluence, Aetna, Humana, and WellPoint have begun to market policies geared to the 50-to-64 age group.  Aetna Inc. has signed an agreement with AARP’s business unit to offer a range of plans for members.  Humana Inc., is reportedly promoting its Portrait plans to the pre-Medicare market because they come with unlimited doctor’s visits, which is a feature Humana believes will appeal to baby boomers who are accustomed to group insurance plans.