After the downgrade: Protect your retirement

Here are 10 tips to preserve your retirement savings and plans now that Standard & Poor's has lowered the credit rating of the U.S.
By MSN Money partner

So Standard & Poor's has downgraded U.S. Treasury debt and Washington is a fiscal and political mess. What does that mean for your retirement? Nothing good, for sure. But you can limit the damage with a calm, yet realistic approach.



Here are 10 steps that should help protect your retirement. Post continues after video.

http://money.msn.com/retirement/article.aspx?post=1c521b34-84f2-4561-89dc-61093b1724a0&from=en-us_msnhp>1=33013

Elderly worry how debt crisis will affect Social Security

Worst case scenario, a national default would be felt at the grocery store, at the mall, and in your mortgage and credit card payments.

The government could also struggle to write checks for things like military pay, and social security.

"What will happen to me, and what will happen to all of my friends," said Connie Roberts, a resident at Fountainbleu Lodge Retirement Home.

Elderly Stay Cool

THURSDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion, increases with age, experts at the U.S. National Institute on Aging warn.

As people get older, the researchers explained, they are less able to adapt to high temperatures, like those engulfing much of the nation now. As a result, the heat might exacerbate any medical conditions they have.

ANEURYSM AWARENESS

By: Phil Nowell

Each year, more than 20,000 people in the United States are affected by a life-threatening thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA). Although TAAs are less common than other diseases like heart attacks or diabetes, they can prove to be just as dangerous.Fortunately, if detected early, TAAs can be treated, or even cured, with new treatment options that help patients to ensure a longer, fuller and more active lifestyle.

Elderly Day Care

Adult Day Care is a life senior service for frail, physically or cognitively impaired, seniors and their caregivers. Numerous stand alone adult day care facilities and adult day care centers are available in urban and suburban areas to provide elderly care

Tips to Help Seniors rest well

In the later years of my mother’s life, she complained that she could never sleep. However, once while sharing a bedroom with her, I learnt that her lack of sleep was simply not so. She snored almost the whole night. I learned a lesson; lack of sleep can be very real psychologically, but can also be a product of one’s imagination.


http://completewellbeing.com/article/60-still-sleeping-sound/

Daily Dose of Vitamin D Prevents Falls in Elderly

(NaturalNews) Seniors who take a large daily dose of vitamin D may be significantly less likely to suffer from falls, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Center on Aging and Mobility at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and published in the British Medical Journal.

Packaging services to prevent suicide among the elderly

NEW YORK — Suicide is more common among older Americans than any other age group. The statistics are daunting. While people 65 and older account for 12 percent of the population, they represent 16 percent to 25 percent of the suicides. Four out of five suicides in older adults are men. And among white men over 85, the suicide rate - 50 per 100,000 men - is six times that of the general population.

Playgrounds for Seniors: A Fun and Practical Idea Gets the Elderly in Motion

(NaturalNews) In Great Britain and Japan, playgrounds are being built for seniors. In Manchester, United Kingdom, seniors can use low impact exercise equipment in Dam Head Public Park. In Japan, with birthrates falling and the numbers of senior citizens increasing, underused playgrounds are being renovated for seniors.

Elderly Abuse

Officials are learning to speak the same language and using the same forensic techniques as those popularized on the three C.S.I. television series to diagnose elder abuse and neglect. For decades, the techniques have been the state-of-the-art approach for investigating child abuse and domestic violence. But elder abuse has lagged far behind, suffering from a lack of financing, research and data.







http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2006/09/26/us/20060927_ABUSE_FEATURE.html

Elderly Abused at 1 in 3 Nursing Homes: Report

Reports of serious, physical, sexual and verbal abuse are "numerous" among the nation's nursing homes, according to a congressional report released today.

The study, prepared by the minority (Democratic and Independent) staff of the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee, finds that 30 percent of nursing homes in the United States — 5,283 facilities — were cited for almost 9,000 instances of abuse over a recent two-year period, from January 1999 to January 2001.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92689&page=1

Care for your Elderly

If an elderly person in your care has developed bed sores there are a number of ways to aid in the healing process. First, you’ll want to help your patient change positions approximately every 15 minutes if they’re in a wheelchair, or every two hours if they’re confined to a bed. Support surfaces, like cushions and pads, should also be used to relieve pressure on an existing sore and protect vulnerable areas.

To live longer, shop more, study suggests?

Retail therapy does more than soothe the soul — it could also be a sign of long life for elderly people, according to a new study.

Elderly people who shop every day are 27 percent less likely to die over a 10-year period than those who shop once a week, the study said. (The study was limited to Taiwanese, so the findings may not apply to all groups of people.)

Sugar toxic for Elderly and Youth?

On May 26, 2009, Robert Lustig gave a lecture called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” which was posted on YouTube the following July. Since then, it has been viewed well over 800,000 times, gaining new viewers at a rate of about 50,000 per month, fairly remarkable numbers for a 90-minute discussion of the nuances of fructose biochemistry and human physiology.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?_r=3&ref=homepage&src=me&pagewanted=all

Packaged Computer Products for Seniors

Computer can be a challenge for some seniors, but there are numerous products availible that can make computing a more enjoyable experience. Whether it's a keyboard with large keys or a mouse that's easy to use, TouchBrite can help find products that will alleviate frustration, and help seniors become more involved with the information revolution.

Nutrition for Seniors

A Healthy Diet and nutrition for the elderly is strongly affected by several factors, including a change in body composition. During the last years of life, body and bone loss and muscle gain fat because the hormones are not very active longer.

There are many factors that impede the health of an elderly person. The following information will help you lead a healthy life – no matter their age.

10 Principles of a Healthy diet for the Elderly

Different diet for the human body, but plays a different role, and for older persons with physical, want to have good body should know diet, know reasonable collocation more conditioning in diet a good body. Now, I'll take a look at the old man's diet in the end it should be noted that some what?1, fruits and vegetables, diet for the elderly should be fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh, coloured class is rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, fruit also contains a wealth of organic acids, stimulates appetite increase the role of acid-base balance and maintaining body fluid

Vegetarian Nutrition with the elderly

Health has always been our concern a, aging and now is more and more, each season is different from the old man's diet, then the old spring diet difference? especially elderly vegetarian food. The liturgical is vegetarian elderly, in order to achieve the nutritional balance, well-built purposes, you must note the following: reasonable cooking science select old diet should be light and delicious, but just the right amount of grease is the life of the elderly and nutrition. The lack of human body fat can cause energy shortage and fat-soluble vitamins and the lack of essential fatty acids, but too much fat, even though it is a vegetable oil, on human health.

With Aging, Studies show Vitamin K Strengthens Bones

A study in Spain found that eating foods rich in vitamin K was linked to high bone-mineral density for elderly adults. The report in the journal Bone said higher intakes of vitamin K among men and women were associated with lower BMD loss and smaller increases in porosity and elasticity, which come with aging.


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Kegel Exercises for Mature Adults

Kegel exercises involve tightening and holding the muscles in the pelvic floor to control the uterus, bowels and bladder. By strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, you can gain control over incontinence, a common problem in the elderly, report doctors at the Mayo Clinic. With a little practice, anyone can perform Kegel exercises

Mature Adult Band Exercise

This Senior Resistance Bands Exercise DVD is specially designed for those who can't / don't want to use gym machines or free weights. These Senior Resistance Bands Exercises are orthopedically safe and can be done any time and anywhere. The Pace is Slow and Relaxed. The Exercises on this Senior Resistance Bands Exercises DVD can be done either sitting or standing.

Soup which Helps Health of Elderly

Those who are ill and elderly who aren’t able to chew properly can benefit from drinking a soup.Soups restore the water balance in our body that then keeps your blood pressure in check. By making a thick soup (you can even add with pasta or noodles) and eating it with salads or breads you can replace your meals with soups!
Soups can be prepared easily by anyone, all you have to do is put some vegetables in water or broth which is the remaining water while cooking meat or chicken can be used and boil and add spices. You can hardly over boil a soup!

Campbell Soup Packaging Team to Stamp Out Hunger!

The Stamp Out Hunger! effort is the nation's largest single-day food drive, having collected more than 909 million pounds of food since its inception in 1993. Last year, letter carriers across the country collected a record total of more than 73.1 million pounds of food, but with hunger impacting many Americans - including working families, children and the elderly - help is needed now more than ever before

Nestle's Nutritional Packaging for the Elderly

Unintentional weight loss and malnutrition are common problems in the elderly. Taste and smell changes, as well as feelings of loneliness and depression, contribute to decreased appetite, while many elderly people may eat less because of chewing difficulties, fatigue, and social reasons. Furthermore, elderly people often have increased nutritional needs because of disease or injury.

Heidi Klum and heart health awareness for elderly women and youth

Diet Coke and Heidi Klum joined forces on February 1 to raise awareness and funds for women's heart health education and research. February is American Heart Month, and for the fourth consecutive year, Diet Coke is partnering with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to support The Heart Truth campaign. This year, Diet Coke has created a national game of "Capture the Flag," inviting people to visit DietCoke.com/HeartTruth where they can capture flags with a click of the mouse to trigger a donation from Diet Coke to heart health programs

Keeping our Elderly Healthy

With decreased activity levels, elderly people have a slower metabolism and a lower caloric requirement. With inadequate food, though, they also lose energy and fall into a cycle of lethargy and have very little energy to do much about it.

Should packaging include care for our parents?

Range of perspectives this 1st comment is interesting,

Especially with how the current economic situation is in America, I think it should almost be required. A lot of people's IRAs and 401Ks that they thought they'd live off of in their golden years have dwindled down to almost nothing. If you as their child have the ability to take care of them, you should do exactly that. Most parents would do anything for their children; you should if you have the ability, do the same thing for your parents.

Elderly Domestic Packaging Accidents

The project is designed to make an increasingly elderly population aware of common packaging accidents and injuries in order to reduce the number of accidents that occur annually. This follows on from an EPSRC grant (RA99037), which successfully researched some of the most common scenarios of packaging accidents and injuries.

The cost to the UK of such accidents is huge: the DTI have published findings indicating that the National Health Service spends approximately 12 million each year on injuries related to opening packaging, with over 70,000 people attending Accident and Emergency departments. However, the enormous costs in terms of quality of life cannot be underestimated.

Safety Packaging for Seniors and Children

Danish packaging company Superfos says it has introduced a new child-proof and senior-friendly opening and closing mechanism that meets demands for UN-approved packaging standards.

The company says it has taken the initiative to launch the new mechanism, SuperFlex, as a results of NF EN ISO 8317, which was extended in 2003 to stipulate that packaging closures should be impossible for children under 51 months to open, and easy-to-open for seniors in the age 50 - 70 bracket.

The big challenge with meeting these requirements is the fact that the closures must ensure that young children cannot access the packaging, keeping them away from hazardous chemicals or potential toxins, while, at the same time, also making it easy for older users to access.

We all need more fruit and veggies!

Consistently healthy meals will help elderly men and women meet their nutritional needs. The meals for the elderly do not need to be complicated to prepare, but rather should have a balance of nutrients such as grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins and dairy. As you prepare meals for the elderly, understanding the elderly person's needs will help you make wise decisions



Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/407984-healthy-meals-for-the-elderly/#ixzz1IsrhWE8b

Packaged Healthy Meals

Here is one example of how to prepare a healthy, balanced menu for an entire day.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 10 to 30 minutes per meal.
Here's How:
1.Breakfast: one cup strawberries, one-half cup low fat cottage cheese with one tablespoon of sunflower seeds. One slice of whole grain toast.
2.Midmorning: one small apple, eight walnuts, two ounces lean sliced chicken breast.
3.Lunch: three cups salad consisting of dark green lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes with two teaspoons of walnut oil, two ounce organic beef patty served on a whole grain roll.
4.Mid afternoon: six ounces of tofu, one and one-half cups carrot sticks, one tablespoon of pumpkin seeds.
5.Dinner: one-half cup whole wheat spaghetti with one-forth cup organic marinara sauce and two ounces ground turkey. Two cups cooked green vegetables such as asparagus, spinach or broccoli drizzled with two teaspoons flax oil.
6.Evening Snack: six whole grain crackers with one ounce sliced cheese and one small apple

The joy of eating well and aging well

Food for thought: Think healthy eating is all about dieting and sacrifice? Think again. Eating well is a lifestyle that embraces colorful food, creativity in the kitchen, and eating with friends.

For seniors, the benefits of healthy eating include increased mental acuteness, resistance to illness and disease, higher energy levels, a more robust immune system, faster recuperation times, and better management of chronic health problems. As we age, eating well can also be the key to a positive outlook and staying emotionally balanced.

Packaged Meals for Loved Ones

Creating a healthy meal plan for the elderly is not so different than meal planning for any family. If your senior is not on a special diet such as a diabetic diet or mechanical soft or something else the guidelines are pretty similar. Learn how to create a healthy meal plan for the elderly

Read more: How to Create a Healthy Meal Plan for the Elderly | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4834225_create-healthy-meal-plan-elderly.html#ixzz1IsiXsGdP

Packaging fruit to help elderly memory

Broccoli, potatoes, oranges, apples and radishes all contain substances that act in the same way as drugs used to treat Alzheimer's, UK researchers will report today.

The findings provide scientific backing for previous studies suggesting that higher intake of fruit and vegetables may lower the risk of developing the disease.

Due to present the research at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester, the scientists from King's College London have found that compounds in each of these fruit and vegetables inhibit acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

Elderly Nutrition Snacks

These elderly nutrition snacks can help tip the balance -- in favor of your or your loved one’s dietary nutrition needs in an enjoyable, healthy way with high nutrition foods and snacks. Many seniors experience loss of appetite or change in eating habits due to a variety of elderly issues. Sometimes they are no longer able to cook much. (See our article on elderly nutrition problems). Elderly nutrition snacks can come in very handy.

Wellness of our Seniors

Better Foot Health and Balance with Reflexology
Sessions can help a senior have a better awareness of her feet through the stimulation of the nerve endings. This in turn may help to improve her balance and gait which will have her feeling more confident about moving around unassisted.

Read more at Suite101: Reflexology for Senior Wellness: Reflexologists Help to Enhance the Quality of Life in the Elderly

Massage Therapy for the Elderly

Getting older can be physically painful. Many elderly people suffer from arthritis, loss of feeling in their hands and feet, poor circulation, muscular stiffness, inflammation in the joints, skin discoloration, bursitis, and deterioration in the muscles and bones. Massage therapy can be extremely soothing and beneficial to elderly individuals who are experiencing the aches and pains of growing older. Massage therapy for the elderly is often called geriatric massage or senior massage. Geriatric Massage techniques do not usually differ from the techniques used on younger people; however, the main difference is in how an elderly body is positioned on a massage table and the amount of pressure used while massaging.

Packaged Nutrition for Youth and Elderly

Here's something else you can do to lower your risk of high blood pressure: eat more blueberries. A new study suggests that eating at least one serving per week can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure by as much as 10 percent. This finding comes from a study involving 134,000 women and 47,000 men and investigations by researchers from Harvard and from Britain's University of East Anglia. The study teams looked at 14 years worth of data from the ongoing Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. None of the participants had hypertension at the outset, but during the course of the studies, 35,000 developed high blood pressure.

65+ Catching up to the YOUTH?

SIXTY-FIVE PLUS IN THE UNITED STATES
May 1995
Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

America's elderly population is now growing at a moderate pace. But not too far into the future, the growth will become rapid. So rapid, in fact, that by the middle of the next century, it might be completely inaccurate to think of ourselves as a Nation of the young: there could be more persons who are elderly (65 or over) than young (14 or younger)!

Elderly Poverty Growing Rapidly

Increase of elderly poor in developing nations--the implications of dependency theory and modernization theory for the aging of world population.
Osako M.

Despite the growing number of elderly residents in developing countries, little is known about the impact of economic development policies on the elderly in these countries. In an effort to identify public policies which may have a beneficial impact on the elderly, the impact of development policies and of foreign aid on the elderly in Taiwan was examined.

The Tri HOPE Group

The Tri HOPE Group

The Tri HOPE Group is concerned about the rising healthcare costs affecting over 50 million people in America and they are offering FREE access to savings up to 75% off prescription and up to 50% off the typical price of lab tests and imaging services. This link gives everyone a chance to receive discounts when they purchase prescriptions. All you have to do is print this card and show to pharmacist and it may generate a discount.

Helping with Groceries

In Germany

A growing senior population in Germany has encouraged grocery stores to remodel their interiors by making everything in easy reach, having a relaxation zone and non-skid aisles.

Click here to watch the video

In Japan

Robovie-II, a retail-assistant robot designed to help elderly and disabled people shop in supermarkets, is being tested in Kyoto, in Japan.

Click here for more information

MIT AgeLab

About AgeLab | MIT AgeLab

The MIT AgeLab was created in 1999 to invent new ideas and creatively translate technologies into practical solutions that improve people’s health and enable them to “do things” throughout the lifespan.

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Resources and Links for the Elderly

This link takes the elderly consumer from the supermarket right into the kitchen. Really excited about products and services surrounding information.

This site addresses the elderly and arthritis.

 If you CARE to get involved - CLICK HERE.

 Elderly products to help around the house.

The elderly love gardening and these are products that will help physically challenged.

Don't They Deserve Easy Open Packaging?

Household Products

Click on the link above to see Household Products - LifeSolutionsPlus Discount Arthritis Aids, Elderly Living Products and Disabilities

Consumer Packaging for the Elderly

Age Friendly Packaging PDF file

Packaging Has Its Tender Moments, Too

Elderly Care Products

Elderly care products can be invaluable to those caring for aging parents. They can make you (and your loved one) safer and improve the quality of your lives.

Packaging Matters...Even in Nature

The Elderly Garden Too

Choice Product INC. has a variety of garden tools that would aid the elderly with gardening

Packaging Should Have Its Sweet Spots

Prescription Drugs and the Elderly

Click on the link above to find out information on prescription drugs and the elderly

It's ALL In The Packaging

How to shop for the elderly

Click on the above link to get advice on how to shop for the elderly effectively.

It's ALL In The Packaging

Products for the elderly with Alzheimer

The Alzheimer's Store is dedicated to providing unique products and information for those caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease. Every product in the store has been carefully selected to make living with Alzheimer's disease as easy as possible.

It's ALL In The Packaging

Tips on assisting the Elderly

Making Life Easier in the Kitchen

Packaging for the Elderly Portal

Here you will find resources and information to make OPENING products easier for the mature consumer.

Arthritis Brochure

Packaging for Seniors Will Be a High Priority in the Future

Article on Seniors and Packaging