Senior Living
/Health
Wills Eye retiree George Spaeth, 94, reflects on his award-winning research and humanistic approach to medicine
PHILADELPHIA — As a resident training at Wills Eye Hospital, George Spaeth was perplexed by a seven-year-old patient’s symptoms.
Her legs angled inward, her hair was straw-colored with an odd consistency, and she had intellectual disabilities.
She had come in for faulty vision caused by her lenses — the part of the eye that enables ...Read more
Travel Trending with Kathy Witt: American Cruise Lines’ Mississippi River cruises celebrate Mark Twain and 150th anniversary of 'Tom Sawyer'
Two major milestones converge in 2026, a serendipitous occasion that is, as Mark Twain described coincidence, “a delightful thing”: the 150th anniversary of the publication of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and the nationwide commemoration of America 250, marking the semiquincentennial of the United States.
And one of the most delightful ...Read more
To afford aging in place, older adults turn to ‘Golden Girls’ housing
Shirley Jennett, a retired nurse, loves her spacious ranch-style house in Denver, with its big backyard and gazebo.
“I want to stay here,” she vowed. “And die here.”
She might pull that off. In relatively good health, Jennett still drives to lunch with friends, does her own housekeeping and grocery shopping, and plows through a book a ...Read more
She’s 83, but this longtime nurse just can’t stop caring for others
SAN DIEGO -- Carla van den Hout spent her life as a nurse. She hardly missed a day at work, even when the hours were long and hard. Now in her 80s, she’s still at it. She is planning her next medical mission trip to Honduras. And here in San Diego, she’s on the Disaster Medical Assistance team, which she joined several decades ago.
Van den ...Read more
To afford aging in place, older adults turn to 'Golden Girls' housing
Shirley Jennett, a retired nurse, loves her spacious ranch-style house in Denver, with its big backyard and gazebo.
“I want to stay here,” she vowed. “And die here.”
She might pull that off. In relatively good health, Jennett still drives to lunch with friends, does her own housekeeping and grocery shopping, and plows through a book a ...Read more
Forget rideshare. How seniors are using Tesla FSD for transportation
OAKLAND COUNTY, Michigan ― Tesla is expanding its Robotaxi rideshare service to include Florida, Texas, and California as it competes with Alphabet’s Waymo, Amazon’s Zoox, and other autonomous rideshare services. But consumers are already buying retail Teslas to self-drive them in cities across the US.
Senior citizens most notably.
...Read more
How lifelong learning helps older adults stay sharp and connected
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Wayne Lin feels most alive when writing poetry.
Originally from Taiwan, Lin came to the United States in 1970 as a graduate student. Decades later, after raising three children, welcoming eight grandchildren and building a career as a physicist, he still sees himself first and foremost as a student.
“In retrospect, I’...Read more
When is it time to stop driving? For aging loved ones and their families, the answer is rarely simple
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Anna, who asked to be identified only by her middle name because she fears her mother would disown her if she learned the truth, still hasn’t told her mom that she sparked an investigation into her driving last year.
“She still brings it up,” Anna said. “She’s just pissed.”
Anna’s mother, then 85, was living ...Read more
Doctors could suggest HIIT training to high blood pressure patients
LONDON — HIIT training could be recommended for people with high blood pressure to help them bring their levels down to a healthy range, a new study suggests.
Researchers said that they have shown for the first time that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and combined training can bring down a person’s blood pressure.
The study also ...Read more
Happy 100th birthday to Mel Brooks. I'm not sure I want to be around that long
I'd like to congratulate Mel Brooks on making it to the age of 100, but I'm not sure I want to duplicate his achievement.
I try not to focus on aging, not that there's anything wrong with getting older. But sometimes I feel exhausted by the daily trials of modern living, and I'm not sure I can manage 27 more years of it.
I'm writing this ...Read more
Happy 100th birthday to Mel Brooks. I'm not sure I want to be around that long
I'd like to congratulate Mel Brooks on making it to the age of 100, but I'm not sure I want to duplicate his achievement.
I try not to focus on aging, not that there's anything wrong with getting older. But sometimes I feel exhausted by the daily trials of modern living, and I'm not sure I can manage 27 more years of it.
I'm writing this ...Read more
Travel Trending with Kathy Witt: It’s Margaritaville at Sea Islander and Tradewinds Resort for the family win
Sunbathers who wish to bask poolside and shade seekers in pursuit of a good read, interactive game show lovers and arts and crafts fans, night owls and early risers, picky eaters and one self-professed gourmand; it can be a challenge to find a vacation that pleases everyone. But when the destination is a cruise, and the cruise line is one that ...Read more
Older Californians are becoming homeless faster than any other age group
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Older Californians are becoming homeless faster than any other age group, advocates told a state commission this month, warning that the state’s housing system is failing people who often need more support than a shelter can provide but do not belong in hospitals or nursing homes.
People with the common issues of aging �...Read more
Decluttering: What seniors should know about clearing out their homes
SAN JOSE, Calif. — At 80, Leni Siegel’s rich life is visible throughout the Berkeley, California, home she’s lived in for 20 years — in family photos, old theater programs from performances she attended and books she’s collected over the years. Now, feeling overwhelmed by it all, she’s facing the difficult task of deciding what to ...Read more
Scams targeting elders are on the rise: Here’s how to stay safe
SAN JOSE, Calif.— Older adults are losing billions of dollars to scammers as fraud schemes grow more sophisticated, more personal and harder to spot — leading to a fourfold increase in losses over four years, federal data shows.
Financial fraud comes in a variety of forms — whether it’s someone promising to work on a home or a phishing ...Read more
The hottest musical act in Philly? A group of middle-aged guys in khaki slacks and sensible loafers
PHILADELPHIA -- As a general rule, Sam Marshall is not used to drawing a crowd.
At 70 years old, with glasses and a plop of silver hair, the Haverford, Pennsylvania, grandfather is a semiretired regulatory lawyer with a fondness for trains and the print version of the Wall Street Journal.
Yet, there he was last month, at a wedding in Big Sky, ...Read more
Travel Trending with Kathy Witt: Orlando casts a spell for a couple’s getaway
With its world-famous theme parks, aquatic attractions and entertainment, Orlando has always known how to dazzle. But The City Beautiful can be quietly seductive, too, weaving a spell through gardens, art, intimate music venues and unexpected indulgences.
For couples, Orlando is a destination that balances whimsy with sophistication, ...Read more
3 medical routines that older people may not need
Enough time had passed since the patient’s previous colonoscopy that she met the criteria to undergo another, said Steven Itzkowitz, a gastroenterologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
She was in “reasonably good health,” and the risks of the procedure — bleeding, reaction to anesthesia, perforation of her ...Read more
Study: Taking a daily multivitamin may slow down biological aging
LONDON — Taking a daily multivitamin may slow down biological aging, a study has suggested.
Experts calculated that two years of daily vitamins cut biological aging by about four months on average.
Biological aging refers to how old the body is in terms of health and function rather than the number of years a person has lived.
Previous ...Read more
‘A nightmare to think about.’ Driving behavior may be early warning sign of dementia
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- When the red light turned green, Christine Burger found herself unsure what to do next.
Burger, 73, had driven the streets of Delray Beach for many years, and had traveled often through the intersection where she was now stopped. Yet she was unsure which direction to take.
It wasn’t the first time.
“There are ...Read more







