Real Sage Advice

My Favorite Blog Articles From the Weekend

Sometimes when I sit down to create a post for this blog I have "blank page syndrome."  I sit and stare at the "Create a new post window" and wonder what else I'd like to say about seniors, aging issues and senior housing. This morning is one of those mornings. I've been out in the bone chilling 30 below cold showing homes all weekend. I believe my brain is suffering from frost-bite. So after sitting here staring at the blank screen for what seems like hours, I turned to the blogs in my blog feeder for inspiration. There are over 100 blogs I read about baby boomers, aging, caretaking, senior housing, real estate, and technology. This morning I found some really good articles that were posted over the weekend. My favorite articles are almost always the ones geared toward the consumer:

• Exposed! How to beat these companies at their own game.-Rhea at The Boomer Chronicles
• The Sharks Have Found Reverse Mortgages-Larry Cragun Real Estate Undressed
• A Lesson in Reading Carefully - Maria The Silver Fox Whispers

Make the Most of your Monday, and stay warm!

The Internet Talks about Aging Issues

Treasury Plans Social Security Debit Card-Wall Street Journal (need subscription)

Resolving to Retire with a Nest Egg-National Public Radio All Things Considered

Florida OKs Medicare supplement plan-Florida Sentinel

Long Term Care Insurance on Rise-Berkshire Eagle

Japan Leader apologizes for Pension Mess-Google News

Unions Say Early Retirement is Main Priority-Switzerland News

Pensioners Saga Zone Rivals Facebook, Bebo-London Daily Telegraph

Aging Makes the Imagination -News@Nature

Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey 2006 - National Center for Health Statistics Report

Preventing Chronic Disease in Older Adults  Centers for Disease Control

Boomers: Reluctant Retirees AARP Prime Time Radio

Senior Articles-Highlights for the week

The Internet is exploding with articles about seniors and aging issues, caregivers and senior housing. The information age can lead to information overload!  I spend a large amount of time each week reading about senior housing. Here's a round up of this week's highlights.

Elderblogger Insights

• Monster Study Reveals Organizations Not Adequately Prepared for Impending Employee "Brain Drain": Aging as Exile
• Happiness Week Day 1: LifeTwo
• Caregiving can shorten your life from four to eight years: Minding our Elders

Senior News Snippets

• Administration on Aging Press Release: HHS announces 8.8 million dollars for nursing home diversion programs
• Metlife Mature Market Institute Report : This is a survey of 2007 home care costs and adult day center costs
• The World's Top Retirement Haven's for 2007: A good argument for retiring abroad.
• The Best Places to Retire: This one is for those of you looking to retire on your own continent.
• Seniors Prefer the Big "O" over "The Donald" : The Reverse Mortgage Blog reviews an annual housing survey of 50+
• Know Levels of Eldercare so You Can Prepare: A quick review of the continuum of care.
• Business Thrives on Graying Market : Commentary on states trying to encourage retirees to consider states other than Florida.

Minnesota Mentions

• Blaine Senior Campus gets a positive review Crestview is planning a 110 senior housing complex with retail and restaurants.
• Senior Housing Gets Look in Wyoming: Ebenezer is looking to expand housing for low income seniors near the Meadows on Fairview Campus
• More Senior Housing Proposed in Burnsville: (registration required) Presbyterian homes is looking to build 170 senior units at 14020 County Road 5
• Housing Polices Can't Burden Seniors with Disabilities: Minneapolis Star and Tribune: A Reader Response to an earlier article about seniors in condominiums
• Retirees Find Housing at Their Alma Matter: Definitely a way to keep the brain active-move back on campus!

Social Security

ABC posted an interesting article about Social Security today. I've never thought about Social Security as a type of insurance before this article.  Our government could sure take a lesson or two about managing risk. When Social Secuirty was founded, the payout was at age 65 at a time when we lived to the average age of 64. Now our average age is much older, and there simply have not been enough adjustments to the payout schedule to make this "insurance policy" work.  No wonder I'm paying into an "insurance policy" that likely won't be around when I retire.

Took time to look around today

and wow, there's a LOT of really interesting reading on the internet. The information on senior housing and aging issues is growing by the day. This is both good and bad, I suppose. Good because there is still too much ageism and too many elders without the resources they need. Bad because as information on the internet grows, the amount of bad information will grow just as quickly (if not quicker) as the good information.

Here were some of my finds today:

AARP sold out by George Phenix-George calls himself a Geezer blogger. I hope I'll be a Geezer blogger if I grow up!

Senator Klobuchar walking her talk by Carol Bradley. I've been a fan of Carol's for a long time, she doesn't have to write about Minnesota Elder Care issues to keep my attention!

5 stages of Dealing with Grief: What to Expect at the Gilbert Guide. This is particularly poignant for my Minneapolis neighbors as we try to shake the fog of the I35W bridge collapse. Even though the media coverage will wain, we have some rebuilding to do...and not just bridges.

MaryLou at Life After Nexcom posted this cute cartoon.

Phyllis Diller--Happy 90th Birthday! from Joared at Along the Way

A thank you to the authors, geezer bloggers, Elderbloggers, baby boomers and senior professionals who enrich the online experience through news, debate, witt and wisdom.

A Senior's Fear about Housing

One of my fellow bloggers has posted about her fears about housing, about moving, and about NOT moving. Where is housing headed, and will there be something available for me if I need to move?

Read her blog AAARGH here

Do you know of anyone struggling with these issues?