Coping With Loneliness: Tips for Seniors

On the old television show “The Golden Girls,” four, over-60 widows live together, providing each other companionship, friendship and emotional support. Many seniors, however, lack this kind of social network. In fact, loneliness is a serious problem among elderly people. Fortunately, loneliness can be overcome, although doing so takes some initiative. You might find the following strategies and tips helpful.  READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

Senior Journal Guide to Assistance for Senior Citizens and the Elderly

"The most common mail we receive at SeniorJournal.com is from people seeking information on how to care for an aging relative and from seniors trying to solve their own problems. This is a list of helpful information on the Web."

Help in Your Hometown or State

Most of the problems presented to us by readers need to be solved by local experts. These are links to help find help at home.

Local Help - Eldercare Locator by Administration on Aging

Guide to finding local help with eldercare. You enter your state and zip code (where the senior needs help) and General Help from the U.S. Government 

Caregivers' Resources
Help providing care, benefits, long-distance caregiving, legal matters, support for caregivers...

Consumer Protection for Seniors
Consumer fraud, elder rights, advocates for nursing home residents...

Education, Jobs, and Volunteerism for Seniors
Adult education, AARP working options, Senior Corps...

End-of-Life Issues
Advance directives, estate planning, hospice...

Federal and State Agencies for Seniors
Administration on Aging, Social Security Administration, Veterans' Health Administration...

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Benefits and assistance, health and safety, state resources...

Health for Seniors
Disease, health care facilities, medicare, nutrition...

Housing for Seniors
Reverse mortgages, eldercare, nursing home comparison...

Laws and Regulations Concerning Seniors
Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Medicare Modernization Act, Social Security Act...

Medicare Information for Caregivers

Money and Taxes for Seniors
Investing, tax counseling, estate planning...

Retirement
Pension plans, benefits calculator, retirement ages...

Travel and Recreation for Seniors
Amtrak senior discount, older drivers, travel tips...a page opens with your nearest contact agency. - Click

Local Help - State Resources for Assistance (State agencies on aging)

Links provided by Health & Human Services to state and regional assistance with Medicare and Medicaid on the Web - Click

Local Help -Need Help with Medicare? It’s available in your state

BEST SOURCE - Every state has a "State Health Insurance Assistance Program" (SHIP). These programs offer free help to Medicare beneficiaries and their families with their health insurance choices and with problems that might arise. Click Here to Home Page. For assistance in your area, Click Here.

FIND MORE HELP AT THE SENIOR JOURNAL WEBSITE

[VIDEO] Interview with Elderly Couple from Funny Webcam Video

I made an earlier post of this couple's extremely funny video where they were trying to figure out how to use a webcam and they didn't know they were actually recording themselves. Now they are an internet sensation and getting used to their newfound fame. This video is an interview they did to discuss all the excitement over the original funny video.

Alzheimer's disease: 7 things that raise your risk

Think Alzheimer's disease strikes out of the blue? Maybe not. A new study published in The Lancet Neurology shows that healthy living can help prevent Alzheimer's. The study found seven conditions in particular that account for up to half of the 35 million cases of Alzheimer's around the world and in the U.S. What are these behaviors? READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

Overeating may double odds of memory loss in elderly

Can stuffing your mouth clog your brain? A new study suggests overeating may double the risk for memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older.

The study - to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in April - involved over 1,200 dementia-free people between ages 70 and 89. Of those, 163 people had MCI. Participants filled out a questionnaire about the amount of calories they consumed daily.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the intermediate stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more pronounced decline of dementia, according to the Mayo Clinic. It increases a person's risk for developing later dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, but some people with MCI never get worse.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

Pets for the Elderly Foundation

The most serious disease for older persons is not cancer or heart disease - it's loneliness. Pets offer affection, unconditional love, fight loneliness, and can help ease the loss of a loved one. The Pets for the Elderly Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity that pays the fees to participating animal shelters throughout the United States for senior citizens (age 60 and over) who adopt a companion dog or cat — including pre-adoption veterinary exams and spay/neuter, if part of the adoption fee, from one of our 52 participating shelters in 29 states.

VISIT THIS GREAT ORGANIZATION HERE.

101-yr-old Homeless Lady helped by generous donations

This is exactly what I need, too, but the angels are few and far between. I actually CAN afford the monthly payments on the house where I have lived since I was 17 years old and where I was my mother's sole caregiver for 30 years but my Disability income was not enough to pay property taxes so I am also going to be homeless. 


It will kill me. I use life support and there's no place to plug that in when you lay down on a sidewalk to go to sleep at night.


I am crippled with arthritis and heart failure and COPD and diabetes but I'm going to be taking that act to the street when I lose my mother's home.


I know EXACTLY how this lady feels. And I have no one helping me at the moment.


READ THIS OTHER LADY'S STORY. Maybe you can help her.