|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What's New? February 20, 2012 |
|
Pension | Health | Elder Rights | Aging Watch Why
Social
Security
Is
A
Better Investment Than The Stock Market
Reveals The Current Absolute Wealth
Newsletter (February 11, 2012)
The current Absolute Wealth Newsletter reveals that US Social Security is actually a great investment compared to the stock market and personal retirement plans, once inflation is taken into account. In fact, did you know that Social Security has outperformed the stock market by approximately 5 percent per year over the last decade? WORLD
France: Retirement/60 Years: French No Longer Believe (February 15, 2012) (Article in French) A survey showed that 55% of French people no longer believe that the retirement age will be returned to 60 years old. Some 58% think that it will soon be pushed to 65 years. Only 11% still trust that if the Left wins the 2012 presidential election of 2012, it will keep its campaign promises about it. Over 63% expect a decrease in the amount of future pensions. and only 23%. People with the highest incomes are the most worried, with 78% of executives fearing for their future income. Sweden: News Analysis: Pension Age Controversy Heats Up Again in Nordic Region (February 10, 2012) Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, has advanced the idea that Swedes should work until they are 75 years old. He was part of a panel addressing how citizens could be persuaded to work longer. Prime ministers of the Nordic and Baltic countries as well as Britain’s David Cameron attended the meeting. Reinfeldt thinks that the labor market should make it possible for people to switch careers even at age 60. $1M
Donation for AIDS Research Highlights Steve
Chase Humanitarian Awards (February 12, 2012)
WORLD (Article in Arabic)
A medical study warns older people who eat excessively that they have a higher chance to become obese and develop serious chronic diseases significantly affect the efficiency of their memory. (Article in Arabic) France: End of
life: France Still Neglects its Dying
(February 15, 2012) A new TV
program features a consultant on good
nutrition for elders: It treats the impact
of nutrition on older people’s
health and the side effects of vitamins.
The consultant also takes questions from
viewers.
Elizabeth
Wanjiku lives alone in a slum, bed-ridden,
without food and care, and under a leaking roof.
She is not unique among the elders in Kenya.
Although the government set up a Social
Protection Cash Transfer Fund for the elderly in
2009, people like Wanjiku have not benefitted.
The Director of Amnesty International in Kenya
comments that these older persons do not know
where to go for help and so the government
simply does not exist for them to find help.
Advertisers often play on our insecurities about aging, sexuality and desirability. A new study finds that the absence of older women in magazines affects the self-esteem and physical health of post-50 women. Shouldn’t the media change how it engages with older populations? World: Researchers Show Positive Correlation Between Music and Elderly Health (February 8, 2012) (Article in Russian) Music education improves human brain activity, preventing it from aging as fast as a brain not exposed to music. Scientists say that music has a positive effect on the memory of the elderly and helps people to distinguish sounds in noisy environments, the two major complaints of many seniors. NAHB: Growing Market for Aging-in-Place Remodeling (February 9, 2012) At the annual National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) conference, certified aging-in-place specialists and AARP representatives discussed the evolution of the aging-in-place market. Some 90% of people aged 50 and above want to remain in their homes for as long as possible, driving demand for aging-in-place remodeling. Can Boomer Women Afford to Retire? (February 8, 2012) The majority of boomer women will earn their own Social Security and will receive higher benefits than previous generations of women. Additionally, more women will have their own retirement accounts. Researchers also found that women are delaying retirement. However, the fact that women earn less than men has serious effects because their Social Security and pension payouts will be reduced. Another factor not considered is that women take time off to raise a family or care for an aging relative. Compared to men, women fall behind in saving for retirement. The question remains: Can boomer women afford to retire? Fair Pay for Home Health Aides (February 8, 2012) Home care workers are one indispensable component for elders to age in place. For close to 40 years, however, home health aides and other domestic workers have been left out of the Federal Fair Labor Standard Act that dictates minimum wages and overtime pay for most other American workers. The campaign to win federal protection for these workers has both gained and lost momentum. Will higher wages mean lower accessibility for those who cannot afford home care?
(Article in Arabic)
The absence of social justice underlies the recent Egyptian revolution. To address this matter, the new parliament is going to prepare a “freedom and justice” package of laws and legislation to reform the economic system to achieve social justice. (Article in Arabic) The Qatar Foundation celebrates a Sports Day highlighting athletic events with distinctive activities about different aspects of health and sports for older persons in Qatar. (Article in Arabic) Revealing all the sorrows of a mother for her son who threw her out, left her for the sake of his wife, and who refused to live with her, an older woman writes a poem with crying words for her son who has abandoned her for almost three years. China: Surveying Issue of Elder Care: Those Born in 80’s Feel Sorry for Parents (February 13, 2012) (Article in Chinese) Interviewers describe attitudes towards elder care: those born in the 60’s are caring for aging parents and worrying about their own retirement. They feel that they can only rely on themselves, partly because theirs are all single-child families. Those born in the 70’s are stressed out at work and taking time off for elder care is a luxury. Due to the high cost of living, many born in the 80’s have borrowed their parents’ retirement funds to finance their own houses, resulting in feeling sorry for their parents and worrying about how they will provide care for them. China: Aging-at-Home Shows Initial Success; Faces Problems of Insufficient Funding and Lack of Facilities (February 13, 2012) (Article in Chinese) More than 90 percent of older people are unwilling to move to nursing homes. Local governments provide services such as emergency telephones and service vouchers to help them stay in their homes. Some neighborhoods cater specifically to the elderly, facilitating social interactions and access to services. The national government aims to cover 100 percent of urban and 50 percent of rural areas by 2015 with community aging services. Experts think that such aging models will be the main method China will use to deal with population aging. China: Elderly Living Alone Susceptible to Fraud; Experts Urge Intensification of Investigative Efforts (February 13, 2012) (Article in Chinese) Elderly people living alone are susceptible to fraud as they often are unaware of new fraud methods, have retirement savings, do not have people with whom to interact, and want the best for their health and children. Police face obstacles such as difficulty in verifying crimes against the elderly (for example, in the case of health supplements). Experts urge that more resources be invested in interagency efforts to deal with the problem, including better investigation and public outreach. China: Disabled Elderly Face Difficulties as Children Move Out (February 13, 2012) (Article in Chinese) As parents of the single-child generation grow older, families find it harder to care for the elderly, especially those who are disabled. In 2010, 6.4 percent of the elderly who live at home, or 10.8 million, were totally disabled. Due to weak social support networks, care-giving responsibilities fall mainly on children and spouses. Elder care facilities reject taking in the disabled to avoid greater manpower needs and greater risks. Caregivers and experts call for the government to take responsibility for caring for the disabled elderly, including regulating the elder care industry. Australia: Call to Help Women Caring for Parents (February 11, 2012) According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics employment survey, 30 percent of employed women looking after a frail or elderly person say they rarely or never feel their work and family responsibilities are in balance. These findings point to a need for the government to recognize the difficulty of workers trying to maintain a job and care for their parent. Sociologist Barbara Pocock believes the Fair Work Act should be changed to allow these employees to request flexible working arrangements. China: Commentary: 525m “Consumption As Retirement Plan”: A Pioneer in Online Shopping (February 10, 2012) (Article in Chinese) In 2010, 12.8 percent of China’s population was above 60 years. In China, there is no comprehensive policy that helps finance retirement, leading to disparities between preparedness of different segments of the population. Consumption As Retirement is an innovative new business model that takes consumer spending as capital and sends interest payments to consumers after they have made purchases from the online store. This creates a supplement to the usual means of financing retirement: basic insurance, wages, and savings. UK: Tackling Financial Exploitation of Elderly People (February 8, 2012) Researchers at the UK Research Councils’ New Dynamics of Ageing Program wanted to find out how professionals who deal with the older persons make decisions relating to possible financial exploitation. By analyzing how these decisions are made, it allows a better understanding of the most crucial indicators of economic abuse and the best way to approach this problem. The findings could be useful as future training tools. Russia: In Nizhny Novgorod Region, Elderly Run Amateur Puppet Theater (February 8, 2012) (Article in Russian) Elders run a local amateur puppet theater in the Nizhny Novgorod region and offer their audience a unique look at classic fairy tales. Started as a hobby, for most seniors it was initially something to occupy their time. However, very quickly this hobby turned into a second profession. Now seats are booked a month in advance and the production has become a local hit. The only problem is the lack of grandpas for the male roles. On the other hand, a local grandma played the role of a weak-willed, tormented old man and the show went on. Russia: In Kaliningrad, Migrant Workers Beat and Rob 92-Year Old Veteran (February 2, 2012) (Article in Russian) In Kaliningrad, a WWII veteran was robbed and beaten. Two migrant workers entered the home of 92-year-old veteran Nikolai Melnikov when he was sleeping, threatened him with an air rifle and demanded that he give them money, war rewards and memorabilia. They beat the veteran, took all his valuables, and left. One suspect has already been detained. Video: Morocco: Older Man was Thrown out of Khnifra Hospital (January 16, 2012) (Article in Arabic) Moroccan citizens watched in shock as an old man was thrown out of a Hospital. A patient for three years in Khnifra Hospital, and without any notice, the man found himself in a street without any medical care or a home to take him in. US An ‘Age
Valley’ Confronts the Great Plains
(February 10, 2012)
The 2010 Census reveals that elderly residents over the age of 65 are more likely to live in rural areas than are younger adults. As rural areas in the Plains and Midwest need resources for the very young and elderly citizens, their population has been shrinking towards expanding metropolitan areas. Emphasis on access to public transportation, health care, retirement security and stability of programs tied to senior populations will be critical for rural aging populations. How will these rural counties provide the services necessary for communities to survive? Report: EU: European Commission Active Ageing Report (January 2012) What do we understand about being old? Can we comprehend the consequences today that will be prevalent at least 15 years from now? This report produced for the Active Aging Year of the EU reflects some of the perceptions that young and older Europeans have on aging and “being old.” For example, the majority of Europeans (71 percent) are aware of the fact that the population is getting older, but this is a concern for only 42 percent of them. A bigger discrepancy exists about the age that people consider “old.” In more developed European countries such as the Netherlands, people consider a person old if they are 70 years or older; whereas in Slovakia you’re regarded “old” once you hit 57 years. Policies should be adapted to the social, cultural and economic circumstances in which people age in different countries. |
