Alchohol can help to prevent dementia

I'm not a doctor so I don't know if this is true or not, but this article should answer a question for those of us who wonder whether that occasional glass of wine has any effect on cognitive functioning. Click here to read the article.

Dream of retiring at 55 is dead, Conference Board says

There's absolutely no chance that I'll be retiring at 55. Apparently this makes me somewhat typical for a boomer, according to a new report by the Conference Board of Canada. Click here to read an article about this in the Financial Post.

Give your brain a workout to improve memory, speed and attention

I've been having great fun checking out the games and other features on lumosity.com that are designed to improve attention, memory and brain flexibility. The site is clean-looking, easy to use and entertaining and it certainly will help keep your brain (or that of an aging person you know of) active and challenged. Click here to check it out. The picture shown here is from their site.

Mom and Pop culture still rules

This is an interesting article from the National Post about how the boomer generation is a major driving force in today's economy. As an example, they talk about the new movie The King's Speech, which is hugely popular with the boomers. I enjoy stories like this one that portrays boomers (or "zoomers" as this article says) and seniors as active as opposed to frail. I also liked the details about how a particular movie theatre manager has changed some of his operations and schedules to accommodate seniors. Click here to read it.

5 reasons to get married over 50

This article from About.com Senior Living lists and discusses five good reasons to get married when you and your spouse-to-be are over 50. Click here to read it. It also contains several links that you might find interesting.

Health is biggest worry of retiring boomers

This article from the New Brunswick Business Journal discusses the foremost concerns (health vs. money) of Canadians, and talks about the effect this might have on business succession planning. Click here to read the story. I find articles like this very effective for giving some context to individuals who wonder whether their own plans are on track with their peers.

Old Fogey Email Users

This post is from a blogger who calls herself Crabby Old Lady. In it, she talks about a story in which she was criticized for being old-fashioned. One of the old-fashioned habits held against her in the story is that she likes to use email. Enjoy the article by clicking here. Even though I am not Crabby Old Lady, I too like using email and find it immensely useful at work, and I must admit that I am occasionally crabby.

30 ridiculous, fabulous, beyond-crazy gifts for the out-there senior in your life

This is probably the coolest list of gifts I have ever seen, and they are all great ideas for seniors! My favourite is #13. Check out the list here if you have a hard-to-shop-for senior in your life, or really anyone who might want a creative, unique gift. The attached photo (which is not #13 but I like it too) is from the article at Seniorsforliving.com.

I've seen the future - now what was it again?

In this article from the Globe and Mail, Margaret Wente takes a light-hearted look at the fact that memory loss affects all of us as we age. I wish I couldn't vouch for this happening, but I can. Click here to read the article.

Unexpected findings on elderly drivers

This article in the New York Times discusses some of the findings of the recent two-day forum on Safety, Mobility and the Aging Driver. Apparently the findings were surprising to some, and were over all good news for older drivers who don't yet want to hang up their keys. Click here to read the article.

Fighting the aging brain

Here is some straightforward advice for slowing down the aging process as it affects our brains, from a blog called Who Moved My Dentures: Essential Information for Boomers on Healthcare, Aging and Caregiving. Click here to read the article.

An interesting site for seniors

As you know, I love writing. If I didn't enjoy it, there would be no way I could crank out a published book and several articles each year on top of a full-time job practicing law. Now I have a found a website that agrees with my point of view on the benefits and joys of writing.

I'd like to share this site, called boomers-write, with you. It's a place where seniors can write - stories, autobiographies, movie reviews and much more. The site is run by a former journalist and 5-time published author, Martha Jette. She explains that writing sparks creativity, keeps your mind sharp, improves overall health and renews interest in life. That all sounds good to me. Check it out yourself, or perhaps recommend it to a parent. Here is the link to it.

Public health report on active aging has been released

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer has just released a new report on the state of public health, this one entitled Growing Older - Adding Life to Years. It's all about health and active aging. For people working with seniors in almost any way, the report is loaded with tons of interesting statistics. To see or download the report, click here.