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Britains Daily Telegraph reported yesterday on a remarkable California study of the impact of Etanercept, a drug currently used for Arthritis, on Alzheimers patients. The results appear to be staggering. While initial test numbers are small the results are huge. Get this quote: “and in some cases can restore sufferers’ memories within minutes”. Got your attention? Rather than report on the report I decided to just link to the Daily Telegraph article. It’s time to get excited…GO HERE.
We all know there are problems looming in both programs so yesterday’s annual press release, or announcement, concerning future shortfalls should come as no surprise. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson basically stated that Social Security will only be able to pay 78% of benefits by the year 2041. Medicare comes sooner with a payout of 78% by 2019, 11 years from now. This makes me wonder how on earth the government can afford a National Health Program as proposed by the Democratic Presidential hopefuls. The more imminent problem with Medicare has been created by runaway health care costs that we all know about. There are some interesting numbers put out by Paulson; Medicare payroll taxes will have to increase by 3.54% to maintain the current Medicare system for the next 75 years. The payroll tax will have to increase by 1.7% to maintain the current level of Social Security benefits for the next 75 years, or reduce benefits by 12%. Combined that is a 5.24% increase in taxes or a 5.24% pay cut, depending on your point of view. That is political suicide so it isn’t going to happen. With the current inflation rate running at 2-3%, meaning Social Security increases going up by that amount each year, we would need to work 4-6 years longer to offset that 12% decrease in pension benefits. Thats not going to happen either. The numbers will get worse as each year goes by and Washington does nothing. Ultimately they will act and probably go for some tax increase and some benefit reduction. I’m guessing they will stagger the benefit reduction so that current retirees are grandfathered into the current payment scheme and the youngest workers will get the maximum benefit cut. The logic will be ‘younger people have more time to plan for the changes’. The income tax increase will be shared by all, but the exact percentages will be determined by who has the power in Washington. In my opinion Democrats will tax people higher up the food chain and Republicans will lean towards benefit cuts. You can pick your poison but it is clear this year’s Presidential election is extremely important to anyone who cares about these issues.
I found a web site called Topretirement.com that is new to me. This is a site dedicated to those looking to retire in a different location and, in particular, searching for a retirement community. Here you will find retirement communities of various kinds around the country, plus Costa Rica. Community reviews are available, including tips on how to look for a community. They have a free e-book titled “Baby boomers guide to selecting a retirement community”. You can also sign up for a free weekly newsletter. They have a forum where you can interact with other members, pretty much the way you can at AARP. The difference is this site is designed for those heading towards retirement. Retirement communities are able to register on the site and submit their information, which is how the site makes money. Still, this is a good idea and will, over time, provide a substantial benefit to those of us looking to switch gears and move into a community. It’s not for me right now but maybe in the future. Interesting and useful site. P.S. This is not a paid review. I have no connection with the site or people running it.
As the oldest baby boomers approach retirement I see many different approaches, or attitudes, towards retirement, debt, social security etc. Some people will retire as soon as possible while others will never retire. For some it’s about grabbing a paycheck from Uncle Sam while carrying on working. Some will travel the world with their new found freedom and some will move in with their kids. Like any generation, the boomers are a mixed bunch with different attitudes. There are a couple of things which set us apart. First is the shear number of us and second are the savings opportunities we have all had access to for decades. Research shows that a majority did not take advantage of that access but for those that did, world travel is a possibility. Those that didn’t take advantage of it may move in with their kids. The difference is going to be those that looked ahead, planned and saved will end up having freedom to choose. Freedom to be where they wish, whenever they wish, doing whatever they choose to do. Freedom comes from looking ahead and making a plan work. This freedom has two edges to it. There is your freedom but there is also the freedom your kids enjoy by not having to look after you because you couldn’t do it yourself. Not planning ahead, not planning for your own freedom will ultimately take freedoms away from our children. They have enough to worry about; they don’t need us on their backs.
Discovery News recently reported on an Australian research study suggesting that blogging is good for our health, at least mental well being. It seems we have a need to be connected to other people, less isolated etc. I don’t find the needs surprising but I do find it surprising that people can really attend to those needs through blogging. Isn’t it better to have relationships in person rather than in cyberspace? I can see a benefit for people that are extremely shy or are physically isolated, but I can’t believe the computer is replacing the old fashioned way. I do think it would be a great way for older folks to get in tune with technology and be in touch with other older folks around the world. As one gets older we get less active and may in the end be tied to the house. AARP is progressing towards community interaction on it’s new website, which will offer a ready-made approach to blogging, like MySpace, but where older folks would congregate. That makes sense, but replacing face to face relationships? No way! Of course, some people will replace real relationships with those in cyber space, ultimately creating an unreal, unhealthy way of life.
I was curiously ‘Googleing’ Cryogenics today and came across the Wikipedia definition, which refers to the study of very cold temperatures. The actual term I was curious about is Cryonics; the freezing of people so that one day in the far off future they might be ‘awakened’ and the future state of medicine can cure whatever ails them at the time of their death. I was wondering if people were actually doing this. It turns out there is a company called “The Cryonics Institute’ based in Michigan. Their website has some interesting stats which I quote: Members – 718 Funded members with Suspended Animation Contracts – 47 Human Patients in Cryostasis – 86 Pets in Cryostasis – 52 So people are actually doing this and I was bowled over by the pet numbers. This is pretty expensive but I guess some people have nothing to lose. Whether it works or not is anyone’s guess. I think if anyone had been brought back from the dead we would have heard about it. To me this is a real long shot but clearly some folks have paid big bucks to ‘give it a try’.
It’s a standing joke in our house that if I’m going to the store for more than one item I make a list. Yes, two is a list. Even for a single item my wife isn’t always sure I’ll come back with the one item I went out for. I’m exaggerating a little, but not much. What is really strange is my wife will sometimes ask about someone from twenty years ago and I’ll immediately recall their name. What is going on? I don’t seem to have a problem learning new things or teaching others those things I have learned. It’s the small, seemingly unimportant things, like shopping lists. How does one tell if it’s important or just aging? Aging is not something we have prior experience of so any and all changes are discoveries. I’m not trying to dwell on this but it does peak my curiosity. (At least that’s normal). I found on Wikipedia a precursor term “Mild Cognitive Impairment” or MCI for short. MCI is considered a boundary condition between normal aging and something more serious. MCI is considered a precursor to more serious issues like Alzheimers Disease. So I setout to find information about MCI but it seems to be in the same arena of vagueness as full blown Alzheimers. In fact the same tests can be run as doctors might for Alzheimers. The difference between the two is severity, which makes sense if it’s a precursor. The University of California, San Francisco has a website with latest information. Go here if you want to look through it. Clearly there isn’t a good, easily available test, anymore than there is for Alzheimers. I suspect that family and friends will know long before a doctor will, although I have no real grounds for saying that. Hold on, I’m going to ask my wife about my cognitive abilities……… What’s her name?
Personal health records are now center stage in the ongoing battle between Microsoft and Google. A few months ago Microsoft announced their ‘health vault’ product, which is currently in Beta testing and can be seen here. I test drove their product and posted about it earlier. Today I saw news that Google is coming out with their version called ‘Google Health’. The program is currently under test at a Cleveland hospital and you can read a little about it at this blog site. I don’t know how others feel but I’m not ready to leave my health records with what is basically an advertising company. Somehow that just doesn’t seem to fit. I understand WebMD also has a program which seems to make more sense. I think Google has an uphill struggle here to make anyone want to use their system. I can’t help wondering why a Cleveland hospital is getting into this unless Google is paying them to. It will be years before programs like this will be trusted. Doesn’t it seem more likely that a large healthcare player will move into this space? A company that already keeps some of our records, with a level of trust already built in, is much more likely to succeed than either Microsoft or Google. A company that already has infrastructure and healthcare connections will probably wipe them both out. This is not a technology issue and these are technology/advertising companies. It’s not for me.
How many times have you said, “I used to hate that when I was younger but I find it very interesting now”? For me that would apply to history, literature, museums, art, classical music etc etc. I guess maturity causes this in some way but why does it take so long for the finer points in life to become important? Here are some great websites for those interested in learning: I stumbled on a site called “The Best Artists” administered by “100swallows”. I hadn’t meant to stay at the site but once I started to read the posts on various artists and their art I quickly came to realize how well written the posts are and how knowledgeable 100swallows is. Many posts tell a story and I can guarantee you will say “I didn’t know that”, over and over. Check it out here. If you want to know about Greek Mythology, the Olympian Gods etc then the go-to site is Theoi Greek Mythology. This site is beautifully put together and enticing one to read more. Go here. If you are interested in blog sites related to Museums and Exhibitions I found a bunch of them at MuseumBlogs.org. Go here. If you are interested in Museum art replicas then go to AncientArtReplicas.com. Go here. These are just a few. I will probably post in the future about others I like.
Discover just reported that I could see Pythons moving into my backyard in the future. Yes, you too. It seems that global warming is enabling wild life to move north. This study shows that the Python is already on the move and slowly spreading northwards. Today it can be found thriving in the Florida Everglades, thanks to someone releasing an unwanted pet. It appears to be flourishing none the less and is projected to move as far north as Southern Illinois, Indiana etc. Now that I don’t like. There are all sorts of nasty things living in Florida that I don’t want in my back yard. Global warming sounds nice but it brings with it certain downsides. Fortunately this migration will take a quite a few decades and I won’t be around to see it but it does make me wonder what unforseeable changes will occur in the future. I had thought about moving South to retire but it seems the South is moving to me instead. Maybe I should move North. |
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