For 15 years, Wendy Perry, 64, juggled her job as IT manager for a private K-12 school in San Juan Capistrano, California, while also caring for her mother, who passed away last year at age 101. Without a break, Perry is now stepping into her second tour of duty as a caregiver, this time for her mother-in-law.
"Over the last two decades, studies about caregiver support in the workplace have identified benefits that can be used for older parents and other dependents. But many of these studies did not consider the needs of hourly workers,"Perry is not alone. She is one of 23 million people caring for older loved ones while also working full or part-time. That is about one in every six employees, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving, a nonprofit coalition that advocates for workplace policies and practices that make life easier for unpaid caregivers.
While some employers offer in-office, remote or hybrid work options, reports show 59% of the entire labor force — approximately 90 million workers — are hourly workers who lack such options. Women and people of color comprise most of the workers without flexible schedules, and several reports found they were the largest groups leaving the workplace during the pandemic due to caregiving responsibilities at home.
Convening an Innovation Lab
The challenges for hourly employees who are also caregiving was the focus of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving's (RCI) inaugural Innovation Lab, which focused on improving job flexibility at five small- to mid-sized employers in southeast Michigan. Outcomes and lessons learned have been published in a companion report, "Working While Caring." 
The Innovation Lab brought together small and mid-sized employers from for-profit and nonprofit sectors in southeast Michigan, each of which had many hourly workers in jobs requiring them to be on-site. The goal of the Innovation Lab was to collaborate on caregiving issues in the workforce and outline a plan of innovative solutions.
"If offering a senior care benefit helps just five employees who are caregiving stay on the job, it will save the company $200,000 related to the costs of replacing that employee."
Over the last two decades, studies about caregiver support in the workplace have identified benefits such as: paid family leave, flex time, support groups, remote work and health savings accounts that can be used for older parents and other dependents. But many of these studies did not consider the needs of hourly workers, such as helping to connect to local resources, that vary widely among urban, suburban and rural communities.
RCI  convened its Innovation Lab to consider solutions to these policy gaps. For instance, Employee Assistance Programs — services that offer employees professional help with personal problems — traditionally focused on behavioral programs (such as smoking cessation and weight management). They have provided little more than access to service representatives who can describe caregiving benefits and support services.
The Innovation Lab wants to go further, recommending specialized caregiving concierge services that include family care counseling, communication skills training and psychosocial cognitive behavioral therapy for caregivers. It also says companies need to focus on more employee education on how to manage caregiver stress, costs of care and how to navigate Medicare and Medicaid.
The Innovation Lab wants employers to ensure managers and supervisors are trained on the caregiving benefits their company offers and on communication skills to explain the benefits to employees. Most importantly, hourly workers should have access to a personalized assessment and care plan, especially for people with loved ones with dementia or mental illness.
More Laboratories Planned
The Rosalynn Carter Institute, which is based in Americus, Georgia, hopes to launch additional Innovation Labs in Atlanta and other cities.
"What is exciting about our first Innovation Lab is we are going to move the needle and not just check the box on what employers can do to help caregivers in the workplace," said Jennifer Olsen, CEO of RCI. "Over the next couple of years, the Michigan Innovation Lab will engage a Care Navigator service to help employees manage the costs, resources and programs available to help them balance work and caregiving."
Creating a care culture was the core aim of one of the Innovation Lab participants, the Michigan chapter of Volunteers of America, which provides affordable housing for low socioeconomic individuals, supports veterans with housing and other programs and runs retail thrift stores to raise funds for the programs.
"The first step was eliminating the stigma of not being able to talk about caregiving at work," said Aubrey Macfarlane, president and CEO of VOA, Michigan, who recently moved to Michigan to be closer to her older parents. "We erased all preconceived ideas of what would help our employees then we listened to them and took a bottoms-up and top-down approach so we could determine where to invest our support."
Benefits and the Bottom Line
The RCI report comes at a time when employers are realizing there is no-one-size-fits-all when it comes to benefits for caregiving employees but also that retaining these employees is crucial to the corporate bottom line. U.S. businesses lose an estimated $44 billion annually on recruiting, retaining and realizing employee productivity loss for those caring for older loved ones. In addition, the Urban Institute found individual caregivers who take a leave of absence from work can lose lifetime earnings on average of $237,000 in wages and other benefits such as Social Security and Medicare credits as well as health care coverage.
A recent Harvard Business School report conducted among employers that use Wellthy, a service that provides employees with personalized support to cope with logistical and administrative tasks of caregiving, found that companies offering caregiving support are likely to see a reduction in turnover of five to six percentage points.
"The first step was eliminating the stigma of not being able to talk about caregiving at work."
"Reducing employee turnover rates by just 1.7% is where a caregiving benefit like Wellthy starts to pay for itself," said Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, founder and CEO of Wellthy. "If offering a senior care benefit helps just five employees who are caregiving stay on the job, it will save the company $200,000 related to the costs of replacing that employee as well as win the loyalty of the caregiving employees."
An Ernst & Young survey found U.S. workplaces have four generations who are caregiving — including 42% of boomers, 48% of GenXers and 53% of millennials — while a Harvard report found 73% of U.S. workers are caregiving for a child, spouse, older parent or other loved one. Twenty-three percent of the workforce that is caregiving are caring for both older parents and younger children known as the "Sandwich Generation." 
The number of employees who are caregivers will only grow as the peak-65 group — the youngest boomers representing 4.1 million Americans who are poised to turn 65 this year and every year through 2027 — will join the fast-growing populations of 70-, 80-, 90- and 100-year-olds.
Workplace demographics are not the only thing employers can no longer afford to ignore. A study found the U.S. will lose about $290 billion a year in GDP in 2030 and beyond — more than the annual revenue of Alphabet (parent company to Google, YouTube, Nest), the second-biggest U.S. technology company — if it fails to address the care economy's two biggest issues: the workplace shortage of professional home care workers and the workplace departure of employees who are family caregivers.
Caregivers Needed
This was the dilemma for Karen Yingling, who was recently honored by Carewell as "Caregiver of the Year." Yingling, a millennial living in Duncansville, Pennsylvania, was a fulltime home health worker who was raising five children while also caring for a father with lung cancer and a mother with dementia.
"I was in a situation where caregiving was 24/7 for me — professionally with my home health clients and then with my parents and children when I got home," said Yingling. "After I lost my dad, I knew my only option was to leave my job, even though my clients were like family, to care full-time for my mom as her dementia progressed."
Senior Care Is a Key Benefit Today
A recent 2024 Care.com workplace benefits survey among 620 U.S.-based HR and business leaders, as well as 1,000 benefits-eligible employees, showed senior care support was a leading benefit request from employees. In the company's 2023 survey, the desire for senior care benefits outpaced childcare for the first time since the survey began in 2020.
"Our survey also found one in five employees have left a job because their employer didn't provide family care benefits."
That aligns with U.S. Census Bureau statistics showing that by 2034, for the first time in U.S. history, we will have more parents to care for than children. A recent workplace equity trends report says caregivers are the fastest growing employee group with many companies hosting internal employee resource group (ERG) focused on caregiving — whether for a child or for an older parent.
"Last year we had 43% of employers who prioritized senior care benefits, in this year's survey it increased to 50%," according to Ajith Segaram, head of global account management for Care.com's Care for Business division which provides a suite of caregiving services to employers including Best Buy, P&G and Trip Advisor.
Most Companies Don't Look
"Our survey also found one in five employees have left a job because their employer didn't provide family care benefits and 21% would leave one employer for another if they had access to senior care support."
One of Wellthy's clients, Hilton, who globally employs more than 168,000 "team members," many of them hourly and shift workers, was recently honored as No. 1 on the 2023 list of World's Best Workplaces. What contributed to Hilton's top ranking was its Care for All caregiving initiative that includes tools and resources to support the mental wellness and caregiving needs of team members launched in 2022.
Yet, despite the awareness, the need and the companies and organizations driving innovation, only 12% of employers currently track their caregiving employees' needs versus benefits and the 2019 Harvard study found more than half of companies do not track their organization's caregiving demographics nor conduct a yearly caregiving audit. In addition, a 2021 survey found almost half of caregivers said their workplace supervisors are not aware of their caregiving responsibilities outside of work.
Helping Employees in Need
Olsen shares that the RCI Innovationl Lab seeks to become a best practices case study to show how one group of employers, located in the same geographic region of the U.S. and sharing similar labor supply and ecosystem challenges, can make significant differences in the lives of employees who are caregiving.
She also feels another benefit of the Innovation Lab's collaborative efforts was a discussion about changing the language in the workplace so that employees see themselves at every phase along the caregiving journey, whether it is child care, spousal care, special needs care or elder care.
"We need to help caregivers struggling with caring for a loved one while maintaining their role at work," added Olsen. "We believe the Innovation Lab will help by giving us a roadmap to help caregivers and employers."


Workplace Caregiving: One Size Does Not Fit All

Sherri Snelling

The budget bill Congress recently passed and President Obama signed will wipe out billions in potential future Social Security benefits for millions of members of the baby boom generation. And if you had counted on using certain strategies to increase how much you’ll get from Social Security, you may need to rethink that — soon.
Many financial advisers are now scrambling to rethink their clients’ retirement plans, according to InvestmentNews.
Goodbye to 'File and Suspend'
One of the strategies that will disappear next year (known as “file and suspend”) has meant an extra $10,000 to $60,000 in Social Security benefits for some married couples age 66 to 70, according to Michael Kitces, a financial planner and director of planning research at Pinnacle Advisory Group in Columbia, Md.
Two other strategies that’ll end: filing a restricted claim of spousal benefits and the ability to collect a lump sum from Social Security between age 66 and 70 if you chose not to claim benefits and then change your mind.
After these changes take effect in six months, no one turning 62 in 2016 or later will be able to take advantage of these claiming strategies.
Here’s how the Social Security claiming rules will change and also how Congress just reduced 2016’s scheduled 52 percent Medicare premium increase for certain beneficiaries:
How File and Suspend Works
Under current law, at age 66, you can collect full Social Security benefits or you can instead "file and suspend," which means you sign up for benefits but don't actually take them. Rather, your unclaimed benefits will grow at the rate of 8 percent a year (through what are called “delayed retirement credits”) and you can do this until you hit age 70. Meantime, your spouse can immediately begin collecting half of your check starting at age 66. (Divorced people can use the strategy if they were married for 10 years and are now single.)
But this file and suspend claiming technique won’t be allowed starting in six months.
Here’s an example of how file and suspend works today:
John is entitled to $2,000 a month from Social Security at 66 and files and suspends. His wife, Joan, also 66, did not have enough years of earnings to get her own Social Security benefit, so she takes the spousal benefit, equal to 50 percent of John's when he files and suspends. Joan collects $1,000 a month until 70, giving her a total of $48,000 over the four years. At 70, John begins collecting his benefit of $2,640 a month. The strategy gives Joan and John a combined Social Security income of $3,640 a month when they are 70; it will be worth more in the future because annual cost-of-living increases will compound over the years.
About 100,000 couples now file and suspend and the number had been expected to double over the next decade, according to the Social Security Administration.
The “restricted application” strategy allowed one spouse to file just for spousal benefits at Full Retirement Age and then let his or her own retirement benefit continue growing. Jim Blankenship, author of A Social Security Owner’s Manual, told MarketWatch that divorced people “will be the big losers” due to this change.
Social Security Advice for Couples
Kitces’ advice for couples and ex-spouses who are 66 or older now or who’ll be 66 in the first half of 2016 before the new rules kick in: Take a close look at your potential benefits and decide whether it makes sense to file and suspend approach. (You can read more from Kitces on the subject at his Nerd’s Eye View blog.)
David Leland, a managing director of Merrill Lynch in Beverly, Mass., says: don’t panic. “I see no incentive to have people rush [to file and suspend],” Leland says.
Just bear in mind that, in the future, spouses will have this choice of benefits when applying for Social Security: they can get the larger of either their own benefit or the spousal benefit. Any benefit they choose, they “are stuck with,” said Leland.
The reforms in this bill are projected to save Social Security $168 billion over 75 years, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) The Obama administration originally called for the end of file and suspend in its 2014 budget, saying it gave upper-income retirees a chance to game the system.
Who Will Be Hurt by The New Law
But this view is disputed. “Many wealthy couples utilize the file and suspend strategy and it’s understandable that there are those who would like to see [the end of it] in the context of a budget bill,” said Shirley Whitenack, president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. “File and suspend strategies, however, also are used by lower-middle-class families with disabled children. It is unfortunate that parents of children with special needs have to engage in creative planning techniques to support their families.”
Women with low- and moderate incomes also are important beneficiaries of the strategy, said one member of the advocacy community (she declined to be identified publicly since other groups active on Social Security issues, such as AARP, have been vocal supporters of the bill). “It’s sad to see women being thrown under the bus,” she said, speaking about the impending law change.
“We fully support the Social Security provisions of this agreement,” said Christina Martin-Firvida, AARP’s director of financial security and consumer affairs. AARP endorses the bill partly because the law will also help keep afloat the Social Security disability benefits trust fund. Otherwise, disability checks could have been cut by 20 percent in December 2016.
“This bill ensures that disabled workers and their families continue to receive all of their Social Security benefits for the next seven years without cutting any benefits for anyone receiving retirement benefits today,” Martin-Firvida said.
The End to the Lump Sum From Social Security
Web Phillips, a senior policy analyst with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), says the end of the lump sum Social Security benefit for people with a major life change between age 66 and 70 is another “good deal that goes away” next year.
For example, under current law, someone who finds out he has a terminal illness at 68 can collect a lump sum Social Security check for the benefits he suspended during the past two years. Under the new law, this won’t be allowed; he could begin getting retirement checks immediately, but he won’t get a check for back payments.
“We have to focus on the big picture, because all of these components are part of a larger deal on the budget,” said Dan Adcock, director of policy and government relations at the NCPSSM.
What Will Happen to Medicare Premiums
The budget deal also averts that big jump in Medicare Part B premiums (which cover doctor bills) that Next Avenue wrote about recently.
The Part B payment for all those who’ll turn 65 next year and join the program, as well as some upper-income people (incomes over $85,000 or $170,000 for married couples filing jointly) and poor people whose premiums are paid by state governments, would have risen to $159 a month. Instead, it will be increase 15 percent to $123 a month ($120 plus a $3 surcharge); the planned 52 percent increase will be averted by using money borrowed from the government’s general revenues. Higher-income beneficiaries will likely owe premiums of $168 to $384 plus the surcharge, according to USA Today.
Similar, the annual Part B deductible — the amount in doctor bills you have to pay each year before full coverage begins — will increase to $167, from $147 this year. This will avoid the planned deductible boost to $223.
For most Medicare beneficiaries, the Part B premium in 2016 will be unchanged, at $104.90 a month, and the deductible will stay at $147.


You May Have Just Lost a Way to Max Social Security Benefits

Bob Rosenblatt

When business owner Mark Horst (not his real name) of Pompton Plains, New Jersey, first found out his wife of 37 years was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, he didn't know what the journey would entail.
"Of all caregivers in the United States, 16 million, or 40%, are men. Of these men, 63% identified as primary caregivers."All he knew was he would remain by her side and become her primary caregiver. But his journey of caregiving is one he'd never imagine. A man of faith, Horst, 61, states that he couldn't do it without God's help because having Alzheimer's is "absolutely heartbreaking."
In our society, women are seen as primary caregivers when a loved one is ill and male caregivers are often overlooked.
For a caregiver, situations are often emotional and stressful. In Horst's case, he learned that caring for someone with dementia is complex and requires empathy, patience and kindness. He also knew he'd need help.
Rajiv Ahuja, an associate director at the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, says this type of caregiving help can include providing financial assistance, emotional support and helping with daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning and transportation. 
The Levels of Sacrifice
"This can also involve making difficult choices, such as sacrificing personal time and resources, balancing caregiving responsibilities with work and other obligations, and even providing end-of-life care," said Ahuja.
In our society, women are seen as primary caregivers when a loved one is ill and male caregivers are often overlooked; Horst is not alone.
Of all caregivers in the United States, 16 million, or 40%, are men. Of these men, 63% identified as primary caregivers. The United Nations Agenda 2030 recognizes unpaid domestic caregiving in the home as the most significant barrier to gender equality. However, more research must be conducted to understand the social process through which men engage in caregiving. 
A new study revealed the motivations for fathers to engage in unpaid domestic caregiving in the home, which include dedication to their loved ones. According to the survey, gender equality begins with accepting men as proficient, competent and primary caregivers. 
Past studies indicate that father and male involvement can improve family outcomes, so engaging this demographic and focusing on the family unit is vital. There are also social inequalities that prevent fathers from being able to take on caregiving responsibilities in the home.  
Younger Caregivers 
Just as nations have paid maternity and paternity leave, companies play a role in empowering all employees to put family first. Caregiving can also be influenced by factors such as language barriers, acculturation and generational differences. 
For example, younger generations may have different attitudes toward caregiving and may face unique challenges balancing their caregiving responsibilities with other obligations and expectations. 
"I have missed out on doing activities with my peers since I care for my mother and grandmother," says Daniel Chusom (not his real name), a 29-year-old caregiver residing in Pomona, California. "For example, I used to attend a church event for young adults every Friday, but I no longer attend as the time now clashes with when I must leave and pick up my mother from work. There are even times when my work takes a backseat to caregiving." 
"I have missed out on doing activities with my peers since I care for my mother and grandmother."
Limitations on time can lead working caregivers to not prioritize life goals, including saving for a comfortable retirement, buying a house, starting a business or getting passed over for a promotion. When they have significant gaps in employment, they might not be as competitive as their peers. 
"In my personal life, older people take priority," Chusom says.
How Men Face Unique Challenges
Male caregivers face unique challenges, since they are traditionally not likely to discuss their stress or share their emotions with others. 
"I find it hard to make friends, and that's not because I am a man; it's just my personality," said Ricardo Almonte (not his real name), a 47-year-old former long-term caregiver residing in Paterson, New Jersey. "I always thought my wife was my best friend. She still is, but life seems harder ever since I became her primary caregiver." 
Not only should communities normalize men as caregivers, but they should also provide support services (like respite care, support groups, etc.) to improve their self-care and mental health. These services can help achieve gender equality and inclusion in caregiving, particularly in a cultural context. 
Male involvement in caregiving is essential, mainly because fathers, brothers and others have always played a significant role, even if overshadowed by their female counterparts. Consequently, highlighting the father's crucial role, as well as the roles of other men in the family, in caregiving and including them in programmatic actions is essential to improving the overall quality of care. 
It can also involve bringing together the "experience experts" (male caregivers) and "content experts' (researchers and staff) to define problems and solve real-world caregiving challenges through collaborative innovation sessions. 
At the same time, it may help reduce any negative bias against male caregivers for a perceived (often wrongly) lack of competence and proficiency as they care for others. 


The Challenges Facing Male Caregivers

Sophie Okolo

Interest in international travel continues to trend upward, as evidenced by the record 24 million passports the U.S. State Department issued in the year that ended last September. Air travel measured by passenger kilometer-miles grew globally over 40% in the post-peak-COVID year 2023, approaching pre-pandemic levels, and is expected to surge again this year.
Airfares are cheaper now than they were this time last year. Fares in March 2024 were 6.1% lower than they were in February 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.If you are planning to travel abroad this year, how will this increased demand affect your budget?
Here is a look at what experts project for 2024 regarding the cost of flights, accommodations and cruises, along with tips to get the best deals on your trip.
Airfares: Buckle Your Seat Belt
In response to high traveler volume, airlines have increased flight schedules and routes serving international flyers. These actions are in addition to natural adjustments made after the pandemic forced drastic reductions in 2020. New low-cost airlines like Norse Atlantic Airways and Wizz Air help bring prices down industrywide.
If you are in no hurry to arrive at your destination, flights with long layovers are often cheaper.
As a result, airfares are cheaper now than they were this time last year. Fares in March 2024 were 6.1% lower than they were in February 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They are even slightly lower than the pre-pandemic rates of February 2020.
Even better news: the American Express Global Business Travel Air Monitor 2024 report predicts prices on certain international routes may drop as much as 12%. That does not necessarily mean you should delay booking flights in hopes that fares fall further.
Finding Affordable Air Fares
Book in advance: The days of low-priced last minute flights seem to be over. Airlines now offer the deepest discounts months ahead.Be flexible with dates: Flying midweek or during off-peak hours can yield lower prices. If you are in no hurry to arrive at your destination, flights with long layovers are often cheaper.Use fare comparison tools: Websites like Skyscanner and Google Flights help you find the cheapest options. Set fare alerts to receive notifications when flight prices drop.Lodging: Rates through the Roof?
After the pandemic, hotels were understandably focused on filling as many rooms as possible. Now that travel has once again stabilized, it seems the focus is shifting to properties being willing to accept lower occupancy in exchange for increased room rates.
The months right before and after peak season offer the same great weather with smaller crowds and better prices.
Many countries have, like the United States, struggled with high inflation in recent years. This lower occupancy/higher rates strategy can actually increase profitability since lower occupancy helps reduce hotel operating costs.
BCD Travel's Q4 Travel Marketing Report forecasts that international hotel rates will climb by 6.8% in 2024. Amex GBT's Hotel Monitor 2024 paints an even grimmer picture, predicting rates rising as much as 17.5% in some cities.
How Save on a Place to Stay
Travel during shoulder season. The months right before and after peak season offer the same great weather with smaller crowds and better prices.Stay further away from major tourist attractions. You will pay top dollar for a hotel next to the Louvre in Paris. Consider a much cheaper property a few miles away that is close instead to public transportation (excellent, safe and inexpensive in many countries).Consider alternative accommodations. Lodging sites like Airbnb and VRBO can be a great option to a traditional hotel stay. Choices range from private rooms to entire homes. Be sure to read reviews from previous guests, and never hesitate to reach out to hosts for more information.Cruises: Full Steam Ahead
Cruising has never been more popular. According to the Cruise Lines International Association, the 31.5 million passengers who set sail last year will be eclipsed by 35.7 million expected passengers in 2024. Demand is so strong that some smaller operators like SeaDream Yacht Club have already opened bookings for the fall season of 2026.
This high demand coupled with increased operating costs means the days of cheap cruises may be ending. Prices overall for 2024 are up 8% from 2023 and between 17.5% and 22.5% from 2019.
Still, cruises continue to be a great value compared to land-based vacations, since hotel and resort prices have increased 40% to 50% compared to 2019.
Tips to Land a Cruise Deal 
Be flexible. Zeroing in on a specific sailing date and cruise line eliminates all possibilities of finding a better price.Book early. Many cruise lines offer their best prices and sometimes extra perks when itineraries first go on sale. Also, you are more likely to get your top choice of cabins and dining times at specialty restaurants.Use a travel agent. Agents who specialize in cruises can be a valuable asset. They often have first access to sale prices, and larger agencies sometimes negotiate group space at lower rates, which could save you money on your fare.Bonus: New Fees to Watch For
Several European cities plagued by overtourism are charging an extra fee to visit. Amsterdam has the highest tourism tax in the EU — 12.5% per night for overnight visitors (average €21.80) and €11 for cruise passengers. Visitors to Barcelona are hit with a regional and city charge. These add up to €6.75 per night for high-end hotels and €6.25 for cruise passengers.
Venice banned cruise ships in 2021. Now, in addition to an overnight tax collected by hotels and Airbnbs, the city has begun using this online portal to charge day trippers €5 to enter the city on specific days.
Let's be honest. These modest fees won't prevent anyone from coming, but they present an opportunity to increase tax revenue for popular destinations whose residents are becoming increasingly fed up with hordes of tourists upending daily life.
The cost to visit two locations in South America has recently doubled. The visa fee for U.S. citizens traveling to Brazil has jumped from $80 to $160, and the entry fee for most nationalities to enjoy the unique wildlife on Ecuador's Galapagos Islands increased from $100 to $200.


Foreign Travel Costs Are Poised to Soar

Edd and Cynthia Staton

My annual physical tends to be as exciting as the rest of my life — meaning, not very. And that's a good thing. If I can answer my wife's question, "How did it go at the doctor's?" with a shrug and a Cro-Magnon grunt, it's a sign of another year of dull but clean living.
"I put fresh berries on my heart-healthy cereal every morning, ate more fruits with lunch, and veggies or a salad with dinner. Too, my red meat intake was no more than once a month."Unfortunately, my last physical forced me to answer with actual words. Or, rather, numbers. Cholesterol numbers, that is. My LDL level (a/k/a "bad" cholesterol) had shot up to 140, while my total cholesterol, which usually hovered around 180, was now at 213. Somehow, I had gone from the "safe" levels to "Update Your Will" without realizing it.
This made no sense. In addition to engaging in moderate exercise, I put fresh berries on my heart-healthy cereal every morning, ate more fruits with lunch, and veggies or a salad with dinner. Too, my red meat intake was no more than once a month.
"There must have been a glitch in the blood counting doohickey," I insisted to my wife.
"There must have been a glitch in the blood counting doohickey," I insisted to my wife, who claimed not to understand my theory — which shows you just how much her nursing degree is worth.
A Bacon-Forward Diet 
With the quiet patience of a kindergarten teacher talking to her slowest student, she reminded me about how I had spent several months' worth of lunch alternating between turkey and bacon sandwiches and lox and cream cheese bagels. 
Then there was the occasional bacon, egg and cheddar cheese on weekends, washed down with coffee that had been lightened with cream — the same cream I had been drinking straight from the carton as of late.
Arriving home, I consulted with the imminent physician Dr. Internet to create a new dietary regimen. 
I objected to this litany of truth. Weren't the fruits and vegetables supposed to counteract everything else I was scarfing down with reckless abandon? I certainly didn't feel like I was at death's door. Even when I aced a heart stress test the following week – unlike my first one years ago, I didn't collapse face first afterwards on the examination table afterwards – the cardiologist was ready to put me on statins.
Two Months to Improve My Diet 
While I never object to meds when needed, I knew there was a good chance I could lower the numbers myself. "Just let me change my diet before our next appointment," I replied. Giving me two months to clean up my act, she reluctantly agreed, even as she appeared to be mentally measuring me for a coffin.
Arriving home, I consulted with the imminent physician Dr. Internet to create a new dietary regimen. Out went the dairy, bacon and processed meats. In came plant-based yogurt, oat milk and sardines — none of which lasted more than a week. 
The yogurt overdosed me with 110% of the recommended daily sugar intake; oat milk gave me more gas than a Sunoco station; and not even a jar of mustard and a bushel of onions prevented sardine sandwiches from tasting like, well, sardine sandwiches.
If I was going to drop the cholesterol count, I needed to eat stuff that only was safe for humans, but tasted good. And so, after switching to nonfat dairy milk and my wife's favorite plain yogurt, I became the proud owner of a Mediterranean cookbook.
A Dietary Leap 
Now this was food I could live with. The meals had plenty of flavor thanks to the herbs, spices and fresh vegetables, along with healthy protein like skinless chicken and fish. The more I ate, the more it seemed to me that folks who regularly cooked like this were living longer simply because they wanted to eat this stuff forever.
The meals had plenty of flavor thanks to the herbs, spices and fresh vegetables, along with healthy protein like skinless chicken and fish.
But humans cannot live by Mediterranean alone. And so I made the biggest dietary leap of my life since learning to eat solid food: ordering in steamed tofu with brown rice. Which, as I think of it, is more chewy than solid.
Expecting the tofu to taste something like a mattress, I was delighted to find yet another healthy meal that not only pleased the palette but went well with red wine. Whether the secret was in the mysterious brown sauce or not was no matter. As long as it tasted good, I was OK with it.
As for lunch, I decided to take another chance and go with vegan grilled cheese sandwiches. These, too, proved to be better than expected. The taste was close enough to the real thing, even if the faux-cheese didn't melt so much as it did get warm. On the positive side, it made the frying pan easier to clean.
Impressing My Daughter and My Doctor 
I stuck nearly 100% to my new diet with only the occasional detours. (Would you reject an invitation for a free meal at the opening of a steak restaurant? I thought not.) When my daughter visited for the holidays, she was impressed by how her dad was turning his life – or at least menus – around. By the time of my next bloodwork, the LDL had gone from 140 to 95, while the total cholesterol dropped to 160 – probably the lowest of my adult life –in only eight weeks.
"How did you do this?" my cardiologist asked in disbelief.
"How did you do this?" my cardiologist asked in disbelief — the only time a doctor asked me that question when it didn't involve my own stupidity, like the time I almost cut off the tip of my finger while slicing vegetables (three stiches, immeasurable embarrassment). 
I cheerfully explained my new meal regimen so she could share the good news with her other patients — the first time I ever set a good example for anything.
I know full well that for people who are genetically inclined to high cholesterol, meds are necessary. But for me, the only prescription required was a fairly easy change in diet and some discipline, neither of which I thought myself capable of. And while I'll likely succumb to an urge for a strip steak or cheeseburger once in a while, I also know what I do regularly counts more than the occasional treat.
By the way, have you tried chia seeds on yogurt? It's good for you! Just don't ask me how or why.


With Cholesterol, It's a Numbers Game

Kevin Kusinitz

By the time most Americans enter retirement age, they want to be free from many financial burdens. But for a growing number of older adults, debt has become an unwelcome traveling companion.
Without the guarantee of monthly pension checks, individuals must depend more upon their personal savings and Social Security. This places the burden and risk entirely upon each person to save enough on their own.According to the Survey of Consumer Finances, the number of households headed by adults aged 65 or older with any debt rose from 41.5% in 1992 to 60% in 2016. The median total debt for older adult households with debt was $31,300 in 2016.
By understanding what's driving this trend and what resources are available, older Americans can take better control of their financial situation.
The Shrinking Safety Net
Several converging factors over the past few decades have made debt especially difficult for today's retirees.
"This is the first generation that we're seeing that had to basically self-fund retirement through 401(k)s, whereas the previous generation of older adults was using pensions."
Take Marie Gillan, a 64-year-old divorcee living alone in Houston. She receives roughly $1,100 per month from Social Security. Her rent is $500 and utilities run her approximately $160 a month. She also spends about $100 out of pocket each month for prescription drugs.
This is just one example of an older American struggling to live on a fixed income. The Census Bureau says 10.9% of Americans aged 65 and over were living under the poverty line in 2022, the most recent year for which there is full data. That is more than 6.3 million people.
Here are some trends that may be causing the recent debt trap.
Over the last 40 years, traditional defined-benefit pensions have become increasingly rare for private sector workers, replaced by defined-contribution plans like the 401(k).
Inadequate Savings
Without the guarantee of monthly pension checks, individuals must depend more upon their personal savings and Social Security. This places the burden and risk entirely upon each person to save enough on their own.
What's more, retirees are living longer, which means they often need more savings to fund their retirement.
This shift has left a large segment of the population woefully underprepared financially for retirement. According to the Survey of Consumer Finances, nearly half of American households had no retirement savings in 2022.
"This is the first generation that we're seeing that had to basically self-fund retirement through 401(k)s, whereas the previous generation of older adults was using pensions," says Genevieve Waterman, director of corporate partnerships and engagement at the National Council on Aging (NCOA), a private nonprofit. "What happens when you're the first guinea pig is that you're not saving enough."
After 20 years of relatively stable prices, inflation accelerated over the past four years — making everyday costs more expensive for retirees living on fixed incomes.
This includes rising prices for housing, food, transportation and medical care. Fewer and fewer retirees own their homes, which makes them vulnerable to rising rental prices.
Increasing Health Care Debts
Health care costs are a major contributor to senior debt. It's often hard to predict how much medical care will cost in retirement — and many Americans don't save enough.
"The number of older student loan borrowers is growing as well."
A 65-year-old couple in 2023 may need to save $315,000 for health care expenses alone in retirement, even with Medicare, according to Fidelity.
Medicare doesn't cover many services commonly needed by older adults, like certain prescription pharmaceuticals, hearing aids and long-term care. Many seniors rack up debt paying for critical medical care as their health declines.
Without wiggle room in their budgets, many older Americans lean on credit cards and carry increasing balances just to afford essential items. "[Retirees] enter a vicious cycle of having to lean on credit cards and making changes to their spending, which is very hard to break, especially going from a salary income to a fixed income," said Waterman.
Retirees Still Paying Student Loans
About 3.5 million Americans aged 60 and older also still face student loan payments. Together, they owe more than $125 billion in student loans.
"The number of older student loan borrowers is growing as well," Waterman said. "That's because they have either taken out their own loans or are covering their adult children or even grandchildren."
Managing debts while living on a fixed income can be challenging, to say the least. But there are resources to help older Americans tackle debt and create stronger financial habits.
Options for Older Americans
BenefitsCheckUp, for example, is a free tool offered by the National Council on Aging to help people struggling with debt locate financial assistance programs suited to their needs, whether that is paying for medications, health care, food, housing or utilities. Reducing these costs frees up cash to pay down debt. The tool also provides referrals to local assistance services.
There are several community-based services, or workshops, helping retirees with their finances. Some focus on promoting financial literacy, while others work to connect older Americans with government services. The NCOA offers grants to many of these programs.
"She was struggling, and now she has a budget in place and a better sense of how to manage her money."
"Older adults have told us that they prefer to have a class where they can go with their friends," said Waterman. She praised the community-based organizations that provide the workshops. "They are the heart and soul of their neighborhood — it's a safe space they enjoy."
Marie Gillan turned to one of these local organizations for help after learning she had been disenrolled from her state's Medicare Savings Program, which helps people with limited income pay their Medicare premiums. Without the program, her Medicare Part B premium was suddenly being withheld from her monthly paycheck.
While helping Gillan reapply, the agency shared more information about budgeting. After the initial appointment, she was able to create a budget and establish short-term financial goals.
"It was an eye-opening experience for her," said Waterman. "She was struggling, and now she has a budget in place and a better sense of how to manage her money. We also got her enrolled in some benefits programs as well, and that alleviated some of that financial stress."
How to Manage Debt in Retirement
"Debt repayment becomes a distinct challenge for (people on) fixed incomes," says Garrett Smith, financial advisor and chief commercial officer at Ascend Investment Partners in Logan, Utah. "Stress and anxiety may result from the obligation for retirees to budget for essential expenses while managing debt."
Smith outlines some tips to help manage and minimize debt in retirement.
Create a budget: The first step is for retirees to see where their money is going. Creating a retirement budget that accounts for income and expenses can help older Americans align spending with their usually lower, now fixed incomes. If your outlay exceeds your income, a budget helps identify areas to cut expenditures and free up cash to pay debts.Increase income where possible: Supplementing your income, even on an irregular basis, can enable you to pay off debts ahead of schedule. Options include renting out a spare bedroom, turning a hobby or passion project into a side gig, or taking a low-stress part-time job. For one-time injections of cash, consider wringing equity out of your home by selling the big family house; as a bonus, moving into a smaller, less-expensive place can cut housing costs every month. Every extra dollar directed at paying down debt can help relieve financial pressure.Lower interest rates: Using balance-transfer credit cards to move your unpaid balances to cards with lower interest rates can help you reduce the balance you owe without having to pay more each month. Nonprofit credit counseling services can advise you on the best debt consolidation option.Enroll in benefits programs: Many older adults miss out on benefit programs that free up cash for debt payments. Using BenefitsCheckUp, you can find programs that could help pay for medications, utilities, medical bills and more.Consider bankruptcy: While declaring bankruptcy is emotionally difficult, it might be the best path forward for retirees drowning in debt. Discharging debts through bankruptcy protects qualifying assets and creates the opportunity to rebuild financial health. It is prudent to talk to an attorney to determine if bankruptcy makes sense based on your situation.

The Graying of American Debt

Hanna Horvath

Of the countless news reports that television station anchor and reporter Beth Shelburne has produced, the story of Alabama's maximum-security Tutwiler Prison for Women marked a turning point in her career — and her life.
Journalist Beth Shelburne (upper right) interviews the children of Toforest Johnson, a man who has been on Alabama’s Death Row for more than 25 years.When the nonprofit Equal Justice Initiative filed a complaint with the U.S. Justice Department in 2012 on behalf of 50 inmates alleging widespread sexual violence and harassment at the prison, Shelburne broke the news on WBRC-TV, the Fox affiliate in Birmingham.
In her tenure at the station, she filed more than a dozen investigative stories about abuse and deplorable conditions at Tutwiler, including revelations that prison guards had impregnated several inmates.
'Vile Behavior' by Correction Officers
Her reporting also revealed details in a scathing report by a U.S. Department of Justice team assigned to investigate the Equal Justice Initiative's complaints. "Women prisoners at Tutwiler live in a toxic environment of rampant sexual abuse and vile behavior by prison personnel," the federal investigators said in a report of their findings.
They found inmates being forced to perform sex acts in exchange for basic sanitary supplies, male officers openly watching women shower or use the toilet, a staff-facilitated "strip show" and punishing prisoners who reported the abuse.
"Alabama is a complicated place. On one end of the spectrum is a horrendous prison system . . . and at the other end are brave, wonderful people working to change the system."
"The Tutwiler story really cracked it open for me," Shelburne said. "It was a really horrific litany. I did a single story and the phones in the newsroom have been ringing ever since."
Those news reports marked a consequential twist in the life of Shelburne, a Birmingham native who traversed the country climbing the broadcast news career ladder, but returned home in 2010 to become one of the preeminent chroniclers of the state's troubled criminal justice system.
"Alabama is a complicated place," Shelburne said from her home office. "On one end of the spectrum is a horrendous prison system, horrible demagoguery, horrible racism and injustice, and at the other end are brave, wonderful people working to change the system."
So, Shelburne, now 49, has remained in Birmingham, to be part of that change.
Formative Years Set Her Trajectory
Shelburne grew up in Homewood, a city of about 27,000 people that shares a border with Birmingham and is known for its more progressive politics and attitudes than much of the state. She now lives in Birmingham with her husband, Kevin Storr, director of communications at University of Alabama Birmingham's School of Health Professions, and their 16-year-old daughter.
She earned a bachelor's degree from Auburn University with a double major in mass communications and journalism. An internship in New York in her senior year "sort of began my journey to leave Alabama," but after about a year-and-half of "really not finding anything that felt right," she returned for a job at WVTM, the city's NBC affiliate.
She was there long enough to meet Storr, who was a sportscaster at the station, before her career sent the couple hopscotching across the country, where she worked for four stations from San Diego to Boston. The couple envisioned remaining in Boston after their daughter was born there, but Shelburne was laid off from the regional cable network where she worked. Around that time, a position opened at Birmingham's WBRC. At first, she didn't consider applying.
Back Home to Birmingham
"What it really came down to is, if we were going to live closer to our families, it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Shelburne said about her decision to return as the station's weeknight anchor and investigative reporter.
Shelburne interviewing death penalty protestorsFollowing the Tutwiler stories and some basic federally supervised reforms, Shelburne continued to report about abuses in the state's prison system, ranging from dangerous overcrowding, unmitigated violence and a death rate — including suicides — five times the national average. Alabama incarcerates more residents per capita than any democratic country on earth and 41% more than the United States overall.
This has provided a rich vein of stories for Shelburne to uncover, including the DOJ's protracted investigation of inhumane conditions in the state's 14 prisons and its decision in 2020 to sue both the state and the Alabama Department of Corrections. The suit is set to go to trial in November.
The Heart Speaks
As Shelburne became immersed in the seemingly intractable problems facing the state's criminal justice system, she felt a disconnect between the need for deep, sustained reporting to expose the problems, and the limitations of TV news. "You cover the crime, you may cover the conviction, and then you move on," she said.
As that conflict became more acute, Shelburne's dissatisfaction grew, but "I was making a lot of money," she recalled. "You have those golden handcuffs."
To develop longform narrative journalism skills, Shelburne enrolled in a master's program in creative writing at the University of Alabama Birmingham, on top of her full-time anchor-and-reporting job.
Deciding to Leave TV
Six days after defending her thesis in April 2018, Shelburne, then 43, suffered a type of heart attack called spontaneous coronary artery dissection, better known as SCAD. It often strikes young, healthy women with no history of heart disease, but may be triggered by stress, among other factors.
"I made the decision the first night I was in the hospital that I would take myself off air," she recalled. "I realized I needed to do everything I could to get myself into a happier place."
Shelburne went from earning a six-figure salary to making $15/hour as a part-time digital reporter at WBRC, with plans to fill the rest of her time with independent passion projects. "It probably wasn't the best business decision, but I sleep well at night," she said.
The Human Cost of Harsh Law
While recovering from her heart attack, Shelburne applied for and was named a PEN America Writing for Justice Fellow, which supports writers pursuing substantive projects about mass incarceration. Her topic — a group of aging men in Alabama sentenced to life without parole for petty crimes committed decades ago — was an extension of her master's thesis.
She detailed that work in 2020 in a nearly 10,000-word article published by the news website The Daily Beast. It chronicled the human costs of Alabama's Habitual Felony Offender Act, a 1977 law that mandates life imprisonment without parole for persons convicted of a Class A felony — including those that do not result in physical injury — if they have been previously convicted of any three felonies, no matter how minor.
"Her willingness to share all her research is just amazing."
Shelburne painstakingly told the life stories of men sentenced to die in prison for crimes sometimes no more serious than third-degree burglary.
That work evolved into a partnership with the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, part of a network of 18 organizations across the United States and Mexico committed to reducing poverty and ending discrimination. When the center wanted to examine the Habitual Felony Offender Law, its then-new executive director, Carla Crowder, turned to Shelburne.
"Beth had the data and the information to open that window," Crowder recalled. "Her understanding of who these folks are and how sympathetic they are and her willingness to share all her research is just amazing." That alliance has led to the release of 16 men in the past four years, at least five of whom Shelburne directly referred to Appleseed.
'Most Gratifying Thing I’ve Done'
Shelburne considers her work about the habitual offender law as "one of the most gratifying things I've ever done," adding that among the people who've been released, "the recidivism rate is zero."
Shelburne has befriended some of the men she has helped free, including Ron McKeithen. Raised in poverty and neglect, McKeithen, had, by 18, racked up charges for illegal possession and fraudulent use of a credit card and third-degree burglary. Then, he and a buddy in 1983 robbed a convenience store clerk at gunpoint, saying the clerk owed them money. No shots were fired and no one was physically harmed, but the offense made McKeithen, at 21, among the first ensnared by the multiple offender law.
Shelburne with Ronald McKeithen, who was 21 when convicted of robbing a convenience store and sentenced to life in prison. While in custody, he pursued his art as a painter. He was released on appeal in 2020 after spending 35 years in prison.Thirty years later, despite completing roughly 100 prison educational and behavioral programs, living in a special, application-only faith-based honor dorm, teaching and mentoring fellow inmates, and filing several court petitions, McKeithen remained locked up in the state's maximum-security William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility. He met Shelburne when she interviewed him for a documentary about an educational program offered by the prison and UAB.
She persuaded Appleseed to pursue his appeal, and he was released from prison in December 2020, at age 60, after serving 37 years. "I could see reflected in Beth's eyes that she really understood who I was," McKeithen recalled in February, while celebrating his 62nd birthday in Last Vegas. "I didn't have to convince her that I was a good guy."
Not Without Sacrifice
In addition to the financial hit her career detour exacted, Shelburne unsurprisingly has faced hostility from state agencies and officials unhappy with her work.
After particularly damning reporting on prison deaths and corruption, Shelburne has twice been unceremoniously dropped from news media lists of both the Department of Corrections and the governor's office, and had her requests for information completely ignored, the last time for a year-and-a-half before new leadership restored her access. "It's a hell of a thing to feel that kind of hostility from a government agency," Shelburne recalled.
In both instances, Shelburne's news colleagues rose to her defense, drafting letters that garnered signatures from journalists from throughout Alabama and the country.
"Cutting Beth out meant cutting out a perspective we desperately need, even if our state leaders prefer to ignore it," Alabama press corps veteran Brian Lyman wrote in an email about the first open letter drafted on her behalf.
Prosecutor Urges Focus on Victims 
Officials at the Department of Corrections and the offices of Governor Kay Ivey and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall did not respond to several requests for comment about their relationship with Shelburne and her work.
Shelburne at a vigil for prison violence victimsC.J. Robinson is district attorney in Alabama's 19th Circuit and chairman of the state's preeminent crime victims' organization, Victims of Crime and Leniency (VOCAL). Robinson's largely rural district is home to four state prisons and will be the site of a $1 billion, 4,000-bed "super-max"-style prison, the most expensive ever built in the country, and slated to open in 2026.
While commenting that he thought Shelburne's work for WBRC has been solid, Robinson said too much attention is paid to the rights of the incarcerated, and too little to crime victims and deterring future crimes.
Reform Could Reduce Recidivism
"This never-ending cycle that we find ourselves in in Alabama — that we continuously reduce sentences, reduce sentences and reduce sentences — is not in the best interests of the victims," he said.
Robinson, however, acknowledged that the state's prison system needs reform, including addressing its "dilapidated facilities, lack of programs, and a sheer shortage of people needed to supervise prisoners."
"If all those things could be improved," he added, "I think we'd see a better product and lower recidivism."
That a tough-on-crime evangelist like Robinson concedes the severity of the issues Shelburne covers demonstrates the power of her work and her credibility as someone from Alabama. "It's harder to challenge criticism from a native daughter," Appleseed's Crowder observed.
"Earwitness" Podcast
One of Shelburne's latest projects is a podcast series funded, co-produced and distributed by multimedia platform Lava for Good titled "Earwitness," about Toforest Johnson, an Alabama man who has spent the last 25 years on Alabama's death row for the murder of an off-duty Jefferson County sheriff's deputy.
"This never-ending cycle that we find ourselves in in Alabama . . . is not in the best interest of the victims."
With 10 alibi witnesses placing Johnson at a nightclub four miles from the scene of the murder and no forensic or physical evidence implicating Johnson, he was convicted on the testimony of a single "earwitness" — a woman, Violet Ellison, who told police she overheard Johnson confess to the crime on a three-way jailhouse phone call. Ellison received a $5,000 reward from the state for that statement, which officials kept secret for 17 years.
Attempts to secure a new trial for Johnson have been unsuccessful, although he remains a pro bono client of the Southern Center for Human Rights and the Death Penalty Clinic at the University of California Berkeley School of Law, which continues to pursue his exoneration.
Call for New Trial Is Ignored
The podcast took Shelburne two years to research, report and produce. The final episode was released in late 2023, and featured interviews with the state's former attorney general, the county's current district attorney and the former assistant district attorney who prosecuted Johnson, all agreeing that Johnson's conviction should be overturned, and a new trial held, which state officials so far have refused to do.
Shelburne will teach a class on podcasting at UAB this fall, and is waiting to hear on another national fellowship that would underwrite a significant new reporting project. Regardless of what's next, she's comfortable where she's landed.
"There are a lot of things Alabama symbolizes to people that are offensive, but it's not the entire story," Shelburne said. "We also have a great history of resistance, and courageous people who don't accept the status quo.
"It's a place that's challenging, and that can be really exhausting, but it also can be really rewarding. I like to think I'm doing something that's changing the world for the better."


Fighting for the Forgotten

Rebecca Theim

Odds are, you played The Game of Life as a kid and Trivial Pursuit when that board game hit the shelves in 1981 but haven't rolled the dice with either one since. New versions — reinvented for older adults to compete against their grown children and grandkids — might get you back.
Studies show that board games can create meaningful connections for older adults, improve cognition and reduce the risk of dementia.That's because of a request the games' maker, Hasbro, had for its then vice president for business development, Ted Fischer, and his Joy for All division, which had created interactive, battery-operated Companion Pets for lonely and isolated older people.
Reimagining Iconic Board Games
"Hasbro said, 'We are hearing some feedback that our board games are not as inclusive or as easy to play as they could be. We think there's a big opportunity to sort of reimagine these iconic games for older adults and we think you should do it,'" Fischer recalled. "It took us about four seconds to say 'yes.' We think there should be fun at every stage."
"We think there's a big opportunity to sort of reimagine these iconic games for older adults and we think you should do it."
Studies have shown that board games can create meaningful connections for older adults, improve cognition and reduce the risk of dementia.
Joy for All was given access to Hasbro's entire games catalog and decided to focus on The Game of Life, Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble. (Joy for All is now part of a company that Fischer cofounded and runs, Ageless Innovation).
Before updating the games, "we did a lot of testing with things that were either frustrating [for players] or were opportunities," said Brian Shulman, an Ageless Innovation consultant.
When interns were asked to play the old Game of Life with their families, the participants stopped halfway through because they didn't find it fun. That cued the game reinventors to get to work to make The Game of Life — as well as Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble — more fun, faster and more intergenerational.
Making Games More Fun, Less Frustrating
The result is the recent rollout of The Game of Life Generations, Trivial Pursuit Generations and Scrabble Bingo whose boxes say they're for players aged 8 to 108 (Game of Life Generations and Scrabble Bingo) and 16 to 106 (Trivial Pursuit). Last fall, AARP and Ageless Innovation held hundreds of Reach Out and Play events around the country.
Brian Shulman, an Ageless Innovation consultant, said the new versions reimagined the earlier games in two ways: functionality and content.
"Sometimes, the fun of it is not playing as your own generation."
Improved functionality meant increasing the font size and contrast on cards; making game pieces easier to grasp, sometimes three-dimensional and offering short instructional YouTube videos for people who didn't want to read through the rules of play.
The games are also much quicker than previous versions since today's players are often time-crunched and with shorter attention spans than in the past. Two of the three ways to play Scrabble Bingo can be completed in under 15 minutes. The Game of Life Generations takes about 45 minutes.
To make Trivial Pursuit and The Game of Life intergenerational, the new versions are peppered with pop culture references keyed to boomers, Gen Xers, millennials, Gen Zers and the Silent Generation.
Trivial Pursuit Generations has 1,500 questions and each card has ones specifically for all five generations.
For instance, one card has a question for the Silent Generation about the Allied invasion of Normandy; for boomers about LBJ's War on Poverty; for Xers about "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland; for millennials about the tech giants known as FAANG and for Gen Zers about Dr. Oz running for the Senate in 2022.
The Trivia Can Get Personal
You can also ask each other personal trivia questions since 30% of the cards are blank, with a cue on it such as asking about a player's first kiss or first job.
You don't have to play as the generation you are. "Sometimes, the fun of it is not playing as your own generation," Shulman said.
The Game of Life Generations has Action cards with options varying on which generation a player chooses. "As a boomer, you get coupon cards. If you're a millennial, you get side-hustle cards," said Fischer.
But the references, intended to be humorous, occasionally smack of ageism. A Greatest Generation member can be told "You forgot how to use your phone again;" a boomer can get a card saying, "You're struggling with the presentation again. Stupid technology. Stupid millennials laughing at you."
A New Take on Retirement
As in many earlier versions of The Game of Life — called The Checkered Game of Life when that depressing one was introduced in 1860 — retirement is the goal. To get there, the Generations version has cards playing into today's real world.
You can now choose a life path either with a career requiring a college education (like lawyer or architect) or one that may not (like firefighter or florist). Your real estate purchase can be anything from a $100,000 tiny home to a $600,000 city penthouse.
After all players retire, the wealthiest one wins. "It isn't retire and your life is over or you become destitute," said Shulman.
That's a much different view of retirement from the 1960's Game of Life. In that one, if a player tried to become a Millionaire Tycoon, a bad spin of the wheel would send them to the Poor Farm and out of the game.
Intergenerational Games
The company has also launched two memory-card games based on reminiscence therapy: the photo-matching game Past & Present Pairs and the chronology one Lifetime Lineup. Both are for two to six players aged 8 to 108.
"The idea is to stimulate conversation and bring back memories," said Shulman.
Since Past & Present Pairs asks players to match photos of similar items from today and years ago, it's especially apt for someone with dementia to play with their child or grandchild.
"If the match is a telephone, it's an old rotary dial phone and an iPhone," Fischer said. "We've found the game elicits great conversation between generations."
Lifetime Lineup lets you write yourself or your family into the game, with blank cards to note events that happened at certain times in your lives.
What's Coming Next
Joy for All intends to re-introduce three to five Hasbro games every year, making them age-friendly and intergenerational.
Some might be played remotely on computers and tablets. "The question is: How do you do it in a way that's inclusive and easy and fun for folks to play?" Fischer said. "We think we have to have some digital versions to make them inclusive to all."


Familiar Board Games Get an Intergenerational Refresh

Richard Eisenberg

Shortly after my wife Lisa passed away, I ran into a neighbor who lost her husband ten years earlier. Although we were both widowed, the circumstances were very different. My wife died after a very difficult and long (4 year) bout with cancer. Her husband died instantly from a heart attack.
Warren Kozak and Lisa Krenzel with their daughter ClaireWe asked each other the obvious question: Is it better to lose someone quickly, so they don't have to go through prolonged suffering … or is it better to have the opportunity to be with them longer, prepare for the inevitable and say the things one needs to say, even though we must watch them in pain? After weighing the pros and cons, we came to the conclusion that they both stink.
I realized I was just trying to get through each day. There wasn't an ounce of extra strength to think about the present, the future or anything else.
I didn't really think about that question for five years after my wife's death because I blocked out the memory of those long days and nights of sickness. It took me five years to go back to my diary and remember what that time was like.
The Moments I Remember 
What surprised me in reading my day-to-day account of the ordeal was just how truly awful it really was. Between the long hospital stays, the endless talks with doctors, the nurses, the constant tests, my wife's physical discomfort and mental strain and at the same time, taking care of our daughter and handling my job, I realized I was just trying to get through each day. There wasn't an ounce of extra strength to think about the present, the future or anything else.
Here are the moments I remember: Long days that went into nights, sitting beside her in her hospital room. When I finally left at around ten or eleven, I noticed the nurses at the desk staring at me with a look of concern. I have no idea what my own face conveyed. One of the nurses would often ask how I was and reminded me to get something to eat. I always answered with a "thank you" and a forced smile.
But when I left the hospital and walked out the front entrance, I distinctly remember the great relief of breathing in the outside air – taking it in with large gulps. In winter or fall, summer or spring, it didn't matter (and it happened through all the seasons). I left the stale air and the beeping machines of the hospital room and just reveled in the fresh, outside air. And with that, came the guilt that I could escape this prison for a few hours, but my wife was stuck there. There was also the question: why was she the sick one and why was I absolutely fine?
There were days I was frustrated and angry and tried hard not to let it show, but I don't think I always succeeded. 
There were days when she was discharged for brief periods, and I took care of her at home. I would try to have food in the house that might tempt her, but I never seemed to succeed. When I finally sat down to just read something or close my eyes, inevitably she would need something. Sometimes I would have to run to take care of our daughter who was still in high school. But, for the most part, this 16-year-old was overlooked during this time.
I was lucky to have the world's kindest and most considerate boss, who let me work remotely so I could be with my wife. I realized even then how fortunate I was. If I still worked for the large corporation where I began my career, I would have lost my job and with it, our medical insurance. Or I would not have been with her for the last three years of her life.
There were days I was frustrated and angry and tried hard not to let it show, but I don't think I always succeeded. There were times I resented my friends who seemed to be swimming through life without a worry. I could be short tempered — even more than usual.
One night, I came home and opened a can of beer. Then another … and another. Even in college, I rarely had more than two beers, never more than three. The next morning, I counted almost 12 empty cans strewn around the kitchen.
But for the most part, I knew that every moment with her was precious and there would be a time when she would no longer be with me — something I could not fathom. Some days, I imagined I would be a caregiver for the rest of my life. 
When you are with someone who is dying, you worry, you try to offer comfort, but you don't really understand where all of this is heading.
Looking at a future without her reminded me of trying to grasp the concept of infinity as a child. I could just go so far and then I stopped because I didn't have the bandwidth. When you are with someone who is dying, you worry, you try to offer comfort, but you don't really understand where all of this is heading. It's just one big mystery. 
We Had a Little More Time 
A brilliant rabbi once told me something that has always stayed with me. "We are mortals," he said. "We are not supposed to understand what happens or where we go. Perhaps somewhere down the road we will, but not in this lifetime."
That actually gives me comfort.
In the end, as difficult as that time was – and it was so difficult – I am surprised to admit that I now miss those long days and nights. As hard as they were, she was still here with me. I could still be with her and converse with her. Now, there is nothing but a great big void. Yes, I now have all the time in the world to do whatever I please, but her absence makes that time less compelling.
So, if I had that conversation now with my neighbor who lost her husband so suddenly, I would tell her that I consider myself the lucky one. I … we … had the most precious gift in spite of everything that happened.
We had a little more time.


Revisiting My Caretaking Diary

Warren Kozak

As retirement approaches you must face the question, "What is the best age for me to claim Social Security?"
"We both started receiving Social Security at age 62 ... when the Great Recession of 2008 swept away our careers and much of our net worth."Experts declare that you should avoid taking reduced payments at 62 unless you need the money immediately or have health issues that may shorten your lifespan.
They almost unanimously advise waiting until full retirement age (66 and 6 months in 2024) to receive 100% of benefits earned. Postponing until the maximum payout at age 70 is even better, since 8% is added to your monthly check for each year you delay.
A Missing Term in the Equation
From a purely financial perspective, the logic is irrefutable. But there is another asset often ignored. One that could be considered even more valuable than money because it is constantly being spent and can never be saved.
Time.
We both started receiving Social Security at age 62, and it has turned out to be one of the best decisions we have ever made. Well, actually the choice was made for us when the Great Recession of 2008 swept away our careers and much of our net worth.
It is said there are three phases of retirement — Go-Go (age 60 to 70), Slow-Go (70 to 80) and No-Go (80 and up). 
Had what seemed at the time like a calamity not happened, we would have most likely followed conventional wisdom and kept working to save more money. Instead we took a leap of faith, moved abroad to a lower cost of living, and found ourselves staring at a blank canvas titled "Our Future" far sooner than planned.
It is said there are three phases of retirement — Go-Go (age 60 to 70), Slow-Go (70 to 80) and No-Go (80 and up). We hit the ground running at the beginning of our Go-Go period, and what an unexpected blessing those extra years have turned out to be in the following important aspects of life.
Improved Health
It is estimated that 7 out of 10 Americans aged 65 and older will need some form of costly long-term care. The most proactive way to be among the 30% who avoid this expense is by optimizing your health.
Full-time workers have trouble finding enough hours in their schedule for fitness and healthy food preparation. A recent study reveals only 25% of American adults meet CDC exercise standards, while another indicates a paltry 10% eat enough vegetables.
Leaving behind financial worries by retiring early has rewarded us with bonus years to expand our social network and pursue long-postponed activities and new interests.
Early retirement provides an opportunity to jump start improving one's health. In addition to our pedestrian lifestyle (we haven't owned a car for 14 years), devoting time each week to strength training, yoga and cardiovascular exercise keeps us in outstanding physical condition. Creating nutritious meals filled with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is a fun activity instead of a chore.
Less Stress
According to the American Psychological Association, stress is at an all-time high in the United States. At the same time, research from Age Wave and Merrill Lynch reveals that retirement is the happiest and most content period of our lives.
Our experience certainly mirrors those findings. Leaving behind financial worries and the daily grind by retiring early has rewarded us with bonus years to expand our social network and pursue long-postponed activities and new interests.
More Time with Grandchildren
Before moving to Ecuador we lived three time zones from our family. That travel distance combined with limited vacation days made visits shorter and less frequent than we desired.
Now, even though our residence is on a different continent, we have been fortunate to spend weeks at a time each year being with our grandchildren as they've grown from infants to pre-teens. This level of connection would have been difficult with only occasional long weekend trips.
Active Travel
We can share from a travel perspective that the Go, Slow and No-Go periods are accurately described. During the first decade of early retirement we flew back to the States multiple times each year as our four grandchildren were born. Between visits we explored Ecuador, cruised around the tip of South America, and spoke at conferences throughout Latin America.
Our bank balance would without a doubt be higher if we could have waited until age 67 or 70 to begin collecting Social Security. 
Post-Covid, we recently concluded a full-time travel adventure of 2½ years to Mexico, Europe, Colombia, Argentina and locations within the United States. Now squarely in the Slow-Go years, we are acutely aware that the level of activity we sustained for over a decade is no longer possible despite being in excellent health.
Our bank balance would without a doubt be higher if we could have waited until age 67 or 70 to begin collecting Social Security. Yet looking back, how thankful we are to have retired early and been able to share so many priceless memories during those initial retirement years.
How Long You Live vs. How Much
As you contemplate when to begin receiving Social Security benefits, carefully envision your ideal retirement. What do you want to accomplish, see and do? If you intend to work until the maximum retirement age of 70, keep in mind that the Social Security Administration estimates that American men who reach that age are likely to live another 13½ years, on average; American women, almost another 16 years. 
Keeping this information in mind, be realistic about your physical capabilities when making plans. Do you really want to spend the most active years you have left in the office and your entire, extended retirement in your Slow-Go and No-Go years? How unfortunate it would be to devote your Go-Go years to the workplace, only to find yourself having to use the extra income to pay for health issues instead of enjoying those activities you've looked forward to.
It is tempting to fear you can never accumulate sufficient assets to retire comfortably. Instead, consider asking yourself, "How can I manifest the future I've dreamed of with what I have?"
Discovering ways to make more money in retirement is possible. But you can never create another minute of precious time.


Why We Are Glad We Started Social Security Benefits at 62

The Retirement Gap is a real-life problem. Learn how to prepare for whatever retirement may look like for you.

Growing a business means managing change. Read how entrepreneurs like you have done just that and found resources to succeed.

Nationwide workshops and festivals offer community for aging artists

There is power in talking openly about mental health and mental illness. Featuring expert insight and personal stories, find support and resources on how to challenge stigma and rethink mental health as we age.

Perceptions on Wealth in Retirement

Navigating Change

Art + Aging in Community

Talking About It: Aging and Mental Health