When the 2021 proposed budget was released from the White House in February, 2020, we heard quite an outcry from senators and representatives. They were (rightfully) concerned about what appears to be cuts to Social Security.

SeniorCitizenJournal.com decided to take a look at the proposed federal budget, with the help of FactCheck.org, a project that comes out of The Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The proposed budget itself is a pretty complicated manuscript. Understanding it requires help from interpreters.

Well, the ‘proposal’ is largely an annual ritual that establishes the administration’s priorities, but is never acted on by Congress. And according to FactCheck.org, “The budget proposes reductions to the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs, but not reductions to the retirement portion of Social Security.” That means Social Security benefits to most senior citizens will not be reduced in this budget proposal.

Health issues are among the top concerns of senior citizens according to the National Institute on Aging. The NIA offers a plethora of information on concerns ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to end of life issues to A-Z Health topics. SCJ relies on the NIA website for factual information about seniors that we all can trust.

Following are just a few of the topics available for perusal on their site:

SCJ published an article in November 2011 that listed numerous discounts available to seniors when shopping or going out to eat. We enjoy discounts of all kinds with many of the purchases we make regularly. Rather than print the updated list(s) here, we are providing links to many lists for seniors on the Internet. There are duplications on these lists, but you will also find new items you were not previously aware of. Others have done a lot of research and spent a lot of time compiling these lists, and they need to get the credit for that.

If you see something that looks interesting and is something you want to take a closer look at, just click on the link highlighted in blue. And if you don’t see your favorite stores and companies on these lists, be sure to ask for discounts for senior citizens when you make purchases.

Grief is the emotional experience people have when we experience loss… loss of any kind. SCJ has written numerous articles about the many facets of grief, including Dealing With Loss and Grief, the difference between grief and depression, collective community grief, loss of a parent. Many other SCJ articles talk about grief as a natural and normal experience.

Elisabeth Kubler Ross is considered the historical expert on grief, what it is and how to deal with it. Her five stages of grief are well known. Most of us know grief when we lose a family member or close friend. But grief can also occur over the loss of something non-human. And that grief can be just as troublesome, indeed debilitating, as the loss of a person near and dear to us.

For many people, learning is a lifelong experience that includes gleaning as much information as possible about retirement. There are so many facets that it is difficult to try to condense them. But we will try anyway. What we forget will just have to come in a future article!

If we approach retirement planning as a lifelong learning experience, we recognize educating ourselves about retirement begins as soon as we enter the ‘work’ field. We literally need to start thinking about what we want retirement to look like when we start our business and professional lives. Very few of us do that, however, because there are so many other issues to address. Nevertheless, if we begin then we will form ideas/preferences/desires that can be looked at over 40-50 years and modified as life changes.

Most of us seniors are not money/investment wizards, and we need help and advice when it comes to investing and money management. We generally do just fine managing our bills and living within our income. But when it comes to investing money that we are not spending on lifestyle, we usually need help. And, by the way, so does the younger generation.

There are several investing arenas we can consider. Those include savings, CD’s and money market accounts, real estate, our own or somebody else’s business, and the stock market. Let’s take a look at each one. We are not financial experts, and we are not offering financial advice. This article is simply a review of the options.

A lot is being written these days about the benefits of polyphenols, due to their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxident properties. Research is showing they are helpful to seniors because they fight everything from cancer to dementia and aging. So what is a polyphenol?

MedicineNet says this: ” Polyphenol: A kind of chemical that (at least in theory) may protect against some common health problems and possibly certain effects of aging. Polyphenols act as antioxidants. (Emphasis added) They protect cells and body chemicals against damage caused by free radicals, reactive atoms that contribute to tissue damage in the body.” So in layman/woman’s terms, polyphenols are chemicals that come from things like fruits, vegetables, nuts, tea and are really helpful in a number of biological processes in the human body. They are very good for us.

The COVID19 Pandemic offers valuable opportunity to look at social isolation and loneliness, and the effects these phenomena have on seniors. SCJ already looked at kinds and causes of social isolation, an overview of the dangers of loneliness and an overview of the health risks of senior isolation. Today we will delve more into three major effects loneliness and isolation have on senior citizen health and well being.

Scientific research on this issue goes back several decades. About ten years ago (2010), John T. Cacioppo and Louise C. Hawkley conducted research on perceived isolation (loneliness) and the effects it has on a number of health issues. They discovered “…that perceived social isolation (i.e. loneliness) is a risk factor for, and may contribute to, poorer overall cognitive performance, faster cognitive decline, poorer executive functioning, increased negativity and depressive cognition, heightened sensitivity to social threats…” The full NIH article can be found here.

In this time of social isolation due to COVID19, seniors may find themselves spending too many hours alone and lonely. To be sure, time alone does not necessarily mean one is lonely; we can be lonely in a crowd as well as just being alone. The issue is perceived loneliness, that is, if a senior feels or believes they are lonely, they are.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) is an arm of the National Institute of Health (NIH), and NIA has looked at this issue for a number of years. The results of their research are troubling for many seniors; their website says this “Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and even death.”

Whether seniors are isolated at home now because of COVID19 or live alone and spend a lot of time with no one else around, there are activities with which we can engage that will promote good health and potential longevity. Many of us have a routine that we follow on a daily basis, and that routine may or may not follow healthy senior lifestyle guidelines.

The National Council on Aging is a treasure-trove of ideas and suggestions for healthy aging. They suggest the process of growing older includes attention to health, finances, relationships, personal growth, and community involvement. With all the time we have on our hands, now is a good time to choose to live a healthier and more productive life.