"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older people and people with underlying health conditions are about twice as likely to “develop serious outcomes” from the COVID19 coronavirus—get really sick and possibly die—as younger and otherwise healthier people.

One reason is that older immune systems are less able to fight off infections. Lungs also deteriorate, becoming less elastic and resilient over time, and like the seasonal flu, COVID19 is a respiratory virus. And olders are more likely to have underlying conditions—such as heart disease, lung disease and diabetes—that make us more vulnerable to other illnesses and slower to recover.

 This doesn’t mean that turning 65 puts someone at higher risk. It also says very little about what any given individual is up against when it comes to getting sick or getting better. Underlying health plays a much bigger role than age does. And while older people do have more health issues, plenty are in excellent health and plenty of young people are immune-suppressed and/or live with chronic disease."

Go here -> https://thischairrocks.com/2020/03/09/age-coronavirus-ageism/

There’s a lot we don’t know about Covid-19, but one dynamic appears clear: The health danger is highest for older people and those with preexisting health conditions, such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. In South Korea, where there is a lot of testing and a strong public health system, not a single person under 30 has died from the disease. Only two people under 50 have died out of 3,263 South Korean cases reported on March 8. On the Diamond Princess cruise ship, out of 705 coronavirus cases, there have been fatalities — and none of these were under 70.

This is why the Centers for Disease Control is now recommending that people over 60 stay in their homes."

Go here -> https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/10/opinion/call-your-mom-generational-politics-covid-19/

"A President Unequal to the Moment," Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, March 12, 2020
 "The bungling and mishandling of the coronavirus is very much an aging issue. Partisanship is not the issue.  Advocacy to defend older folks is the issue. Older people are the ones dying from this disease. 
"Crises clarify. The bigger the crisis, the more the clarity, which is why the incompetence, dishonesty, and sheer callousness of the Trump Presidency have been clearer in recent days than ever before. As the coronavirus, as of Wednesday an official pandemic, spreads, the lives of Americans depend on the decisions made—or not made, as the case may be—by a President uniquely ill-suited to command in this type of public-health catastrophe. In that sense, the last few weeks may well have been the most clarifying of Donald Trump’s Presidency."

Go here -> https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/a-president-unequal-to-the-moment

And here -> https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/03/trump-coronavirus-threat/607825/

"A remarkable though unsettling new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has drawn attention to the extensive harm that social isolation and loneliness are having on the health and well-being of older adults. The report—Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System—provides a sweeping overview of these two issues, as well as a compelling rationale for why the health care sector should respond immediately through more research, targeted training and education for health care workers, and increased public awareness, among other interventions."

Go here -> https://phinational.org/direct-care-workers-can-help-address-social-isolation-and-loneliness/

And here -> http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2020/social-isolation-and-loneliness-in-older-adults

"The Campaign to End Loneliness believe that people of all ages need connections that matter.

There are nine million lonely people in the UK and four million of them are older people. Many older people find constant loneliness hardest to overcome. They lack the friendship and support we all need.

We’ve been experts in the field of loneliness and connection since 2011. We share research, evidence and knowledge with thousands of other organisations and the public to make a difference to older people’s lives.

We inspire everyone to connect and bring communities together across the UK."

Go here-> https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/

"Regardless how much we may want to help those who are hurting or in need, caring full-time for others can lead to a downturn in a caregiver’s own feelings of vitality, leading to feeling overwhelmed, stressed, ill and depressed. Whether it’s a hospice nurse who loves their job, or a spouse to someone with Parkinson’s who loves their family member, when these caregivers honestly answer the question “how are they?” their loving statements are often followed by attempts to swallow hard feelings and hold back tears.

Compassion fatigue is a term used to describe a state that is experienced by all types of caregivers, after giving to the point of exhaustion and debilitation—with no end in sight. The word compassion means sympathetic pity and concern for sufferings or misfortunes, and fatigue means extreme tiredness resulting from mental and/or physical exertion or illness."

Go here -> https://cityviewmag.com/compassionate-fatigue/

"Does anyone care about professional caregivers?" Jay Baglia, The Hill, February 28, 2020
"Friday, Feb. 21st was National Caregivers Day, a day designated to honor those devoted professional caregivers who deliver care, demonstrate compassion, and provide support to patients and their families, many of whom face uncertain futures. But caregivers face uncertain futures too.

Low wages, the projected demand, the attendant burnout, and high turnover all contribute to a precarious caregiving work environment. National Caregivers Day was initiated in 2015 by the Providers Association for Home Health & Hospice Agencies (PAHHHA), and while this is a community of professionals worthy of recognition, a “day” is not enough.

Professional caregivers constitute a large population of workers whose work is essential but also largely unacknowledged and underappreciated. The category “professional caregiver” is expansive, and not limited to nurses. The category includes patient advocates, nursing assistants, case managers, physical and occupational therapists, and social workers as well as those professionals whose primary task is the wellbeing of those in their charge."

Go here -> https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/485104-does-anyone-care-about-professional-caregivers

"Once people are past middle age, they’re old. That’s how life progresses: You’re young, you’re middle-aged, then you’re old.

Of course, calling someone old is generally not considered polite, because the word, accurate though it might be, is frequently considered pejorative. It’s a label that people tend to shy away from In 2016, the Marist Poll asked American adults if they thought a 65-year-old qualified as old. Sixty percent of the youngest respondents—those between 18 and 29—said yes, but that percentage declined the older respondents were; only 16 percent of adults 60 or older made the same judgment. It seems that the closer people get to old age themselves, the later they think it starts."

Go here -> https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/01/old-people-older-elderly-middle-age/605590/

"Video shows Joe Biden saying “we can only re-elect Donald Trump.” Eric Litke, Politifact Wisconsin, March 9, 2020

"Vos says the media is ignoring a video showing Biden saying, "we can only re-elect Donald Trump."

Vos implies by his statement that the video is an accurate representation of reality — and therefore worthy of media coverage.

But the clip in question was cut off-mid sentence, fundamentally changing a statement that actually said Trump would only be re-elected "if in fact (Democrats) get engaged in this circular firing squad here."

We rate Vos’s claim — like the attached video — Mostly False."

"Over 27 million women, aged 65 and older, live in the United States. These older women face increasing challenges to remain economically secure as they age, and a significant number of older women find themselves unable to avoid living at or near poverty. In fact, 4.2 million women aged 65 and over live in poverty, according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure,"

Go here -> https://assetfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/AFN_2020_EconomicSecurityOlderWomen_BRIEF_SINGLE-2.18.20.pdf

"There’s bad news and so-so news about the retirement insecurity of American female workers in the new Aegon Retirement Readiness Survey 2019. But the good news is that if employers, the U.S. government, financial advisers and those workers take a few key steps, today’s cloudy retirement prospects for women could become sunnier."

Go here -> https://www.nextavenue.org/what-could-improve-womens-retirement-outlook/

And here -> https://transamericacenter.org/docs/default-source/global-survey-2019/tcrs2020_sr_new-social-contract-women-retirement-equality.pdf

"The data are clear: Women are much more likely than men to have a savings shortfall in retirement. By extension, they’re also more likely to rely exclusively on Social Security for their in-retirement living expenses.

The contributing factors are many. Investing behaviors may be a contributor--specifically, women tend to invest less and hold more cash than their male counterparts. But the major root cause for women falling short in retirement owes to lower lifetime earnings. Not only do women earn less than men, on average, for similar jobs, but caregiving responsibilities cause gaps in earnings. Lower lifetime earnings translate into a savings gap.

To be sure, there are glimmers of positive news--for example, the percentage of employers offering paid family leave has increased substantially over the past several years. In aggregate, though, the data paint a sobering picture about women’s retirement readiness in the United States."

Go here -> https://www.morningstar.com/articles/968993/75-must-know-statistics-about-women-and-retirement

"The ache in three of Kathy McCracken’s teeth started almost four years ago. It was hard for her to chew and swallow. She was sensitive to both hot and cold food. “Pain, pain, pain” was how McCracken, now 69, described the feeling. After taking X-rays, she said, her dentist told her six teeth would need to be pulled.

She had two teeth with exposed roots, holes in another two, one tooth with a cap that had a cavity underneath, and a piece of a tooth left from one that had been pulled, she said.

McCracken found herself in difficult circumstances. The dental insurance she had through her husband’s employer was already maxed out for the year and, living on a fixed income, she couldn’t afford to pay the $3,000 out-of-pocket estimated cost of treatment. Seeing her predicament, her pastor in Statesville, the Rev. Amy Spivey, offered to use money from Monticello United Methodist Church’s discretionary fund to cover it."

Go here -> https://khn.org/news/dental-care-surprise-medical-bill-assistance-north-carolina-rural-church/

And here -> https://now.tufts.edu/articles/silent-epidemic-oral-health

"On this page:

* Tooth Decay
* Gum Disease
* How to Clean Your Teeth and Gums
* Dentures
* Dry Mouth
* Oral Cancer
* Finding Low-Cost Dental Care
Healthy teeth and gums make it easy for you to eat well and enjoy good food. Several problems can affect the health of your mouth, but good care should keep your teeth and gums strong as you age."

Go here -> https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/taking-care-your-teeth-and-mouth

And here -> https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving/daily-care/dental-care

"If you’re one of the 44 million family caregivers in the United States, you’ve got a lot on your mind. However, keeping your loved one’s mouth healthy is important for their dental health, overall health and so much more.

“It’s also about comfort, safety, and self-esteem,” says ADA dentist Dr. Judith Jones. “Keeping your mouth and teeth clean can prevent sensitivity or pain in your teeth. In terms of safety, there might be broken teeth, broken partials or unsafe partials they can swallow. And for their self-esteem, it’s important for individuals to have a sense of pride in their appearance and to have good hygiene.”

How much help you give will depend on the individual. If the person in your care can do the basics, let them. Some adults may have physical issues that make them unable to hold a toothbrush. Others may have memory issues, so they forget to brush and floss. People with dementia may need someone to clean their teeth each day and take them to a dentist."

Go here -> https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/adults-over-60/caregivers-guide

Eating healthy foods helps everyone stay well. It’s even more important for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Here are some tips for healthy eating.

Go here -> https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/healthy-eating-and-alzheimers-disease

While promotion of physical activity is encouraged throughout the lifespan, it can have particularly important effects on older adults, especially those experiencing cognitive impairment. In this review, we described the benefits that physical activity can have on individuals' functioning across several domains, including cognition, functional independence, and psychological health. Specifically, physical activity improves cognition, especially executive functioning and memory in MCI, independent functioning in MCI and dementia, and psychological health in dementia."

Go here -> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7037481/#!po=1.92308

"Sight and hearing loss are both more common as you get older. For a person with dementia, this can cause extra problems, such as confusion about what's happening around them and problems with communication.

The symptoms of sight and hearing loss can be similar to some of the early signs of dementia. For example, you might become confused about where you are or struggle to follow a conversation. This can make it hard to tell what is down to dementia and what is down to sight or hearing loss. This can make diagnosing dementia in someone with sight or hearing loss more difficult. It can also make diagnosing sight and hearing problems in a person with dementia more difficult as well."

Go here -> https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/symptoms-and-diagnosis/sight-hearing-loss

"New challenges appear with age. Those challenges can make the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) more noticeable, cause them to come back after many years or even to occur for the first time.

“It really wasn’t until after I retired and moved to be with my family that the [PTSD] symptoms began to be bothersome and disrupt my life, disrupt my family’s life,” says Mary Martin, an Air Force Veteran.

Don’t assume that these changes are a given or that it’s just what happens with getting older. Memories or impacts of trauma can be addressed at any age. You’re never too old to get help, and older adults can benefit from effective PTSD treatments, even for people who experienced trauma decades ago.

It’s common for older adults to minimize and deny the pain they experience from past traumas. They’re more likely to try to cope with these issues by themselves instead of seeking mental health treatment. However, strategies that once seemed to help with PTSD symptoms can be more difficult to maintain as people get older."

Go here -> https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/71727/va-taking-challenges-aging-ptsd/

And here -> https://www.ptsd.va.gov/publications/print/understandingptsd_aging_booklet.pdf

"Veterans are increasingly relying on the Department of Veterans Affairs for long-term care as they age, and with the cost expected to double in the next 20 years, the department must be prepared, the Government Accountability Office has warned.

In 2018, more than 500,000 veterans received long-term care from the VA — either in a nursing home run by the VA, the states or private companies, or through elder care and home support programs. By 2037, the number is expected to increase with rising number of aging veterans, especially those in the highest service-connected disability groups."

Go here -> https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/02/20/gao-va-must-improve-plans-for-providing-long-term-care-to-aging-veterans/

"Robin Vos is continuing what looks like it will be a four-year attack on Gov. Tony Evers by complaining that the state is now short-changing small-town and rural road construction through a completely rational gubernatorial distribution statewide of a relatively modest $75 million in transportation aid. In the process, the Republican Assembly Speaker opened himself to provable allegations of hypocrisy and partisan self-service.

Start with this story which explains how the state shifted $90 million in road funding so Vos’ precious Foxconn project could begin to suck up ever more road-building cash. Does Vos think we will not remember that the state is spending $542 million on Foxconn-related roadwork that is in or connects to Vos’s legislative district – –  road funding which Vos and other Republicans pushed through the Legislature? As an Urban Milwaukee column by the Wisconsin Budget Project noted:"

Go here -> https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2020/03/09/op-ed-the-foxconn-road-to-ruin/

"A new study conducted by Citizen Action of Wisconsin and the nonprofit healthcare research organization Altarum Healthcare Value Hub shows that a majority of Wisconsinites across party lines are concerned about the high cost of healthcare and support government-led solutions.

The survey of more than 1,000 Wisconsin adults, conducted from Oct. 29, 2019, to Nov. 6, 2019, found that four out of five people are worried that they won’t be able to afford healthcare in the future. More than half (53%) of those surveyed experienced healthcare affordability burdens in the past year."

Go here -> https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2020/03/10/wisconsinites-favor-big-structural-change-to-health-care-survey-shows/

And here -> https://www.healthcarevaluehub.org/Affordability-Scorecard/Wisconsin

"It’s where Medicaid expansion bills went to die.

That’s how Rep. Debra Kolste, D-Janesville, describes the Assembly Committee on Medicaid Reform and Oversight. She is one of three Democrats who serve on the nine-member committee which was formed last year and has rarely met.

The decision to expand Medicaid coverage, known in Wisconsin as BadgerCare, has been a politically divisive issue since former Republican Gov. Scott Walker was in office. He, along with the GOP-controlled Legislature, refused to accept federal money to expand Medicaid, which became an option after the Affordable Care Act was signed into law by former President Barack Obama in March of 2010.

That decision will have cost Wisconsin taxpayers more than $2 billion by 2021, even as other states led by Republicans have decided to accept the money and provide more health care coverage."

Go here -> https://upnorthnewswi.com/2020/03/09/no-reform-from-gops-medicaid-reform-panel/

"As a young boy John Lor remembers his father leading a group of Hmong soldiers, men, and boys recruited by the CIA to fight the so-called “secret war” against Communist North Vietnamese forces who waged a life-and-death struggle in southeast Asia.

Go here -> https://upnorthnewswi.com/2020/03/10/opposition-builds-to-president-trumps-hmong-deportation-plans/