Pension age hike "untouchable" in France debate

2010-09-05T13:50:05Z

PARIS (Reuters) - The French government will consider changes to details of its pension reform proposals but will not back down from the basic plan to raise the retirement age, top advisers to President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Sunday. Trade unions plan nationwide strikes on Tuesday when parliament begins debating the unpopu...

Older people enjoy reading negative stories about young

2010-08-31T11:00:12Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Older people like reading negative news stories about their younger counterparts because it boosts their own self-esteem, according to a new study. German researchers said older people tend to be portrayed negatively in society. Although they are often described as wise, they are also be shown as being slow and forgetful. "Living in a youth centered culture, they may appreciat...

Beetle Bailey nears retirement age, but stays put

2010-08-29T09:15:08Z

He's lazy and near retirement age, but Beetle Bailey stays on duty at comic page Army post

Beetle Bailey is getting closer to retirement age, but the lazy Army private won't be getting a rest anytime soon from his tour of duty on newspaper comics pages. The popular wise guy who appears in 1,800 newspapers turns 60 on Saturday. Mort Walker says he has no ...

Former WY senator apologizes after cow remark

2010-08-27T11:15:49Z

Alan Simpson apologizes for comparing Social Security to a cow; retains slot on WH commission

Former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson has apologized for a recent e-mail comment in which he compared Social Security to "a milk cow with 310 million tits." Some critics want the former Wyoming senator removed from President Bar...

Thousands of elderly Japanese listed as alive may be dead

2010-08-26T11:15:22Z

City halls around Japan have been forced to admit having thousands of centenarians registered as alive who may in fact be dead, including a man born in 1840 at the time of the First Opium War. They were forced into the embarrassing admission after a visit by officials to a man thought to be 111 led to the discovery of his 30-year-old corpse, sparking a media storm and prompting checks on the the very elderly around the country. Himeji City in

U.S. deficit panel chair stirs uproar over remark

2010-08-25T16:02:28Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The co-chairman of a commission on the U.S. budget deficit came under fire on Wednesday after an off-color remark that likened the payment of government retirement benefits to milking cows. Women's groups and some lawmakers called for the resignation of Alan Simpson, a Republican who serv...

Organizing Your Aging Parents

2010-08-25T07:15:46Z

There comes a time in all of our lives when the roles reverse. Suddenly, we are no longer the child and the parenting skills we’ve so carefully honed with our own kids now need to be turned toward our aging parents. It can be one of the most emotionally trying times of your life, especially if you don’t know how your parents feel about certain issues. Unfortunately, too many people wait until it is too late to sit down and have a discussion to learn their needs and wishes. D...

Japan's hunt for missing elderly exposes social woes

2010-08-22T20:15:10Z

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - A Japanese media frenzy over missing centenarians has cast a spotlight on the isolation and loneliness potentially faced by millions of elderly as the government struggles to cope with a rapidly graying population. The panic - and guilt - was sparked by the discovery that a man believed Tokyo's oldest male at 111 had actually been dead for over 30 years with...

How to prepare seniors for a caregiver at home

2010-08-17T10:00:40Z

Wanted: licensed caregiver, to provide full-time, at-home care for elderly parents guaranteed to balk over a complete stranger invading the privacy of their home. Indeed, who ever thought their home would double as a caregiver's workplace? People 65 or older — our fastest growing population segment — increasingly are being persuaded, cajoled and otherwise prevailed upon by their children to open their doors to paid caregivers, whose presence redefines their home. In some case...

Missing centenarians cause angst in aging Japan

2010-08-12T09:00:19Z

As Japan hunts for missing centenarians, pride in longevity turns to aging angst

Japan prides itself on the world's longest life expectancy but is struggling with a disturbing footnote to that statistic — revelations that hundreds of people listed as its oldest citizens are either long dead or haven't been heard from for decades. The mystery of the missing centenarians has captured the attention of this rapidly grayi...

Nearly 200 of Japan's oldest citizens 'missing'

2010-08-11T23:15:22Z

Nearly 200 Japanese centenarians are missing, officials said Thursday, with the total likely to rise amid a nationwide search after the discovery of the 30-year-old corpse of a man registered as aged 111. In the western city of Kobe alone, the whereabouts of 105 out of 847 centenarians were unknown as of the end of July, a city official said. "The city launched an investigation on the condition of the 105 people," the Kobe city official said -- in addition to 22 others who have not acces...

German experts fuel debate about retirement at 70

2010-08-11T09:00:15Z

German think tanks say retirement age eventually will have to rise to 70

Germans are famous for being hard workers — but retirement at 70? That's the prescription of two think tanks, which say years more toil are inevitable due to stubbornly low birthrates and the ballooning costs of the cradle-to-grave welfare system in a country that already has decided to bump up the retirement age from 65 to 67. Germans already feel like the workhorses of Reuters Life!) - Sun, sea and sangria come top of the list for European pensioners seeking to relocate for retirement, a new survey showed on Tuesday. The survey by employee management consulting firm Aon Corporation found that one in four Europeans wishing to retire abroad would like to move to Spain, follow...

Japan PM blames weak social bonds for missing centenarians

2010-08-05T09:15:48Z

Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Thursday blamed the erosion of social bonds for the growing number of centenarians who could not be found by welfare officials in a nationwide search. The probe started last week after a visit by officials to the house of a Tokyo man believed to be aged 111 sparked a police search that found his three-decade-old skeleton...

Asian families struggle to support children, parents

2010-08-04T01:15:49Z

More Asian families are struggling under the pressure of simultaneously supporting their children and ageing parents, a study released Wednesday said. Longer lifespans and women bearing children at a later age have increased the number of Asia's so-called "sandwich generation," said the study by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). "Across the region, ...

Japan searches for missing 'centenarians'

2010-08-04T01:15:48Z

The discovery of the mummified remains of a man supposedly aged 111 has kicked off a frantic search in Japan for other listed centenarians, with media reporting Wednesday that at least a dozen more are missing. Local government officials have fanned out for face-to-face meetings with people registered as aged over 100 -- of whom fast-greying Japan, with its world-beating life expectancies, had more than 40,000 at last count. The latest missing-el...

UK plans to scrap fixed retirement at age 65

2010-08-03T17:45:39Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain announced plans to scrap the fixed retirement age next year, saying it wanted to give people the chance to work beyond 65, but business leaders warned the move would create serious problems. Currently, employers can force staff to retire at the age of 65 regardless of their circumstances and without having to pay any financial compensati...

Japan robots chat, play -- and help find lost specs

2010-08-03T17:31:43Z

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Robots that can chat, find misplaced glasses, draw airplanes and play with your children are attracting thousands of visitors during an expo in Tokyo as Japan adapts to changes in society. Robots, such as the sound-sensitive Chapit, answer simple questions and even joke with people to help the solitary fight loneline...

Japan checks on elderly as centenarians go missing

2010-08-03T17:31:41Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's health minister on Tuesday called for a nationwide check on the whereabouts of elderly residents in response to a media frenzy over several missing centenarians. Revelations last week that police had found the mummified remains of a man thought to have been Tokyo's oldest resident at 111 but actually dead for 30 ye...

Tokyo's oldest listed person, age 113, is missing

2010-08-03T05:30:06Z

Authorities say Tokyo's oldest listed person, 113-year-old woman, is missing

A 113-year-old woman listed as Tokyo's oldest person is missing, officials said Tuesday, days after the city's oldest listed man was found dead and mummified. Fusa Furuya, born in July 1897, does not live at the address where she is registered and her whereabouts are unknown, Tokyo Suginami ward official Japan, a country whose population is ageing rapidly. To ease the burden in a nation with one of the world's highest life expectancies, engineers have come up with technologies to make life easier for the elderly and disabled, and their caregivers. A new robot wheelchair developed at Saitama University near

Government to scrap fixed retirement at 65

2010-07-29T05:15:21Z

Britain will scrap a rule under which people can be forced to retire at the age of 65, the government said Thursday. The move, which comes into effect from October 2011, is expected to mean more people will work for longer, boosting Britain's strained public finances by paying more tax and not claiming the state pension. While employers in a few sectors will still be able to enforce a compulsory retirement age, the announcement ...

Bomb kills five pensioners in Baghdad's Sadr City

2010-07-28T00:45:10Z

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A bomb planted in the median of a road in Baghdad exploded on Wednesday, killing five people standing in a line to collect their pensions and wounding 12 others, a police source said. The blast hit a queue of pensioners outside a state-owned bank in the Iraqi capital's Sadr City slum, a Shi'ite area, the sour...

Fujitsu launches 'easy-easy' computer for elderly

2010-07-27T09:16:22Z

Japan's Fujitsu launched new personal computers for the elderly on Tuesday, its latest "Raku-Raku" or "easy-easy" model equipped with a Japanese character input system for the touch panel. Users can start with a simple menu screen tailored to the needs of senior citizens, while a troubleshooter key allows them to jump to a special website and other navigators to obtain necessary information,...

Fujitsu launches 'easy-easy' seniors' phone

2010-07-21T03:15:51Z

Japan's Fujitsu launched a new mobile telephone for the elderly on Wednesday, its latest "Raku-Raku" or "easy-easy" model, with a large, crisp display and one-touch Internet access. Users of the phone, designed in Japan for telecom giant NTT, have access to a special website with travel and gourmet information tailored to the needs of senior citizens, as well as news, weather and transport d...

France launches bill to raise retirement age

2010-07-12T21:15:37Z

The French government was Tuesday to officially launch plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, in a sweeping overhaul of the pensions system that labour unions have vowed to fight. The plan is a centrepiece of President Nicolas Sarkozy's reform agenda as he eyes a reelection bid in 2012, but it has been overshadowed by a huge political funding scandal that hit his Labo...

Georgian matriarch celebrates 130th birthday

2010-07-14T13:59:33Z

SACHINO, Georgia (Reuters Life!) - Antisa Khvichava spends most of her time in bed these days, but she rose on Thursday to greet guests for a birthday party -- her 130th, according to relatives and official documents. "I feel a bit weak, but I don't want to stay in bed," Khvichava said, her ...

Greek MPs adopt pension reforms in face of debt crisis

2010-07-07T14:30:23Z

Greek deputies approved a bill on the reform of the private-sector pension system late Wednesday, voting to raise the retirement age to 65. Socialist deputies and two independents backed the measure, considered a key plank of the government's programme to pull the country out of its financial crisis. The move was opposed by right-wing and far-left parties, including the communists. 79555196&bid=informcom" />

Copyright 2010 Robert Butler, a Pulitzer Prize-winning expert on aging who coined the phrase "ageism," has died in New York City, his daughter said Tuesday. He was 83. He died Sunday of leukemia at Mount Sinai Medical Center

Ariz. retirement community turns golden

2010-07-05T16:30:14Z

Golden age for Arizona retirement community; Sun City turns 50

"Wake up and live at Sun City" was the slogan and jingle that builder Del Webb used to push his retirement community northwest of Phoenix in 1960. The idea for a retirement town in the Arizona desert was outrageous and revolutionary. On Jan. 1, ...

European states must raise retirement age: EU

2010-07-05T09:15:53Z

European governments must consider raising the retirement age in their countries to ease pressure on public finances and prevent the explosion of their pension systems, the European Commission said. Weak growth, ballooning national debts and higher unemployment "have made it harder" for all systems to make good on pension promises, the commission says in a document to be presented Wednesday. "Ensuring that the time spe...

Will you live to 100? Scientists say it's in your genes

2010-07-01T12:15:55Z

Explorers the world over have long sought the fountain of youth, but now researchers claim they have hit upon something tangible: genetic sequences that can predict whether you'll live to the ripe age of 100. A team of scientists from Boston University studied over 1,000 centenarians to develop a system of genetic analysis by which they can predict -- with a 77-percent accuracy rate -- whether someone has a strong chance o...

Testosterone gel linked to heart problems

2010-06-30T16:04:09Z

BOSTON (Reuters) - Testosterone treatments may build muscle mass in older men, but they may carry a risk of heart problems in people with poor mobility, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. The Massachusetts study, reported online by the Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith of Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative party announced plans to "reinvigorate" Britain's pensions system. "Britain used ...

France to raise retirement age from 60 to 62

2010-06-16T05:30:09Z

Labor minister says France to raise retirement age from 60 to 62 in 2018

France will raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 in 2018 in an effort to get the country's spiraling public finances under control, the labor minister said Wednesday. Eric Woerth called the measure — already strongly opposed by the opposition Socialist Party and labor unions — a "re...

Sons more likely to swindle their mums: report

2010-06-15T00:16:12Z

Sons are more likely to cheat their elderly parents out of money than daughters, according to an Australian study that indicates the financial abuse of seniors may be on the increase. With Australians generally living longer and becoming wealthier, the issue of how families handle inheritances and the transfer of assets is becoming increasingly important, the report for Victoria's State Trustee found. "The data we were able to find confirmed that the majority of older people coming to th...

French unions strike to keep right to retire at 60

2010-05-27T06:00:11Z

French strikers protest President Sarkozy's plan to raise retirement age past 60

Strikes across France delayed flights, closed schools and frustrated commuters Thursday as workers protested government plans to raise the retirement age past 60 — one of the lowest even in Europe. President Nicolas Sarkozy says re...

Obit Butler

2010-07-06T17:30:43Z

This Nov. 9, 2007 photo provided by the International Longevity Center-USA shows Dr. Robert Butler, a leading expert on aging who coined the term "ageism" or age discrimination, in 1968. Butler died of leukemia in New York, Sunday, July 4, 2010. He was 83. (AP Photo/International Longevity Center-USA) NO SALES

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France Retirement Age

2010-06-25T05:30:33Z

France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon delivers his speech on retirement, Friday June 25, 2010 in Paris. Fillon is calling for an unprecedented national effort to cut spending and defending a plan to raise the retirement age, despite union protests. Unions who staged marches Thursday are angry about

Britain Pensioners Playground

2010-05-19T09:45:35Z

Pensioners Horton Kennedy, 81, left and Eve Margolis, 79 enjoy a piece of equipment in London's first pensioners' playground in Hyde Park, London, Wednesday, May 19, 2010. The outdoor facility features keep-fit equipment to help adults in their later years to keep fit and improve strength and flexibility. (AP ...

Severe Weather

2010-03-30T15:32:05Z

West Warwick, R.I., firefighters evacuate an elderly resident from her flooded house near the Pawtuxet River, Tuesday, March 30, 2010. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

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Oldest American

2010-03-26T22:39:16Z

FILE - This May 17, 2006 file photo shows Mary Josephine Ray during her 111th birthday party in Westmoreland, N.H. She died Sunday, March 7, 2010 in Westmorland at age 114. The Gerontology Research Group says that until her death, Ray was the oldest person in the United States and the sec...

Fighting Aging