Aging and addicted: The opioid epidemic affects elderly, too – Chicago Tribune

As the nation grapples with a devastating opioid epidemic, concerns have primarily focused on young people buying drugs on the street. But America’s elderly also have a problem. Over the past several decades, physicians have increasingly prescribed seniors pain medications to address chronic pain from arthritis, cancer, neurological diseases and other illnesses that become more common in later life.

Read the full article at Chicago Tribune.

Aging In Place Needs Out Of The Box Thinking – The Wall Street Journal

While low-income older adults desperately need funding and support, 70% of older Americans (70 million people) do not qualify for government or not-for-profit programs but, at the same time, cannot afford expensive retirement communities or 24/7 care. These people have some resources and most want to age in place.

Read the full article at Forbes.

1/2/2017 – Without Any Family, Aging Adults Rely On Friends For Help – NPR

Some older people don’t have children or other family members to fall back on when they need care. Instead, they find that networks of friends can take up the slack.

Read the full article at National Public Radio.

Finding reasons to be cheerful gets easier with time

“When you focus on emotionally meaningful goals, life gets better, you feel better, and the negative emotions become less frequent and more fleeting when they occur,” says Laura Carstensen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity.

Read the full article at Chicago Tribune.