Good morning and welcome to agebuzz…

Special Holiday Week Edition: The Half Year in Review: Our Most Popular Stories for the First Half of 2017:

-Know Your Stuff: How To Get Rid Of A Lifetime’s Possessions

-Over The Counter: The Safest Pain Remedies For Seniors

-Fashion Plate: The Ageless Style Of Tziporah Salamon

-Talking Sense: Lisa Genova Tells You How To Protect Your Brain

-Tech Talk: Time To Add Some New Apps To Your Phone

-No Way To Say: Finding The Right Words For Difficult Times

The Last Word

Know Your Stuff: How To Get Rid Of A Lifetime’s Possessions: Most of us have been on one side of this equation or the other: either we’ve decided it’s time to downsize or we’re helping someone else do the same…or perhaps even cleaning out a home after a loved one has passed. The question that quickly arises: what to do with all the stuff? Some items may have monetary value, others perhaps just sentimental value. Developing a plan of attack can be an overwhelming process. Over at Next Avenue, you can read some valuable advice about sorting through items, figuring out values and determining the best steps to clearing out possessions. In fact, there’s even an organization called the American Society of Estate Liquidators that can link you with local businesses to help you through this process. So, whether you’re about to start the sorting and sifting, or you’ve decided this may be a second career opportunity for you, check out the suggestions for clearing out the clutter Here.

Over The Counter: The Safest Pain Remedies For Seniors: When an ache or pain arises, most of just reach for the nearest pill in our medicine cabinet. Over-the-counter, commercially available medications like Tylenol, Advil, or Aleve have millions of users, and many of us have our allegiance to one brand over another. But, as geriatrician Dr. Leslie Kernisan describes, these medications can in fact pose serious harm to seniors, and reaching for them on a frequent basis may do more damage than you realize. While everyone needs to check in with a physician about their specific situation, Dr. Kernisan writes about the risks associated with each of these pain relievers and the serious side effects that may result from prolonged use. Who knew? Dr. Kernisan knows, and she shares her wisdom Here.

Fashion Plate: The Ageless Style Of Tziporah Salamon: Few women over 65 can claim to be style icons, but Tziporah Salamon is not like other women. The Israeli-born daughter of Holocaust survivors, she learned about the fashion world from her parents: her father was a master tailor and her mother was a dressmaker. Now a New Yorker, Tziporah’s unique and stand-out style has been regularly featured on Advanced Style, the website of Ari Seth Cohen, and she’s been photographed as a model for multiple fashion campaigns. She’s now out with her own fashion book, published by Rizzoli. InThe Art of Dressing, Tziporah features both her own style and those of other, celebrated older fashion icons, many of whom have their own followers, especially on Instagram. Get the style advice you’ve been missing by checking out her website Here. And read about many of the other women celebrated by Tziporah Here.

Talking Sense: Lisa Genova Tells You How To Protect Your Brain: You may know her as the writer who penned the best selling novel,Still Alice, about a Harvard linguist who develops Alzheimer’s at a young age, and for which actress Julianne Moore won the Academy Award in the movie version of the novel. However, Lisa Genova, the writer of this novel, is also an esteemed neuroscientist, with a PhD from Harvard, and a special ability to take complex medical issues and make them accessible and understandable through her fictional writing. Recently, Dr. Genova gave a TED talk (the influential public lectures in which experts share their ideas) regarding Alzheimer’s and how genetics may not be your destiny, even if you are at genetic risk.  Specifically, Dr. Genova outlines how lifestyle choices have a strong impact on whether, and how, you ultimately succumb to the ravages of Alzheimer’s. It’s a thought-provoking and positive talk on what you can do to take control of your future. So take a look Here.

Tech Talk: Time To Add Some New Apps To Your Phone: A new study from the Pew Research Center captures the moment: 42% of people over 65 now have smart phones, up from just 18% in 2013. Clearly, the trend is for seniors to embrace technology just as younger cohorts have done. However, if you’re still sitting on the sidelines of this trend, perhaps some new apps, available for either iPhones or Androids, will lure you out of the dark and into the light of 21st century technology. A recent piece on Next Avenuefeatured 11 apps that could really make a positive change in your life. From helping you remember where you parked your car to a lit magnifier for reading, to money-saving ideas, these apps are either free or just a one-time nominal fee to get you up and running. So charge up your phone and Read Here.

No Way To Say: Finding The Right Words For Difficult Times: As we get older, we all experience the inevitable difficult times in life: illness arises, loved ones pass away, losses engulf us. These are challenging experiences, both for those going through them and for those who want to be of help. It’s sometimes hard to know what to say or how to be empathetic without putting your foot in your mouth or realizing your attempts to be comforting may be backfiring. But there’s a new resource out there that may come to your rescue: Kelsey Crowe, PhD and Emily McDowell have just published a new book: There is No Good Card For This: What To Say and Do When Life is Scary, Awful and Unfair to People You Love. McDowell already has some experience in this realm: she publishes a line of greeting cards she calls “Empathy Cards” intended for just those circumstances when you don’t know what to say. Crowe is a compassion expert, and together these two women have produced an excellent guide to get you, and your loved ones, through some tough times together. To find out more, check out the book Here and listen to Emily McDowell Here.

THE LAST WORD: “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” Abraham Lincoln