Good morning and welcome to agebuzz… Headlining today’s topics:

• Tech Talk: Banks Using Technology To Prevent Senior Scams
• Tailor Made: Brooks Brothers And The Value Of Older Workers
• Home And Away: Temporary Medical Cottages For Recovering Loved Ones
• Anna Says: Words Of Botox Wisdom From Anna Quindlen
• New and Necessary: Rethinking Colon Cancer Screening Tests
• Brief But Spectacular: Writer And Teacher Flossie Lewis On Life At 91
• The Last Word

Tech Talk: Banks Using Technology To Prevent Senior Scams: Senior scams are serious business: The average victim loses $120,000, which adds up to an estimated $3 billion in annual losses nationwide. It’s thus a wise investment for financial institutions to do all they can to stop the financial abuse of older persons. Many banks have now introduced software to track suspicious account activity: frequent cash withdrawals, electronic payments to unknown vendors, additions of unfamiliar names to accounts- all send red flags. To read how new technology is able to trap financial scammers, Read This.

Tailor Made: Brooks Brothers And The Value Of Older Workers: Brooks Brothers has put into practice a wise and true maxim: The older the better- at least when it comes to tailors. At its Long Island City factory, over half of the Brooks Brothers employees are over 55. Realizing that senior tailors make fewer mistakes and excel at their work, this esteemed men’s clothier (itself dating to 1818) works hard to accommodate the needs and schedules of older workers, including time off for health appointments or (grandchildren’s) school events. They even regularly invite back retired workers to help during busy seasons. So tie that tie, straighten your cuffs, and Read This. 

Home And Away: Temporary Medical Cottages For Recovering Loved Ones: No one wants to go to a nursing home: yet medical or health monitoring needs often dictate the rehab facility or nursing home as the only option, especially after a major medical setback. But there’s another, albeit unusual, option: MedCottage, a mobile, modular, temporary medical “home” that can be installed on your property. Manufactured by N2Care, this portable living space, equipped with electricity, kitchen and bathroom facilities, plus the latest in medical monitoring, can provide a private yet readily accessible place for an older relative recuperating from illness. The Benefits? Just outside your back door, this makes for easy visits and more luxurious, private recovery and living.  The Downside? It requires the kind of money and space that few people have. But for those who do? Check This Out.

Anna Says: Words of Botox Wisdom From Anna Quindlen: Pulitzer prize winning essayist and novelist Anna Quindlen is a source of intelligence and truth for millions of readers. In her novels and opinion pieces Anna often captures the emotions and experiences of women of a certain age. Now, in a recent opinion piece first published in Harper’s Bazaar, she has shared her wisdom on the aging face. At 64, Anna Quindlen has decided that botox and other cosmetic fillers are now in her past. As she declares in her heartfelt essay on physical beauty and the meaning of aging, “My face tells a story and I can’t bear to edit it too much.” How did Anna arrive at this conclusion? Read This.

New And Necessary: Rethinking Colon Cancer Screening Tests: Does the word “colonoscopy” turn your stomach and cause you to flee? If so, you are not alone. Approximately ⅓ of individuals for whom colon cancer screening is recommended have not been tested. Yet this is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths nationwide. How to address this gap? The US Preventive Services Task Force has just issued new guidelines for colon cancer screening and among their recommendations: for individuals 50-75, the benefits of screening are substantial no matter which test you use– including virtual colonoscopies and fecal matter screening. These new recommendations should lead to expanded insurance coverage and eliminate co-pays for individuals in the listed age range. For additional information on these life saving screenings, Read This.

Brief But Spectacular: Writer and Teacher Flossie Lewis On Life At 91: In a new weekly video series, PBS Newshour has begun 2 minute presentations of interesting individuals speaking passionately about a particular topic. And so, meet Flossie Lewis: This 91 year old Brooklyn bred, Berkeley educated teacher and writer wants you to know that aging is a state of mind. Still writing and still engaged with the world despite, in her words, her badly crippled body, Flossie opines on the possibility of romance and the craziness of current politics, and on many other matters, making her video brief but truly spectacular. Watch This.

THE LAST WORD: “We could certainly slow the aging process down it if had to work its way through Congress.”  Will Rogers