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

-Only As Old As You Feel: Who Now Counts As Middle-Aged?

-You Gave Now Save: Billions In Unclaimed Senior Benefits

-Planning in Advance: Make Sure You Know What Your Bank Requires

-Health Check: What Women Need at Every Age

-Pass The Greens: More Data on the Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet

-It’s In Vogue: Harvey Nichols Celebrates Vogue With A Model For The Ages

-The Last Word

Only As Old As You Feel: Who Now Counts As Middle-Aged?: How old is old? Well, according to a new poll, the traditional retirement age of 65 is now solidly middle-aged! A recent survey by the esteemed Marist Institute for Public Opinion found that a majority of Americans now consider someone age 65 to be comfortably middle-aged rather than a proverbial senior citizen. According to their poll, the older the respondent, the more likely they were to expand the age limits for middle-age. So put away that AARP card and Read This.

You Gave Now Save: Billions In Unclaimed Senior Benefits: Despite the existence of Medicare and Social Security, millions of senior citizens continue to live in poverty in this country. For many, however, benefits do exist to ease their financial burdens- if only they were aware of such benefits.  Estimates are that $20 billion worth of assistance for senior citizens is unclaimed each year. The National Council on Aging has an online guidebook to help seniors and their caregivers become better educated about the discounts, vouchers and other sources of assistance for which they may be eligible.  Want to learn more? Read This.  

Planning in Advance: Make Sure You Know What Your Bank Requires: No one enjoys planning for the possibility that they can no longer handle their own affairs. Yet this sort of advance planning is an essential way to ensure your wishes are respected and your finances are in order. One easy to use tool is the Durable Power of Attorney form that is available in each state. However, many banks and financial institutions refuse to honor the state issued forms. Instead they insist that customers execute the bank’s own forms- a common if not totally legal hoop you may have to jump through to carry out transactions on behalf of someone else.  So, a word of advice: Make sure you check with each financial institution you or your loved ones use, to ensure the correct forms are one file with that bank or institution- do this before dementia or decision making decline sets in.  Who knew this was a thing? Read This.

Health Check: What Women Need At Every Age: A not uncommon scenario: A caregiver (usually a woman) runs herself ragged caring for an older parent, younger children, co-workers and needy friends. What’s missing from this picture? The caregiver’s own health and well being. The US Dept of Health and Human Service’s Office of Women’s Health has declared the second week of May as National Women’s Health Week. To celebrate, they have published a guide for how women at every age, from the 20s to the 90s, can take care of themselves. To learn about the tips, tests and advice recommended for women in every decade of life, Read This.

Pass The Greens: More Data On The Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet: Looking for yet more reason to include fruits, veggies, whole grains and olive oil (and less red meat) in your diet? The NU-AGE project of the European Union has new data to support the health value of a Mediterranean style diet. Research carried out by the project, focusing on how to improve quality of life for the over 65 population of the EU, demonstrated decreasing levels of an inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein, from the study enrollees who were on this diet. This protein is one of the main inflammatory markers linked to the aging process. The research also showed that people on this diet who suffer from osteoporosis had a reduced rate of bone loss. So sprinkle on the olive oil and Read This.

It’s In Vogue: Harvey Nichols Celebrates Vogue With A Model For The Ages: Turns out that Queen Elizabeth is not the only Britain celebrating a special birthday this year. Celebrating its own centennial, British Vogue is being feted by the fashionable folks of London, including the luxury retailer Harvey Nichols. To mark the occasion of 100 years of British Vogue, this department store took out an ad in the magazine featuring its own 100 year old beauty: Marjorie “Bo” Gilbert. To read all about this stylish senior model, and to watch her preparation for her Vogue debut, Read and Watch This.

THE LAST WORD: “They say that age is all in your mind. The trick is keeping it from creeping down into your body.” Anonymous