TresSugar

Très Bizarre: Australian Brothels Offer Seniors a Discount

TresSugar — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:00:00 -0700

Next week is National Seniors Week in Australia. In order to get in the spirit, Melbourne brothels and escort services are offering a senior discount! Any brothel or escort aligned with Australian Adult Entertainment will be offering anywhere from $5 off, to a full 50 percent discount on sexual services.

A spokesman for the sex-industry group said:

"Many senior members of the community already use our member’s services, whether visiting a brothel or having an escort visit their place of residence, including aged care residential centers."

It seems seniors are more sexually active than younger generations would think. There's a growing movement for a "privacy room" in nursing homes, places where residents can do anything they want, including having sex. I guess they need somewhere to bring their half-priced escorts!

88-Year-Old Waitress Gives Tips on Her Secret to Success

CitizenSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:51 -0700

If it's Monday-morning-back-to-work time and you're just not feeling it, consider this gal for inspiration: at 88-years-old, Rosie Donaghey is still slinging hash. That is waiting tables - and her gig isn't necessitated by the economy. Rosie’s been working as a waitress since she was in her 70s when she first applied for a job as a waitress. Since then, this fiery lady has become her restaurant’s main attraction.

When at 70 she first applied for a waitress position, the manager thought Rosie was asking for her daughter or granddaughter - but was persuaded into hiring her. Though that restaurant eventually went out of business that same manager moved to another establishment and immediately brought Rosie to work there. Some customers only come in when Rosie's working, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Although Rosie collects Social Security and has the support of her three surviving children should she need it, she still continues working. What does she do with the money? Those that know her think it all goes into the church basket - she never misses a Mass either in person or on TV. As for the service, the restaurant manager said of Donaghey: “She’s a little bit of a spitfire ... She always tries to order for you. You ask for a burger well done and she says, ‘I’ll have it cremated.’ “

Over 90 Percent of Nursing Homes Violate Safety Standards

LibertySugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:45:00 -0700

While senior centers spice themselves up for baby boomers, nursing homes often provide dangerous conditions for their residents. About 1.5 million Americans live in the nation’s 15,000 nursing homes, and life can be scary and void of dignity for this vulnerable population. In a report issued Monday, a federal investigator identified violations in over 90 percent of US nursing homes, finding that for-profit institutions are more likely to have problems. Some red flags included:

Violations included infected bedsores, medication mix-ups, poor nutrition, and abuse and neglect.
Seventeen percent of homes had deficiencies that caused actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
Thirty-nine percent of patient complaints were substantiated.
The investigator said the homes “have systematically failed to provide staff in sufficient numbers and with appropriate clinical expertise.”
Some homes billed Medicare and Medicaid for services that “were not provided, or were so wholly deficient that they amounted to no care at all.”

What can be done? To find out, read more.

Homes with more staff to patients, which of course costs money, provide better care on average. Homes that receive Medicare or Medicaid must meet federal standards. In addition, one of the Bush administration's final actions will be to implement a five-star rating for the quality of nursing-home care this December. Sounds like well-off seniors used to staying in four and five star hotels won't have to do too much work to find comparable new digs. I hope investigations like these prevent the elderly from being victims of profit or greed.

Source

McCain Attends 50th Reunion and My Exclusive Age Research

CitizenSugar — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:00:35 -0700

John McCain is heading to the Naval Academy for his 50th class reunion this weekend. By that complicated math, you can figure it means he graduated in 1958. McCain will definitely be attending the football game this afternoon between Navy and Rutgers.

The pending reunion and longtime, er, awareness of McCain's age led me to conduct a highly scientific opinion poll of his relative fitness to serve among those who might best know: my grandpa's table mates at his retirement home. To see the pretty surprising results of this survey over soup, read more.

Of the five senior citizens assembled, three men and two women, the youngest was 85 years old, the oldest was 91. When asked the question, "Is John McCain too old to be president?" the answer split evenly on gender lines. Both women said that yes, in their opinion 72 was too old to be starting a first term as president. Specifying the first term keeps Ronald Reagan in mind, presumably, who was 72 when campaigning for his second term.

The men saw it entirely differently. To them, 72 was just a "young man," and given his time as a POW, they felt he had more than proved his physical rigor, making his health not a concern. Keeping in mind the youngest man in the survey was McCain's age 13 years ago, does their experience with the age - and how they've felt since - provide a convincing argument?

While you consider that, for the record and in the interest of scientific transparency, it was a survey over spaghetti, not soup . . .

Source

Old Is Great If You're Not Sushi! Japan's Record Centenarians

CitizenSugar — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:01:51 -0700

Well, if there's no other reason to live to the ripe young age of 100, in Japan you get a silver cup and a congrats card from the prime minister if you do. I hope he's bought those suckers in bulk because almost 20,000 Japanese are set to turn 100 this year alone. And they'll have many, many friends in their 5-k age class - there are already 36,276 centenarians in Japan, up a whopping 4,000 since last year. The UN projects that by 2050 there will be almost a million people over 100 in Japan alone. That's 100 gabillion birthdays between them, believe me, I did the math.

Those birthdays almost all warranted pink birthday hats, too - 86 percent of the century club are women. The oldest gal is 113 years old and lives on the island of Okinawa, the oldest man is 112 and likes to write in his diary in the evening. Oh, I want to matchmake these two. The reasons for the good long lives: healthy diet, good medical care, and strong communities - and exercise. Sounds like an easy recipe, right?

Source

How Old Is Too Old? Should Medicare Shell Out for Over 100s?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:00:15 -0700

Seen a lot of sliver foxes running around lately? That's because the population of folks in the US over 100 has nearly doubled since 2000. If the candle-blowing continues like this, within 40 years, it could exceed one million. A million people over 100. Slate has a piece examining the cause and effect of great medical care - people live longer, and consequently require more and more care for many years longer than the Medicare system was equipped to handle - like one woman who received a $35,000 pacemaker the month before her 100th birthday.

Living long is fantastic, but it raises a question: Would the health care money be better spent on younger patients? The piece makes the argument that health is like wealth. Some people are blessed with it, and some aren't - and it floats this theory:

Just as some people have enough money, others have had enough time. If you make it to 100 and can fund your own surgery, that's terrific. But Medicare should focus its resources on people who haven't been as lucky as you. Living to 99 is no tragedy. It's a blessing.

Should there be an age consideration for patients to receive spendy medical procedures for those who've lived good, long lives?

Source

Great News: Sex Gets Better With Age

DearSugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0700

If you were worried that your sex life would start to wither away once you got older, new research should get you excited for old age. It turns out that in a Swedish study, both male and female 70 year olds said they have more sex now than they did in their 40s. If that wasn't promising enough, those same women said their sex lives were more satisfying. How awesome is that? Just as with wine, I guess sex gets better with age! It may have to do with the fact that attitudes about sex and sexuality are more open and positive now, but whatever the case, I'm just glad to know that the elderly are still enjoying intimacy, and that sex in your later years can be better than ever. Doesn't this give you hope?

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How to Help Meal Delivery Programs Hit by Food, Fuel Costs

CitizenSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:30:23 -0700

It's easy to see the economic toll on food and fuel in our own everyday lives - but the effect is trickling down past commuters and bargain shoppers to silver citizens who rely on meal delivery programs to survive. Advocates for the elderly nationwide are concerned that many seniors are going or will go hungry soon - and blame the 20 percent increase in fuel and food prices over the past year, as well as leveling or reduced government subsidies and a failing economy.

According to the Meals on Wheels Association of America, nearly 60 percent of the 5,000 programs have lost volunteers, most of whom say they can no longer afford gas. This has resulted in the elimination or consolidation of entire routes and nearly 38 percent are now serving frozen instead of hot meals. Another 30 percent are reducing personal visits from five to one day per week. To see how some states are fighting back, and what you can do to help, read more.

In West Virginia, where nearly 15 percent of the population is above 60 years of age and more than two-thirds live in rural communities, lawmakers have furnished an extra $1 million to aid agencies with food and gas. Without this assistance, the West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services would be forced to eliminate nearly 113,000 meals and allow 100,000 fewer trips for doctors appointments.

Many states are facing similar hardships for the poor and elderly and in some cases like New York, they won’t be able to provide extra funding - forcing the city to cut back on services. Meetings are currently underway there to decide who will no longer receive meals and visits. In California, senior programs are facing a 10 percent cut in funding.

In the meantime, you can help a senior citizen continue to receive the food aid they need. Check out Meals on Wheels to find out how to how to donate your time, money, or start a new program of your own!

Source

Kenyan Council of Elders Cuts Off Support of Circumcision

LibertySugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:15:00 -0700

Despite its ability to help prevent the spread of HIV, the Luo Council of Elders in Kenya is not down with male circumcision because the practice conflicts with the community's culture.

But more than culture informs the influential council's decision to reject a widespread initiative which would offer free circumcision. Some elders do not believe it actually prevents HIV infection, while others worry that circumcised men would stop wearing condoms. Thus, the elders oppose the effort by the Kenyan government to make circumcision more culturally accepted.

Resistance to circumcision is not the only cultural practice inhibiting HIV prevention in Kenya, where 2.5 million people (out of 35 million) live with HIV or AIDS - the practice of wife inheritance doesn't help either. When a husband dies, the widow often marries her brother-in-law or another man chosen by the elders. As you might imagine, this too facilitates the passing of the deadly disease.

Source

98-Year-Old Woman Knits While Trapped Under Rubble

GiggleSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Italy Earthquake: Elderly Woman Knitted as She Waited For Rescue

When life gives you ~~lemons~~ earthquakes, make ~~lemonade~~ a sweater! That's practically what cute 98-year-old Maria D'Antuono did while trapped for 30 hours under the stone rubble of her home in Tempera, Italy, after Monday's earthquake hit her village. Maria lived with her daughter, and because the quake was so strong, rescuers just assumed she must be dead. In the morning, fireman were astonished to discover her under her bed knitting and crocheting to occupy her time. Fans of crafting everywhere need to give this woman a prize. Go, Maria! Click here to read more about this extraordinary survivor.