Senior Living

/

Health

/

ArcaMax

Commentary: Don't forget the seniors as SNAP benefits are cut

Over the weekend, the federal government temporarily shut off funding for its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, leaving more than 42 million Americans uncertain about how they’ll be able to feed their families in the coming weeks. For many older Californians like me, that cutoff isn’t a mere inconvenience. It’s a gut-...Read more

Christin Klose/PA Media/dpa/TNS

Does your metabolism really slow as you age?

LONDON — Many of us attribute gradual weight gain in middle age and beyond to a slow metabolism, but to what extent is this assumption true?

In a world flooded with health advice and ever-changing diet trends, we consulted Matyas Fehervari, consultant bariatric surgeon at Nuffield Health in the UK, who works extensively with metabolic issues,...Read more

Beginning January 1, 2023, Medicare’s General Enrollment Period rules changed. Now when you enroll in January, February or March, your Medicare Part B, which covers medically necessary outpatient services, will begin on the first day of the following month. Wait past March 31 to enroll in Medicare and your Medicare enrollment time will be delayed until January 1 of the next year, receiving a higher Part B penalty that will go all the way back to the month you turned 65.(Dreamstime/TNS)

Toni Says: What is Medicare’s infamous Part B penalty?

Senior Living / Toni Says /

Toni:

I need your help! I have discovered that my mother, Sarah, who is 67, never enrolled in Medicare Part B or a Part D prescription drug plan when she turned 65. She enrolled in Medicare Part A, which doesn’t have a premium, so that she could pay her monthly bills. A friend told my mother that if she did not go to the doctor, my mother ...Read more

Social Security and You: An Antidote to Maximizing Mania

I've written about my now deceased friend, Don Winters, before. But I can tell from my emails that it's time to share his story again.

Every single day, I get emails from readers who seem to be absolutely obsessed with the idea of "maximizing" their Social Security benefits. And frequently, those emails are almost dripping with anxiety and ...Read more

Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS

At 65, she got her first tattoo. Now she has 17 and feels 'seen again'

LOS ANGELES -- Sandee Althouse walked into a Silver Lake gift shop dressed in an almost austere, simple black dress, her curly black hair graying at the temples. She carried herself like an older and accomplished, if somewhat serious, woman — but with a twist. Both of her arms were covered in freshly-inked tattoos, her left arm still wrapped ...Read more

Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS

At 65, she got her first tattoo. Now she has 17 and feels 'seen again'

LOS ANGELES -- Sandee Althouse walked into a Silver Lake gift shop dressed in an almost austere, simple black dress, her curly black hair graying at the temples. She carried herself like an older and accomplished, if somewhat serious, woman — but with a twist. Both of her arms were covered in freshly-inked tattoos, her left arm still wrapped ...Read more

Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/TNS

Mamdani targets senior voters as he seeks to blunt Cuomo edge with older NYers

NEW YORK — Seeking to curry favor with a constituency that has been somewhat skeptical of him, Democratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani participated in a watercolor painting class with older New Yorkers at a senior center in Brooklyn on Thursday.

His outreach effort received a mixed response.

“He sounds very impressive, but it’s ...Read more

It is extremely important that the 69 million Americans who are on Medicare visit www.medicare.gov to verify that ALL of their prescriptions are covered, whether they have a stand-alone Medicare Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage HMO/PPO plan with a Prescription Drug plan included. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Toni Says: Help! My brand-name prescription drug is not covered by Medicare’s 2026 Part D plans

Senior Living / Toni Says /

Hello, Toni:

You helped me sign up for a Medicare Supplement Plan G and a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan; both plans started January 2021. These two plans have served me well so far.

I just received information that my current Part D plan will no longer cover the Humira that I take twice a month as an injection for ...Read more

Social Security and You: Social Security COLA for 2026

In early October of every year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its much-anticipated report on changes (usually increases) to the Consumer Price Index over the past 12 months. (It was a little late this year due to the government shutdown.) Why is this little esoteric government report -- actually called the Consumer Price Index for ...Read more

Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS

At 93, he's one of Santa Monica's hottest yoga instructors. What's his secret?

LOS ANGELES — Salomon Delgado is one of Santa Monica's hottest yoga instructors.

He's 93 years old.

What?

Let me reiterate: In a city obsessed with youth and brimming with lithe fitness instructors in Lululemon-wear and wireless headsets, a 24 Hour Fitness gym has a secret weapon in Delgado. The nonagenarian yogi has been teaching there for...Read more

Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS

At 93, he's one of Santa Monica's hottest yoga instructors. What's his secret?

LOS ANGELES — Salomon Delgado is one of Santa Monica's hottest yoga instructors.

He's 93 years old.

What?

Let me reiterate: In a city obsessed with youth and brimming with lithe fitness instructors in Lululemon-wear and wireless headsets, a 24 Hour Fitness gym has a secret weapon in Delgado. The nonagenarian yogi has been teaching there for...Read more

The Medicare skilled nursing qualification rule is explained on page 28 of the 2026 Medicare & You handbook in the section headed “Am I an inpatient or outpatient?” One must learn that a stay in the hospital does not always mean you are an inpatient and that you qualify for Medicare Part A skilled nursing facility care. If not, you may have to pay 100% out of your own pocket. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Toni Says: Who pays for a skilled nursing stay, Medicare or you?

Senior Living / Toni Says /

Dear Toni,

My husband recently fell from a ladder, shattered his hip and broke his right leg. After having emergency surgery, Jim is having a stay in a skilled nursing facility for his rehab to learn how to walk on his repaired hip.

A friend recently had a skilled nursing stay and was billed more than expected because she did not have the ...Read more

Social Security and You: Benefit Adjustment at Full Retirement Age

I hear one or both of these rumors about Social Security benefits all the time from readers.

Rumor 1: "I have been told that if I take a reduced Social Security benefit at 62, when I reach my full retirement age, my benefit will be bumped up to my full retirement age amount."

Rumor 2: "I have been told that if I take a reduced Social Security ...Read more

Kathy Witt/Kathy Witt/TNS

Travel Trending with Kathy Witt: American Cruise Lines capture the magic of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands

Set on a rocky outcrop overlooking the chilly waters of the Salish Sea, the lighthouse at Lime Kiln State Park in Friday Harbor in Washington’s picturesque San Juan Islands casts a spell. Not surprising since scenes from 1998’s “Practical Magic” were filmed in Friday Harbor, but primarily because it is home to several enchanting sights ...Read more

Oona Zenda/KFF Health News/TNS

An age-old fear grows more common: ‘I’m going to die alone’

This summer, at dinner with her best friend, Jacki Barden raised an uncomfortable topic: the possibility that she might die alone.

“I have no children, no husband, no siblings,” Barden remembered saying. “Who’s going to hold my hand while I die?”

Barden, 75, never had children. She’s lived on her own in western Massachusetts since ...Read more

Oona Zenda/KFF Health News/TNS

An age-old fear grows more common: 'I'm going to die alone'

This summer, at dinner with her best friend, Jacki Barden raised an uncomfortable topic: the possibility that she might die alone.

“I have no children, no husband, no siblings,” Barden remembered saying. “Who’s going to hold my hand while I die?”

Barden, 75, never had children. She’s lived on her own in western Massachusetts since ...Read more

Use www.medicare.gov to verify that your prescription drugs are covered in your 2026 Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage Part D plan formulary. (Monkey Business Images/Dreamstime/Tribune Content Agency)

Toni Says: Help … Need to disenroll from a Medicare Advantage Plan!

Senior Living / Toni Says /

Toni:

In August, my husband and I enrolled in a Medicare Supplement, which has not paid a medical claim because we were in a Medicare Advantage plan when we applied for the Medicare Supplement. We could not leave the Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare due to Medicare rules.

I was told that Medicare’s Open Enrollment is when Sonny...Read more

Vitali Michkou/Dreamstime/TNS

This geriatrics training program escaped the ax. For now

In St. Louis, a team of students aboard a well-equipped van visits senior centers, a nursing home, a church, and other sites, learning to conduct comprehensive, hourlong geriatric assessments.

The team — future doctors, social workers, psychologists, and therapists — looks for such common problems as frailty, muscle weakness, and cognitive ...Read more

Social Security and You: Don't Drop the Ball

Sometimes people will write to me complaining that the government, specifically, the Social Security Administration, has messed them up and cheated them out of benefits they might have been due. But many times (to use a sports analogy), the ball is in their hands. And if they drop it, they shouldn't look around and try to blame others. Here are ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Feeling a loss of energy as you age? Here’s how to get that spark back

Aging has many benefits, and as your free time increases and many concerns from the past slip away, you can start to truly enjoy these years of your life. However, there is one thing that may stand in the way of all the new excitement heading your way: fatigue.

As you age, you may start to experience your body fatiguing more often, even when ...Read more

 

Related Channels

Amy Dickinson

Ask Amy

By Amy Dickinson
R. Eric Thomas

Asking Eric

By R. Eric Thomas
Billy Graham

Billy Graham

By Billy Graham
Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris

By Chuck Norris
Abigail Van Buren

Dear Abby

By Abigail Van Buren
Annie Lane

Dear Annie

By Annie Lane
Dr. Michael Roizen

Dr. Michael Roizen

By Dr. Michael Roizen
Rabbi Marc Gellman

God Squad

By Rabbi Marc Gellman
Keith Roach, M.D.

Keith Roach

By Keith Roach, M.D.
Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin

Miss Manners

By Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin
Cassie McClure

My So-Called Millienial Life

By Cassie McClure
Marilyn Murray Willison

Positive Aging

By Marilyn Murray Willison
Scott LaFee

Scott LaFee

By Scott LaFee
Harriette Cole

Sense & Sensitivity

By Harriette Cole
Susan Dietz

Single File

By Susan Dietz
Tom Margenau

Social Security and You

By Tom Margenau
Toni King

Toni Says

By Toni King

Comics

Mutts For Better or For Worse Gary Varvel Hi and Lois Joel Pett Gary McCoy