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Wednesday, April 9, 2025

The Latest in Age Tech

  



We round up the most compelling new Age Tech startups featured at this year's major technology conference. 


Over 80% of adults over 50 own some kind of technology that enables aging at home, and most say they’re highly likely to buy more AgeTech in the future. AgeTech refers to technology that supports healthy and independent aging and care partnership. In a new report, AARP and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) project that AgeTech will become a $120 billion market by 2030. So much for the stereotype that older folks don’t use new technology. 

Tech innovators have defined six domains of aging where AgeTech plays a role.
  • Financial fortitude: affordable technology that helps with budgeting, cost-effective care, and income-earning opportunities.
  • Cognitive resilience: learning platforms and AI-driven mental wellness tools to aid in cognitive health and early detection of cognitive decline. 
  • Social connection: online communities and smart devices that reduce isolation.
  • Holistic health: home-based diagnostic tools like glucose monitors and wearable health monitoring devices.
  • Safety and security: smart home tech and biometric security to support aging in place. 
  • Convenience: voice or touch-activated systems that offer accessible control of home environments.

Each year, AARP hosts an AgeTech Collaborative event at CES, the major technology conference produced by CTA. One of the attractions of the Collaborative is the Startup Showcase, which this year featured about 25 new AgeTech companies attempting to innovate within these domains of aging. 

Here are some of the most exciting health-related ideas to come out of the 2025 Showcase. It remains to be seen whether all these companies ultimately spread their wings and soar, but they’ve gotten off the ground with some promising ideas about the future of aging.

Wesper: Snoring can worsen with age, and with it a slate of health problems including an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. The startup Wesper promises “comfortable, non-invasive at-home sleep testing” with accurate results in an easy-to-read visual format. With two half-moon-shaped sleep patches and a pulse oximeter, Wesper offers not just sleep tracking, but also clinical information about heart rate, body position, respiratory effort, and airflow. Their offer is to bring the sleep lab to your own bedroom, and they advertise that their results correlate 95% to those you’d get in a sleep lab. They’re FDA-cleared and promote their product to both individuals and physicians looking to provide tailored care. Wesper comes packaged as a Sleep Wellness Program for a $75/month subscription fee.

Tuned: Hearing loss is frustrating by itself and has also been linked to a higher likelihood of both falls and dementia. Traditional hearing aids are expensive and can be hard to use–so it's about time that the next generation of hearing aid technology takes center stage. Enter Tuned, and AI-powered self-fitting hearing aid platform that announces they’re “redefining hearing care, making it accessible and affordable for everyone.” Their FDA-approved app walks users through a hearing evaluation and tunes their hearing aids to their comfort, a process that might otherwise need to happen in a doctor’s office. Prices weren’t available on their website at the time of publication.

XanderGlasses: Here’s another innovation addressing the needs of people with hearing loss. Ever wish that daily in-person conversations came with closed captions? The day has finally arrived. XanderGlasses project captions that look like text messages onto the “screen” of the glasses, so that users can read and understand conversations, even in a loud restaurant or other noisy place. The company has worked for several years developing the technology with the Veterans Administration and is now fulfilling orders on their waiting list at the VA. Check their website for updates on when the general public may be able to order closed-captioning glasses. 

Cephable: Click on a link by smiling? Answer the phone by nodding your head? Cephable AI gives users those options and more. They market their technology to businesses looking to help their employees be more efficient, and also to older adults who need accessible options for navigating online environments. Cephable says that while most AI startups focus on output, they’re paying attention to human input to improve the experience of interacting with the tech you already use. Their platform also allows users to attach larger buttons and ergonomic controls to computers and phones in order to facilitate easier use for people with joint stiffness or other mobility issues that make it difficult to use traditional computer or phone controls.

Other startups featured at the showcase included Tembo Health, an on-call dementia care support group, and Perry, a digital wellness platform that aims to close the perimenopause support gap. In an encouraging trend, many of these new tech platforms emphasize better access to reliable, personalized health information at home. 


Sources: 


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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What Can You Do About Car Insurance Premiums?

  



As rates keep rising, audit your current policy to make sure you're getting the best rate. Especially after turning 70. 


Back in December, the SCSA blog offered some tips on how to reduce your home insurance premiums. It will come as no surprise to drivers to hear that car insurance premiums have also shot up over the last several years. In 2025, the average cost of full coverage in the U.S. is up to $2,638, up 12% from last year. And in some states, rates have climbed even more: Florida drivers pay an average of $4,171 per year for full coverage, the most expensive rate in the nation. 

Thankfully, just like with home insurance, there are ways to nudge your car insurance premiums in a downward direction, including special tips for seniors. 

Consider carrying less comprehensive insurance, especially for older vehicles.

This one comes with caveats. You can save big on insurance by paying only for liability coverage, but be sure to look at the whole picture. Most experts will recommend carrying comprehensive coverage in case of non-accident-related damage to your car, and you may be required to have it if you don’t yet own the car. But if your car is older and/or pre-owned, you may be paying more for comprehensive insurance than the actual cash value of the car. 


More Car Insurance Discounts for Seniors

  • While car insurance costs tend to decrease in your 50s and 60s, there’s a tipping point at age 70. Statistically–that is, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety–crash rates start rising after age 70, hence insurers may start raising your rates. What can you do about it? If you notice you’re getting penalized for turning 70, talk with your company and ask them to lower your rate again. They may or may not acquiesce, so, at the same time, start shopping around. 
  • Take a driver safety course. Completing online courses from SafetyServe classes from AAA RoadWise Driver could lower your premium and help keep you safe. One driver https://clark.com/insurance/changes-that-saved-us-1600-annually-on-home-and-auto-insurance/ found they saved about $425 a year on insurance after taking the SafetyServe course.
  • Some companies offer preferred rates for older drivers. The Hartford partners with AARP to offer car insurance with seniors in mind, and they claim an average $577 member savings. Geico’s special Prime Time contract is available to drivers over 50 who meet certain requirements, including no drivers in the household under 25. The policy guarantees renewal year after year.
    Keep in mind that comprehensive insurance will, in most cases, cover damage from flooding, while simple liability will not. Flood risk is one of the reasons that Florida rates have risen so sharply. 

    Shop around every year.

    “If you haven’t given your insurance a hard look in a while, you could be paying too much, not have enough coverage, or both,” says Chuck Bell of Consumer Reports. Many companies give a discount for autopay, and perhaps that’s why… they’d rather you set it and forget it, because you may very well be able to get a better rate with them or another company. Consumer Reports suggests checking with your current company to see if they have any discounts for life changes you may have experienced, such as moving to a different state, getting a new job, or sending a teenage driver off to college. 

    Report your mileage if it’s under 10,000 a year.

    Another life change that can lower your premium is retiring. If you’ve recently retired and are now driving significantly less than you were when you were commuting, check to see if your company (or another one) will lower your premium. For many companies, 10,000 miles per year is a cutoff for discounted rates, and Consumer Reports estimates that people who get this discount save an average of $116/year.

    Hire an independent insurance agent.

    If the thought of having to shop around and compare rates on car insurance makes you want to get in your car and speed away, consider hiring an independent insurance agent to do the work for you. Independent insurance agents represent a number of companies, and their job is to find you the best rate, including from companies you may not have heard of. 


    Whether you do your own research or hire an agent: to paraphrase a certain gecko, it’s possible to save a significant amount of money on car insurance by investing just a little time.



    This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional financial advice from a qualified financial advisor.


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    Friday, April 4, 2025

    When Solo Aging is a Lifestyle

      




    As more people become solo agers, they're creating a new way to age in community. 

     

    For a working definition of solo ager, we like the one put forth by patient advocates Nancy Ruffner and Gerda Maissel, MD: older “individuals who, by choice or circumstances, function without the support system traditionally provided by family.” According to an AARP survey from last year, 13% of adults over 50 live alone and have no living children who would be able to care for them. Of these solo agers, 49% feel “extremely or somewhat optimistic” about their quality of life as they age. Only 22% feel pessimistic. 

    If that level of optimism seems high, it may be because the public perception of solo aging has long been: “avoid at all costs.” But solo aging is no curse. As Ruffner and Maissel point out, the media portrayal of solo agers has improved in recent years; instead of lamenting the lonely fate of “elder orphans,” we’re now hearing more about how adults over 50 are building community. There’s also a growing understanding that many of us will either be solo agers ourselves or experience the kinds of challenges faced by solo agers at some point, in moments when our children and spouses are unable or unavailable to support us. 

    Whether people intentionally chose to age solo or found themselves a solo ager due to circumstances, it can be possible to turn solo aging into a lifestyle that works for them. Here’s some inspiration from people who are doing just that. 

    Placing a Premium on Friendship

    Chicagoan and solo ager David Fink has spent his career in the arts as a theater promoter. “People keep adopting me,” Fink told AARP. “If you live your life with a positive attitude and do interesting things, people befriend you.” In his mid-60s, he says he has friends of all ages because of his many different interests. He serves on the board of an arts organization and takes part in storytelling classes. 

    In her recent book The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center, Rhaina Cohen profiles Barb Buettner and Inez Conrad, two single friends who, as they approached retirement, decided to link up to support each other as they aged. After two decades of friendship, with shared travels and holidays, they chose to move together to a new area of the country with the intention to buy separate houses. But they realized neither could afford a house on their own. “We thought, Well, we never killed each other on a trip,” Buettner said. “Maybe this could work out.” That was in 1998. In her book, Cohen recounts how Barb and Inez formed a partnership that went beyond friends in the way that we typically use the word. They were partners, and eventually, caregivers, granting each other medical and legal power of attorney. 

    While not every solo ager would want or be lucky enough to form this kind of friend partnership, it was life changing for Barb and Inez. They were grateful to have each other to rely on when COVID hit. Today, they have a circle of friends, but they’re still each other’s go-to person. 

    A Solo Ager and Superager

    Hilda Jaffee lives alone in her apartment in Manhattan, as she has for 20 years. She made the move to fulfill a dream–at the age of 88. At 102, she tries to walk 3,000 steps a day, has only a few health complaints, and enjoys grocery shopping and volunteering in her neighborhood. A recent profile in the Washington Post labeled Jaffee a “superager,” a person age 95 and up who has a high level of well-being. She herself attributes her long life to “pragmatism” and a “can-do” attitude.

    Perhaps some elements of her solo aging lifestyle contribute to her exceptional well-being at 102. She told the Post that she likes living alone because she can make all her own decisions. “If a problem comes up, I work it out,” she said. While she has time and space, she doesn’t experience social isolation. Jaffee keeps in touch with family and friends, and she’s a member at the Met Opera and frequents all the major New York museums. She volunteers as a docent at the public library and on the adult education board of her synagogue. 

    “Loneliness, it’s not an issue,” she said. “I have enough to do within my capability.”

    A New Paradigm

    Solo aging comes with challenges, not least of all financial challenges, which are on average more serious for women and minoritized people. Social isolation is a growing mental and physical health risk for older Americans, as well. But as these challenges affect more and more older adults, they’re envisioning new ways to solve the problems that come with aging without traditional family-based support systems. Once boomers and Gen Xers have left their mark on the way Americans age, maybe we won’t even need the term solo ager anymore.



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    Wednesday, April 2, 2025

    Curious About Cannabis? CBD and THC for Seniors

     



    As more adults over 50 use cannabis, stay aware of the benefits and risks.


    Since 2016, April has been National Cannabis Awareness Month. While marijuana remains a federally illegal Schedule I controlled substance, 15 states have now legalized cannabis for medical use only, and another 24 states allow both medical and recreational use. As more and more states lift restrictions on the drug, more seniors are giving cannabis a try. In fact, 21% of adults over 50 have tried cannabis products over the last year. 

    When discussing cannabis products, there’s an important distinction to be made up front between CBD and THC: two sibling phytocannabinoids, a.k.a. compounds produced by the cannabis plant. CBD does not cause a high, while THC does. The two compounds are also legally distinguished by the plants they derive from: either hemp or marijuana, two different species of the cannabis plant. CBD derived from hemp is federally legal, because by U.S. law, hemp is defined as cannabis containing less than 0.3% THC. The legality of CBD products derived from marijuana varies by state, depending on the level of THC they contain. 

    Why Seniors are Using CBD and THC Products

    Some older adults are longtime marijuana users, and others are taking advantage of new laws to give cannabis products a try for the first time. Among adults over 50 in a Michigan Medicine poll, some reasons given for using cannabis include sleep (68%), help with pain (63%) or mental health (53%), and to relax or feel good (81%). That 81% suggests that for many seniors, the high is the point. The teenagers who smoked pot back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s still enjoy toking up today…just without the thrill of breaking the law. 

    For others, a high doesn’t appeal, but the other physical and mental benefits of cannabis do. For these people, the new industry of CBD products provides a boon. According to Madilyn Tucker of SunmedTM | Your CBD Store®, which has over 400 locations nationwide, people try CBD products for all kinds of reasons. “Many of our clients seek CBD as a natural, non-pharmaceutical alternative with benefits that can be truly life changing,” she says. “While some effects are subtle, they can still be deeply meaningful.” 

    For people in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond, CBD can make a difference by helping alleviate everyday aches and pains. “We've had customers regain the ability to walk without a cane, attend their grandkids' soccer games, cook family dinners, and enjoy daily walks again,” says Tucker. 

    In a recent study, CBD use among older adults was associated with overall physical and mental well-being. Other studies are currently underway with the goal of understanding how both CBD and THC may alleviate anxiety and other symptoms associated with dementia and cognitive decline. 

    Before You Try Cannabis

    “For most people, CBD is well tolerated, but potential side effects can include mild drowsiness, dry mouth, or digestive discomfort,” Tucker says. “We always recommend consulting with a healthcare professional, especially if taking medications, to ensure CBD is a good fit for their routine.” 

    It’s wise to talk with a physician because there’s a lot to learn about the benefits, risks, and potential side effects of THC and CBD products, and how they differ. Since these medicines have become more available and widespread only recently, scientific research is catching up, and there’s still plenty we don’t know about how cannabis affects the brain and body. 

    Because of its psychoactive properties, THC side effects may be more concerning than those of CBD. A main issue with THC use is impairment: because THC causes a high, it’s not safe to use while driving. Some people experience paranoia or memory loss with short-term use of THC. There’s also growing awareness of cannabis use disorder, which affects up to 10% of people who start using marijuana. Cannabis use disorder involves regular, heavy use of THC-containing products leading to tolerance and dependency. In the Michigan Medicine poll of cannabis users over 50, more than 20% of respondents reported at least one sign of dependency.

    Also, keep in mind that because of the piecemeal state-by-state legalization of THC and CBD products, most CBD products aren’t regulated by the FDA, so quality varies. Look for companies that do third-party testing and prioritize transparency.

    Happy Cannabis Awareness Month!

    Perhaps, after a decade-long honeymoon since Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012, Americans are growing more cautious about cannabis. Last November, only 55.9% of Florida voters wanted to legalize recreational marijuana, short of the 60% needed to pass the measure. Still, the long-term trajectory seems to point toward legalization. As more people of all ages give it a try, awareness of the different types of cannabis-derived products, and their associated benefits and risks, becomes more important than ever. 


    Sources: 


    Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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    Giving Back to Today's Entrepreneurs through SCORE

      


    The nonprofit SCORE has much to offer both mentors and small business owners--retired or not. 

    Starting a small business is not for the faint of heart. As anyone who’s tried it will attest, a small business entrepreneur has to be their own marketing specialist, HR manager, IT technician, and CEO. The experience can feel isolating unless you strategically seek out mentors. One free resource available anywhere in the U.S., SCORE, aims to support business owners by matching them with experienced mentors. And it works: SCORE helped launch over 31,000 businesses in 2023 alone.

    SCORE Supports at Every Step

    When the nonprofit organization was founded in 1964, SCORE originally stood for Service Corps of Retired Executives. Today, it’s just SCORE, and SCORE mentors are retired, semi-retired, or still working full time in a variety of fields. As a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA), and thanks to its base of talented volunteers, SCORE can offer most of its services for free. 


    Three Ways to Connect with SCORE

    • Small Business Resource Hubs. This free online resource library provides webinars, articles, checklists, and more on key business topics like technology, marketing, legal, operations, and disaster preparation. And, SCORE hosts hubs with special resources for veterans and rural entrepreneurs. 
    • Become a mentor. SCORE is looking for mentors with real business expertise to share and 15-20 hours/month to do so. It’s a great opportunity to give back while learning from tomorrow’s business leaders.
    • Find a mentor. Many CSAs are business owners, and SCORE mentors with expertise in your subject matter are available to support remotely or locally, at any stage of your business journey. 

    To learn more about SCORE, how the organization supports business owners, and what’s in it for prospective mentors, we talked with two long-time mentors at SCORE Manasota: Jeffrey Mullikin and Jose Martinez. The Manasota chapter has between 70 and 90 active mentors at any given time, and some have been donating their time and expertise for 15 years or more. 

    Jose brings over 35 years of business consulting experience to his work with SCORE. From his perspective, Fortune 500 companies and small businesses have similar needs: how to price, how to sell, and how to make money. At SCORE, he says, “We truly help entrepreneurs start up, grow, or spin off their business, every step of the way.” 

    SCORE mentors are a diverse bunch: from small business entrepreneurs to corporate CEOs, with expertise from social media strategy to human resources, financial oversight to risk assessment. And the subject matter expertise among mentors ranges all over the board, too. “These folks are so willing and able to help people with their businesses, even if it's not in their industry,” Jose says. When mentors get together for regional meetings, “It’s so impressive how much brainpower is in one room.”

    Why Mentor with SCORE?

    Giving back is a major motivation for SCORE mentors, says Jeffrey Mullikin. “We may not have called them mentors along the way, but we had folks that were standing with us and giving us guidance and moving us along.” For many recently retired professionals, mentoring with SCORE offers a structured way to share out the expertise built over a lifetime of working and learning in business settings. “Our motivations are about giving back, because we all prospered from that coaching as we came through our careers.”

    Over eight years with SCORE, Jeff has mentored more than 100 business owners at different stages of building their companies. He currently has about 16 SCORE clients, with whom he meets as often as once a week or as infrequently as every month or so, depending on where they are in their journey and how much support they’re looking for. Jeff’s expertise is in information technology, but he’s also well-versed in the big picture of getting a business to where it wants to be. Over the course of his career, he’s consulted with businesses in hospitality, logistics, technology, and many more industries.

    Today, he helps train new SCORE mentors. The one to three-month onboarding process helps potential mentors learn about the organization, decide if the commitment is for them, and how to best support new business owners. “I tell a lot of my folks when I bring them on: well, you've now elevated to full Yoda status,” Jeff says.

    Another reason to mentor, he shares, is that it’s a chance to learn from mentees in different industries and keep up to date on business trends. “My very first mentoring request I got assigned to me was a person that wanted to break plates.” Like, literally? Yes, the client wanted to start a business offering “rage rooms,” where customers break things to relieve stress. “I knew nothing about breaking plates,” says Jeff, “but I used it as a learning opportunity. Not only did the client educate me, I got educated by doing some industry research.”

    Finally, Jeff enjoys when the opportunity arises to work with an entrepreneur whose business takes flight and becomes a big success. “Every so often you get a golden nugget,” he says. “When those happen, not that the others aren’t fulfilling, but it hooks you.” It’s extremely satisfying to feel that, as a mentor, he’s contributed to realizing a client’s dream, and that his client, in turn, is transforming the industry.

    Interested in connecting with your own mentor? 

    At the SCORE website, prospective mentees can search for mentors by geographic area, expertise, and industry. Or, clients can reach out and describe the kind of support they need, and SCORE will match them with a mentor. The frequency and communication method for mentorship can be worked out between the two parties. Some mentorship arrangements may be targeted and short-term. Others, according to Jose, turn into holistic mentorships that last, in one instance, 19 years, continuing as thought partnerships even after the client doesn’t “need” a mentor anymore. 

    Since SCORE was founded, mentors have supported an astonishing 17 million entrepreneurs. CSAs and their clients might find rewards on either or both sides of the SCORE mentor / mentee relationship.




    Sources: 

    https://www.score.org/naples/resource/article/what-does-score-stand-0




    Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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    Famous & 65

    Look who's turning 65 this month

    Find out which celebrities are turning 65 this month!

    April 4 – Hugo Weaving, actor

    British-Australian actor Hugo Weaving became a sci-fi and fantasy icon between 1999 and 2003 when he played prominent supporting roles in two of the era’s biggest hits: The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings franchises. He brought gravitas to both the villainous Agent Smith and the imposing Lord Elrond. He’s also well-known for playing V in 2005’s V for Vendetta alongside Natalie Portman. After taking on voice and screen roles in a couple of Marvel movies in the early 2010s, Weaving was quoted saying he had grown weary of blockbusters and decided to focus on his stage career and smaller productions. His extensive acting resume includes over 70 credits in film, television, video games, and the stage. Weaving was born in Nigeria to British parents; his mother was a tour guide and his father was a seismologist. Today, his on-screen projects include Slow Horses, a British spy thriller currently in its sixth season.





    April 10 – Ruth E. Cater, costume designer

    Ruth E. Carter has designed costumes for some of the most famous directors of the last half century, including Spike Lee and Steven Speilberg. Nominated four times for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, she won twice, for both Black Panther movies. With those awards, she became the first African American to win the Oscar for Costume Design and the first Black woman to win multiple Oscars in any category. When creating the look of the costumes for the Black Panther films, Cater drew from the aesthetic of Afrofuturism and traveled to countries in southern Africa to source inspiration from traditional African designs including textile patterns of the Maasai and Ndebele peoples. Carter’s other costume design credits include Malcom X, Amistad, Do the Right Thing, Serenity, Selma, and Coming 2 America, for a total of 50 feature films. In 2021, she got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.





    April 14 - Brad Garrett, actor and stand-up comedian

    Brad Garrett started out as a stand-up comedian in the 80s, and he’s still a stand-up comedian today, performing regularly at his own comedy club at the District at MGM in Las Vegas. The website of the Brad Garrett Comedy Club https://bradgarrettcomedy.com/ advertises it at the #1 comedy club in Las Vegas. By any standard, that’s a pretty long-running and successful stand-up career. Garrett is also known as a TV personality, starting with his role as Robert Barone on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. His other credits include leading roles as Jackie Gleason in the made-for-TV movie Gleason and Eddie Stark on the sitcom ‘Til Death. Viewers of the Night at the Museum movie trilogy may (or may not) recognize Garrett from his recurring role as the Easter Island Head. The three-time Emmy Award-winner is a California native and UCLA alum.





    April 23 - Valerie Bartinelli, actor and TV personality

    At age 15, Valerie Bertinelli joined the cast of One Day at a Time, and she went on to appear in 208 of the show’s 209 episodes between 1975 and 1984. She won two Golden Globes for her portrayal of Barbara Cooper. In the 90s and 00s, Bertinelli appeared in various TV shows and specials, joining the CBS drama Touched By an Angel for its last two seasons. She also became known for her Jenny Craig spokeswomanship and has published three memoirs on her weight-loss journey. Starting in 2015, Bertinelli worked with the Food Network as a host of four different baking and cooking shows, for which she won two Daytime Emmys. She was once married to and has a son with rock star Eddie Van Halen. 




    Source:

    Wikipedia




    Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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