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Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Alcohol Use in Retirement: When a Habit Becomes a Health Risk

   



Retirement is often seen as a time to relax and enjoy life after years of hard work. For many, this newfound freedom leads to more social gatherings and leisurely activities, which can include alcohol use in retirement. While occasional drinking may be an everyday occurrence, it can sometimes turn into a daily habit, affecting both physical and mental health. Over time, what starts as a way to unwind can develop into a pattern that becomes harder to manage. It’s essential to understand the potential risks that excessive alcohol use can bring as people age and the need to rely on the right support systems. Recognizing these patterns early can help retirees make informed decisions and take steps toward maintaining their health and overall well-being.

When Drinking Becomes a Habit

Drinking can easily shift from a casual habit to something more habitual, especially in retirement. Retirees often have more free time, and lifestyle changes such as isolation, boredom, or loss of routine can increase consumption. What may begin as an occasional drink to unwind can slowly develop into a regular part of the daily routine. This shift is not always obvious, but certain signs can point to a growing dependency. Frequent cravings, drinking earlier in the day, or consuming larger quantities than before are warning signs. Drinking can impact daily life, affecting mood, energy levels, and overall physical health.

Regular drinking may also interfere with retirement goals, including staying active or maintaining strong relationships. With aging, older adults face unique physical and emotional factors that make them more susceptible to alcoholism. The increased risk of alcohol abuse in this age group can lead to severe health problems if not addressed. Recognizing these changes early and seeking help is important to avoid long-term harm. Identifying the signs of alcohol dependency early can help retirees regain control and protect their health.

The Social Aspect of Drinking in Retirement

Social gatherings often become a regular part of life after retirement, and drinking plays a significant role in these events. During family celebrations, community events, or casual meetups, retirees can turn to alcohol. Drinking in social settings helps spark conversations, build connections, and create shared experiences. Many people use liquor as a way to unwind and relax. In some cultures, it is a symbol of leisure and enjoyment, especially during retirement when individuals have more free time.

However, this social aspect of drinking can sometimes mask unhealthy drinking patterns. Retirees might feel pressured to drink to fit in or keep up with others, especially if alcohol is a central part of social gatherings. As a result, it may become more than just a drink; it may turn into a social tool for feeling included or for relaxation. Although moderate drinking may seem harmless, over time, the association with relaxation can lead to habitual drinking. Around 4% of elderly adults suffer from alcohol use disorder. This shift can have negative consequences on physical and mental health, making it important to recognize the risks early.

 

Mental Health Impacts

Alcohol use in retirement often intersects with mental health, as retirees may struggle with emotional and psychological challenges. Loneliness and isolation can lead to increased drinking as a way to cope with these feelings. While drinking might temporarily numb negative emotions, it can make mental health problems worse over time. It can worsen depression and anxiety, leading to a cycle of dependence and emotional distress.

Retirees who rely on liquor to manage stress may find it harder to break free from this pattern. As the consumption increases, so does the risk of more severe mental health issues. Retirees are encouraged to find healthier coping mechanisms, such as exercise, hobbies, or fun activities, to manage feelings of sadness or anxiety. Seeking professional support, such as therapy or counseling, can help retirees develop better strategies for dealing with stress without turning to drinking. Recognizing the connection between alcohol and mental health early on can help prevent long-term consequences.

Physical Health Impacts

The body’s ability to process alcohol decreases as people age, leading to stronger effects with smaller amounts. Older adults become more vulnerable to falls, accidents, and impaired coordination when drinking. Alcohol weakens balance and reaction times, making even simple movements more risky. It also interacts with chronic diseases such as heart disease, liver conditions, and diabetes, potentially worsening symptoms or hindering treatment. For instance, drinking can raise blood pressure, making it harder to manage hypertension.

Additionally, it may interfere with medication effectiveness or cause harmful interactions. Many medications commonly prescribed to older adults, such as those for pain, better sleep, or depression, can have dangerous side effects when combined with alcohol. Even moderate drinking can reduce the body’s ability to respond to these medications properly. Understanding these risks is important as it helps retirees make informed decisions about consumption.  


How to Cut Back on Alcohol Use in Retirement

Cutting back on alcohol requires a clear plan and some practical steps. Here are some strategies that can help retirees reduce their consumption in retirement:
  • Set realistic limits for drinking, such as reducing the number of drinks per week or choosing liquor-free days.
  • Identify triggers that lead to excessive drinking, such as certain social situations, boredom, or stress. Knowing your triggers helps you avoid them or handle them differently.
  • Use healthier alternatives like non-alcoholic drinks, herbal teas, or sparkling water when feeling the urge to drink. This can reduce the craving without compromising social interactions.
  • Create a support system by talking to friends, family, or a healthcare provider about your goal to cut back. Having others to lean on makes it easier to stay committed and motivated.
  • Track progress and celebrate small milestones. Recognizing your success helps build confidence and keeps you on the right path.
Making these changes gradually will lead to healthier habits, which can improve overall well-being.
 

When and Where to Get Help

Professional support offers retirees the guidance needed to cut back or stop drinking. Several options are available, including counseling, therapy, and rehabilitation programs. These services focus on both the emotional and physical aspects of drinking. Retirees can also find helpful local and online resources to assist in overcoming alcohol-related issues. Community support groups dedicated to battling alcoholism in seniors, online forums, and dedicated programs are great ways to connect with others facing similar challenges.

Doctors can assess the situation, recommend safe drinking limits, and offer resources for treatment. Many retirees hesitate to reach out for help, but talking to a healthcare provider can be the first step toward improving overall health. Professional counseling or local support systems provide retirees with the tools they need to regain control and move forward in a healthier direction.

Conclusion

Recognizing and addressing alcohol use in retirement is vital for maintaining both physical and mental health. By seeking support, setting limits, and finding healthier coping strategies, retirees can reduce the risks associated with excessive drinking. With the right guidance and resources, it’s possible to enjoy a fulfilling, healthier retirement, free from the negative impact of excessive drinking.

Meta Description: Learn how to manage alcohol use in retirement and reduce health risks with practical tips and support options available

Focus Keyphrase: Alcohol Use in Retirement

Author’s Bio:
Alex Alonso is the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Business Development at Bright Futures Treatment Center Florida. He specializes in creating strategic business development relationships to expand the center's reach and impact. With a strong focus on growth and collaboration, Alex works to drive the center's success and help people in the struggle while building valuable partnerships within the industry.


Friday, August 8, 2025

How to Stay Safe from Malware

    



It used to be imperative to install third-party antivirus software on personal computers. Do you still need to buy a service to defend against malware in 2025? 


Malware Still Plagues the Web

Malware–or “malicious software”--has infested the Internet since its earliest days. Your computer may have a malware infection if you notice a sudden loss of memory space, slower operating speeds, aggravating pop-up ads, unusual changes to your browser or system settings, or a complete and total crash. Any of these symptoms could mean that malware is operating on your computer to lock, steal, or encrypt your data. 

Criminals use malware to access bank accounts or other sensitive information directly. They can also, in the case of ransomware, keep a victim’s data hostage and demand a ransom. A computer virus is a specific kind of malware that can replicate itself and, just like a virus in a human immune system, inflicts all kinds of problems in a computer’s operating system. Viruses often don’t have any criminal demands behind them, but they still wreak plenty of havoc. 

Malware is proliferating more than ever, with billions of attacks each year. One study found that malware attacks rose 87% over the past decade. Perhaps that’s partly because we have many more devices now, and smartphones and tablets are just as susceptible to malware as computers are. (Macs and iPhones almost never fall prey to viruses, but they’re susceptible to other kinds of malware.)

To protect your data, privacy, and assets online, it’s essential to protect against malware. The question becomes: what, if anything, should you pay for that protection? 

Why You Might Not Need an Anti-Malware Service

Thankfully, all devices these days come with built-in anti-malware programs that work well to deter most threats. The biggest player, Windows Defender, can be counted on to protect your PC from most malware. Android phones and Mac devices all possess high-quality standard protection, too. 

More good news: unlike in the early days of the Internet, most of the applications we use online now have their own antivirus protections built in. Email providers scan attachments for malware, and browsers will automatically block pop-ups and warn users when they may want to turn around rather than encounter a potentially threatening site. 

To make the most of these basic but effective layers of protection, be sure to update operating systems and install the latest browser versions when they become available. 

…And Why You Might Want to Pay for One Anyway

We all live on the Internet to different degrees, and what malware protection you need depends, in part, on where you tend to hang out on the Internet. For one thing, frequent visits to the dark web will invite viruses into your operating system. 

Some people who don’t have a heightened risk for catching a computer virus may still have heightened concerns about privacy and safeguarding extra-sensitive data. For these folks, paying for extra malware protection may be worth it. A paid service may catch malware that built-in software misses, and can provide peace of mind. Plus, now that AI is turbocharging scams and malware, these services are fighting fire with fire. All the providers below advertise AI-powered protection against malware. 

If you decide that you want that extra layer of protection, here are some of the most highly-rated anti-malware services on the market. 
  • Malwarebytes. With personal and business plans, Malwarebytes’ Premium Security plan starts at $49.99/year. They claim to catch malware that other systems miss every second, around the globe. 
  • Norton 360 Antivirus. According to the reviews we read, this lead player doesn’t miss: its in-depth scan was shown to be 100% effective at catching viruses in a user test by Cybernews. https://cybernews.com/best-antivirus-software/ Their intro rate for one year starts at $39.99.
  • Bitdefender. This company offers plans for multiple devices across various operating systems, starting at an intro rate of $54.99/year for up to 5 devices.

Whatever You Choose, Stay Vigilant

Don’t let any anti-malware service lull you into a false sense of security. Regardless of whether or not someone has anti-malware installed on their computer or phone, phishing remains the number one online threat. Phishing involves an attempt by criminals to lure a person into believing they are talking with a reputable institution, a known individual, or a person in need, and then stealing money or data. Not even the most sophisticated or expensive anti-malware software can protect you from that kind of attack. Check out this recent SCSA blog post to learn more about how to guard yourself from phishing attacks. When it comes to online safety, anti-malware programs are nice to have, but the very best defense is critical thinking.    


Additional sources:


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

Five Reminders About RMDs for 2025

  




If you’re over 73 and haven’t thought about RMDs yet this year, here are some reminders to help you hold on to more of your money.

Sweater weather is around the corner, but for now we’re still enduring the heat and humidity of summer. At least we still have almost half the year to meet fitness goals, declutter the house, and, of course, withdraw Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from retirement accounts. The deadline is December 31, the end of the tax year. 

The stressful thing about RMDs is that they are, as the name suggests, required by the IRS, and thus there’s a penalty for withdrawing less than the minimum. The penalty rate is 25% of what you failed to withdraw by the deadline. As an example, if your RMD is $50,000, and you only withdrew $25,000, you would owe 25% of the remaining $25,000, or $6,250.

Handing back money you’ve carefully invested over the course of a lifetime? Let’s not even go there. It may make sense to delay taking the full distribution until near the end of the year, but keep an eye on the calendar: the most important rule of thumb for managing RMDs is to never wind up paying that 25% penalty. Here are 5 RMD reminders for 2025 to help you stay well ahead of the December 31st deadline. 

1. Turning 73? This is your year. In general, your first RMD must be withdrawn before April 1 of the year after you turn 73. (For those born in 1960 or later, the age of first RMD will bump up to 75.) However, be aware that while you could take both your first and second RMDs in the same year, that income may push you into a higher tax bracket. Delaying usually only makes sense for people who are still bringing in a hefty paycheck.

2. Your RMD changes every year. To calculate your current year’s RMD, divide the account balance as of December 31 of the previous year by a life expectancy factor provided by the IRS (access the most recent tables here. For example, if you are 74 years old with a traditional IRA balance of $200,000 at the end of the prior year, and the IRS life expectancy factor for your age is 25.5, your RMD would be $200,000 divided by 25.5, or $7,843.14. This is the amount you would need to withdraw by the end of the year to avoid a penalty. 

3. Know which retirement accounts are subject to RMDs. The following accounts are all subject to RMDs: 401(k), 403(b), and similar workplace retirement plan accounts; SEP IRAs; SIMPLE IRAs; and Traditional IRAs. Roth accounts don’t have RMDs–neither Roth IRAs nor, more recently, 401(k)s

If you have multiple IRAs, you need to calculate the correct RMD for each account, but can then withdraw that total amount from any of the IRAs. As you approach 73, it’s a good idea to evaluate any retirement accounts you hold and talk with a financial advisor about the possibility of consolidating them. 

4. Timing matters, and it’s complicated. A financial advisor will also be able to support the best decision on timing RMDs to minimize both risk and tax burden according to your particular situation. Some people choose to take a lump sum RMD at the start of the year in order to simplify distributions, have the money in hand, and leave no chance of missing the end-of-year deadline. Another benefit to the early withdrawal approach is that, if the account holder passes away that year, their heirs won’t need to figure out how much money to withdraw to avoid the penalty before December 31. 

Other people prefer to withdraw in installments in order to maximize their money’s potential tax-deferred gain inside the account, or for cash flow purposes. A risk to withdrawing in installments is the human error that can occur when the account holder is calculating their own RMD rather than leaving that math to the bank. And of course, leaving the withdrawal until later in the year runs you the risk of missing the deadline and being levied that penalty. There are many more pros and cons to each approach to withdrawal timing, so a professional’s advice will benefit anyone with questions. 

5. Reduce your tax burden in a given year by giving to charity. In 2025, you can generally give up to $108,000 directly to a charitable organization out of your retirement account, without owing tax on that donation. For people with significant tax-deferred assets, this approach can save them thousands of dollars in taxes while supporting their charitable goals. 

If you aren’t yet subject to RMDs, another way to lower your all-time taxes owed is to start RMDs before age 73 and reinvest the money into a Roth IRA. By converting to Roth, you pay taxes in the year you make the withdrawal, but then potentially avoid jumping up into a higher tax bracket down the road, while also building up tax-free savings. 

As we move into the second half of 2025, taking time to review the status of your RMDs can make a big difference in the money that ultimately ends up in your pocket in retirement, especially if that review helps you avoid a penalty. Make your withdrawals work for you–not against you. 



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


Make Your Wishes Known: Choosing a Health Care Proxy

   


No matter one’s age or health status, every adult should name a health care proxy.


No one wants to put their loved ones in the position of having to make a painful decision, and perhaps that’s why a majority of Americans haven’t named a health care proxy. Even though having the conversation can be difficult, everyone 18 and older should complete an advance directive. 

Advance Directives: Living Will vs. Health Care Proxy

Advance directives are legal documents that communicate your wishes for your own healthcare in the event that you are unable to do so yourself. The two most common advance directives are a living will and a health care proxy form. A living will lays out your wishes for your medical care. A living will can detail a variety of medical situations and how you would want to be treated in each instance: for example, tube feeding, medical ventilation, medication, palliative care, and emergency care including CPR. 

A health care proxy form (also called a durable power of attorney for health care) designates a person who may make medical decisions on your behalf should you be unable to make decisions for yourself. Depending on the state where you live, this person may be called a health care proxy, surrogate, agent, or representative. Sometimes this person is also called a medical power of attorney or attorney-in-fact. It’s important to keep in mind that this person doesn’t have the power to make financial decisions on your behalf. 

Having a combined advance directive–that is, both a living will and a health care proxy–sets the stage for a more peaceful end-of-life experience for the person and their loved ones. With a living will, family members will never come to the point of having to make a painful decision, wondering if they chose correctly what their loved one would have wanted. The decision is already made. Advance directives also enable better care on the part of the healthcare team and support palliative care decisions. 

Choosing a Health Care Proxy

The Conversation Project offers a helpful resource for navigating the process of choosing a health care proxy. Usually, people choose their spouse, an adult child, a parent, or a sibling. But a health care proxy doesn’t have to be family: this can be any trusted person who can be reached in case of an emergency and understands the values of the person for whom they may be making a life-or-death decision.  

According to the Conversation Project, while you may have the option to name two health care proxies, it’s considered better to choose just one. In fact, some states dictate that individuals can only have one health care proxy, and it makes sense: putting two people in charge, especially within the same family, especially during an extremely difficult time in their lives, invites interpersonal and possibly legal disputes. Plus, even minor confusion about the wishes of different acting proxies can prevent the medical team from providing timely and appropriate care.

While you should only ever name one health care proxy, it’s smart to designate an alternate proxy in case your primary health care proxy cannot fulfill their duties. Some other factors to keep in mind: your proxy need not live locally, because they can make decisions over the phone. Current members of your care team may not be named as your proxy. 

If you don’t choose your own proxy, the law will choose one for you, and in most cases that person will be your spouse, parent, adult child, or close family member. Depending on the state and the person’s close living family, the law may select a professional guardian. A guardian would do their best to make decisions according to the person’s wishes, without having met them.

You can choose the same person to be your financial power of attorney and your power of attorney for health care, but these are distinct roles. And while you can pay someone to be your health care proxy, it’s not as common as hiring an expert to be a financial power of attorney. When selecting a health care proxy, no expertise is as important as their knowledge of you as a person, and your conviction that they have your best interests at heart. 

Being a Health Care Proxy

Choosing a health care proxy can be an emotional challenge, and the same goes for fulfilling the role of a proxy. The Conversation Project offers another guide for people who find themselves in the position of a health care agent. 

The first reminder in the guide is: “There is no perfect proxy.” Don’t let fear of making a mistake keep you from taking on this important role for a loved one. The key qualities in a proxy are a knowledge of the person and their values, and an ability to give voice to what you understand to be the person’s values in a difficult situation.

If someone asks you to serve as their health care proxy, be sure to have a conversation  together about what the role means to each of you. (The Conversation Project guides will support you.) When you’re ready to fill out the legal forms, you don’t need a lawyer’s help. The National Institute on Aging lists various sources when you can find the forms you need for free, including specific forms for veterans.

Many health care proxies never need to make a decision on their loved one’s behalf. But for those who do, having discussed and prepared beforehand eases the experience. Serving as a health care proxy is a gift we give to those we love.


Additional sources:


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

Thursday, August 7, 2025

College Is for the Young at Heart

  


If you're 60 or older, you can likely enroll in public university courses for free. 


What would you learn if you could learn anything? According to a recent study by AARP, more than half of Americans over age 45 are actively engaged in learning something new. The top reasons for identifying as lifelong learners are to stay mentally sharp and in control of personal well-being. A study published in a journal of the Gerontological Society of America earlier this year bears out the truth of these motivations. The authors found that people over 65 who engaged in “late-in-life learning,” represented in the study by attending training courses about monthly over a period of six years, demonstrated better cognitive function over that time.

Other reasons to crack open the books in retirement include learning new skills for a retirement gig, or finally finishing a degree. Some people choose to go back to college after 60 to meet new people of different generations and expand their social circle. Others are loving the proliferation of online learning options so that they don’t have to leave the house and can learn on their own schedule. Best of all, most seniors need not pay to attend public universities. 

Public Colleges and Universities Want Seniors in the Classroom

With all these benefits for older adults, most state university systems have policies that allow for people over 60 or 65 who are retired to attend classes at low cost, often for free. In many cases, the university asks that retirees wait until enrolled students have registered for classes, and then sign up for courses that still have space available. 

In some states like Illinois, California, and others, tuition remission for seniors is enshrined in statute, along with certain eligibility requirements like income limits. Usually, older students must complete an application process, although it isn’t as in-depth as the application that high school seniors need to complete.

Here are a few examples of state university systems that open their doors to seniors, for free.
  • In Louisiana, anyone over 55 is eligible for free tuition at state colleges and universities, and can also expect to have registration fees waived and to pay 50% for textbooks. (But be aware of other fees like the Building Use Fee and Energy Fee.)
  • In Minnesota, seniors over 62 are guaranteed free tuition at any Minnesota state college or university.
  • Kentucky state law allows for free tuition at state schools for people over 65.

If finishing a degree for credit is part of your plan, be sure to check the policies around credit-bearing courses. Some states and universities allow for auditing by default and may charge a fee to award credit.

Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes: A Focus on Older Adults

Some seniors enjoy the intergenerational experience of taking a class with students of traditional college age, and younger students, in turn, tend to say they enjoy sharing class time with seniors. Other retirees feel more at home with students of a similar age, and for these folks, joining an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute could be ideal. Founded by the Bernard Osher Foundation, OLLIs operate on over 125 university campuses across the United States. At the University of South Florida, for example, the mission of the membership-based OLLI-USF is to “provide intellectual stimulation, social interaction, service opportunities, and outreach to the university and the greater community.” Summer course offerings this year include “Easy AI: Using ChatGPT for Everyday Tasks,” “Genealogy Made Easy,” “Looking at Florida History from Folklore,” “Ukraine vs. Russia: Deep Historical Roots and the Reality of Today,” and “Writing Your Life.” 

In addition to courses, OLLIs offer shared interest groups, or SIGs. Some examples from USF include a Florida Gardening SIG, German Conversation SIG, and a Self-Hypnotherapy Support Group SIG. Designed by and for their students, OLLIs are as diverse as their members. 

Colleges Come to the Senior Center

In a newer trend, some colleges are reaching out to senior centers and hosting college courses where older adults already hang out. Last year in New Jersey, for example, Fairleigh Dickinson College brought several undergraduate courses including American history, world history, musical studies, film study and evolutionary science to the FellowshipLIFE senior center. With the rapidly-growing population of older Americans, this trend is likely to expand as universities seek to go where the people are, and work to meet the academic interests and needs of the older generations. 
 

Additional sources:


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Get in the Game: Unique Ways to Support Sports Teams

  



Volunteer with your favorite local or professional team, and join the action on or off the field.


Ah, autumn…crisp air is on its way, and with it, fond memories of playing fall sports. Plus, we’re entering many people’s best-loved time of year: football season. If you’ve been yearning to get back in the game, consider volunteering. Odds are that your favorite sport can use support–at all levels, from kids’ community teams to professional leagues. 

Ask Your Alma Mater What They Need

A great place to start looking for a sports-related volunteer opportunity is your alma mater: high school, college, or university. Reach out to the athletics office and identify yourself as an alumnus looking to give back to the community. The services these teams need might not be glamorous, like setting up snacks or cleaning equipment, so it’s good to be willing to start small. Other schools might need help with fundraising events or, of course, coaching (more on that below). The big sports schools may have special volunteer opportunities, too. The Penn State All-Sports Museum, for example, looks for volunteers to act as docents and greet visitors to the museum.

Join the Volunteer Team for Tournaments Hosted in Your City

These opportunities don’t come around everyday, but that makes them all the more exciting. National and international tournaments taking place in your city will need help to carry off a successful event, and volunteers make the magic happen.
  • FIFA World Cup 2026 is coming to various cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico next year, and NOW is the time to apply to join the volunteer team. The application closes in August. “FIFA World Cup 26™ volunteers will be part of a once-in-a-generation team,” FIFA says, “helping bring to life a tournament uniting three countries, 16 Host Cities and billions of hearts around the world.” For soccer fans, this is not a chance to be missed.
  • The Special Olympics take place all year around the country, and they need volunteers for long- and short-term tasks. Bringing together people with intellectual disabilities in competition through 32 Olympic-type sports, the Special Olympics looks for volunteers to help organize events, serve as coaches, and even join in the game as unified partners, or athletes playing alongside the Special Olympians. 

Team Up with the Professional Leagues as a Stadium Tour Guide

If you’re a big-league fan of baseball or football, consider becoming a stadium tour guide. In most cases, tour guide is a part-time job that requires an application process, perhaps a competitive one. But if you get your foot in the door, this position could be an ideal retirement gig: what could be better than getting paid to hang out at the stadium and share your knowledge of the team with fellow fans? Sample job postings from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Green Bay Packers refer to qualifications like “public speaking/theatrical performance experience,” an ability to “share fascinating stories and historical facts about the Dodgers,” and availability on game weekends.

Be the Coach

Coaching youth sports is a calling. For those whose lives were shaped by their experiences playing sports as a kid, giving back through coaching can be supremely rewarding. Sports build skills and character traits like teamwork, perseverance, discipline, and knowing how to have fun. Coaches are the teachers who make it all possible. Coaching basketball, softball, track, swimming, soccer, or any other youth sport will be a major time commitment, so consider starting off as an assistant or substitute coach if you want to try it out first. To find volunteer coaching positions, in addition to reaching out to local schools, try contacting your town’s recreation department. The YMCA also needs volunteer coaches. 

Get Out on the Field as an Athlete

The National Senior Games are an Olympic-style multi-sport event held at local, regional, and national levels in the U.S. for adults over 50. As NSG Director of Health and Wellness Andrew Walker described in CSA Journal recently, the Games engage over 100,000 participants in the U.S. each year. Many of these athletes started playing their sport in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. The National Senior Games hold that athletics, including high-quality competition, can be life-changing at any age. One way to get involved is as an athlete, and the Games also need volunteers to support with registration, event set up, scorekeeping, guiding spectators within the venues, and transportation and hospitality needs. 

With so many ways to support healthy competition in the community, there’s no reason to stay on the sidelines this fall.

Additional source:

Famous & 65

  

Look who's turning 65 this month

Find out which celebrities are turning 65 this month!

August 1

This influential voice in hip-hop emerged in the late 1980s as the co-founder and frontman of the politically-charged rap group Public Enemy. Over dozens of albums, he used music to challenge racism, inequality, and media bias. With landmark albums like It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Fear of a Black Planet, he helped redefine the potential of rap as a force for activism. In 1997, he published Fight the Power: Rap, Race, and Reality with Yusuf Jah. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, he’s also collaborated with supergroups like Prophets of Rage. Answer: Who is…. (click here to reveal)?



August 7

This Princeton and Yale-educated, multi-Golden Globe-winning actor, writer, and musician rose to fame in the 1990s on TV and in films like Playing God, Evolution, and Return to Me. He later starred for almost 8 years as the hedonistic novelist Hank Moody on the Showtime series Californication. He’s authored several well-received novels including Holy Cow and Truly Like Lightning. Also a singer-songwriter, he’s released three rock albums. But he’s still best-known for playing the skeptical FBI agent Fox Mulder on the groundbreaking sci-fi series The X-Files. Answer: Who is…. (click here to reveal)?



August 10

This Spanish-born actor’s smoldering charisma started capturing international audiences in the 1990s. He first gained attention under the direction of Pedro Almodóvar in arthouse films Matador and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!. Then he crossed over to popular blockbusters: The Mambo Kings, Interview with the Vampire, Desperado, and The Mask of Zorro. When his voice had become iconic, he lent it to Puss in Boots in the Shrek franchise, a role he’s reprising for Shrek 5 in 2026. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his autobiographical turn in Pain and Glory. Answer: Who is…. (click here to reveal)?




August 17


This actor-director first rose to fame in the 1980s with roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Bad Boys. He would go on to earn a reputation as one of the finest leading actors of his generation in films like Dead Man Walking, Mystic River, and Milk—the latter two garnering him Academy Awards for Best Actor. Known for disappearing into complex characters, he’s also made his mark behind the camera with directorial efforts such as Into the Wild. The actor is also known for his off-screen activism and humanitarian work, including relief efforts in Haiti and Ukraine.

Answer: Who is…. (click here to reveal)?



August 24


This Hall of Fame shortstop and third baseman became a symbol of quiet excellence in Major League Baseball. He spent his entire 21-season career with the Baltimore Orioles, earning 19 All-Star selections and two American League MVP awards. But he's best known for breaking Lou Gehrig’s seemingly unbreakable record by playing in 2,632 consecutive games—earning him the nickname “The Iron Man.” Over his career, he racked up over 3,000 hits and more than 400 home runs. 

Answer: Who is…. (click here to reveal)? 




Source:

Wikipedia




Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors