Baby boomers avoid making living wills because they feel too young and healthy.

Who can even think of writing a will between yoga class and triathlon training?

Kathy Brandt says wills and health care proxies are a good idea for everyone whether they are healthy and young or older and not so healthy.

Brandt, a senior vice president at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, said the two documents can spare families a painful fight and ensure that patients receive — or don’t receive — the medical treatment they wish should they end up in a situation where they can’t speak for themselves

Saving loved ones from making the tough decisions as we age could be the kindest gift of all at the end of our lives.

Should we be concerned about elderly drivers?

Reese Witherspoon was hit by an elderly driver this week which has prompted the conversation.

“When is it time to surrender the car keys?”

It is not an easy conversation to initiate but as Baby Boomers age it will be increasingly necessary to discuss the driving ability of an aging population.

In a study released in January, scientists from the University of Rochester suggested older people have trouble driving because they have a heightened awareness of people and cars moving around rather than what’s right in front of them. In particular, drivers over 80 have an elevated crash risk when trying to deal with more complex road situations, such as intersections, left turns and reacting to an imminent crash, according to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The American Automobile Association estimates 37 million drivers will be 65 and older by 2020, and 90 percent of them will be licensed. Drivers 85 and older has surpassed 3 million.

Harvard researchers suggest that Middle-aged women who drink alcohol in moderation have a better chance than nondrinkers of staying healthy as they age.

Moderate drinking; 3-15 drinks per week for women, showed 28% higher odds of being free from chronic illness, physical disability, mental health problems, and cognitive decline at age 70.

The study applied to middle aged white women and while it is not a prescription to start drinking or to over indulge it is encouraging for those who imbibe in moderation.

If you think that being overweight effects only the obese then think again.

Obesity is fast replacing tobacco as the single most important preventable cause of chronic non-communicable diseases, and will add an extra 7.8 million cases of diabetes, 6.8 million cases of heart disease and stroke, and 539,000 cases of cancer in the United States by 2030.

Some 32 percent of men and 35 percent of women are now obese in the United States, according to a research team led by Claire Wang at the Mailman School of Public Health in Columbia University in New York. They published their findings in a special series of four papers on obesity in The Lancet.

Here are a few Alzheimer’s facts that might keep you motivated to exercise and stay fit.

An estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s disease (2010).

This figure includes 5.1 million people aged 65and older and 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer’s.

One out of eight people age 65 and older (13 percent) has Alzheimer’s disease.

Women, who on average live longer than men, are more likely than men to have Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s is the most frequent cause of dementia, accounting for 70 percent of all cases of dementia in Americans aged 71 and older.

By 2030, all baby boomers will be at least 65 years old.

That year, the number of people aged 65 and older with Alzheimer’s is expected to reach 7.7 million, more than a 50 percent increase from the 5.1 million age 65 order older currently (2009) affected.

Learn more about the benefits of exercise for Alzheimer’s.