Senior Health News

Lloyd Bentsen Has Died at 85

Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr., a Texas patrician who made a sizable fortune in private business and an even bigger name in national government as a U.S. senator and Treasury secretary, has died, family members said today. He was 85. (chron.com)

World's Oldest Person is 128

According to national records, Cruz Hernandez was born on May 3, 1878, in one of the central provinces of El Salvador, where she gave birth to 13 children. She now has 60 grandchildren, 80 great-grandchildren and 25 great-great grandchildren. On Wednesday she celebrated her 128th birthday, a milestone that might make her the world's oldest person. (REUTERS)

Walking Test Predicts Future Health of Seniors

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh report that for people in their 70s, the ability to walk a quarter-mile may predict their risk of developing heart disease, becoming disabled, and dying.

"The ability to complete this walk was a powerful indicator of health outcomes," Newman says in a University of Pittsburgh news release. "In fact, we found that the people who could not complete the walk were at an extremely high risk of later disability and death. (WebMD.com)

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Indonesian Author Pramoedya Ananta Toer Dies

81 year-old Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer died at home on Sunday surrounded by his family.

"My father died peacefully at 8.55 a.m.. He had dedicated his whole life to this country through his work," his daughter Tatiana Ananta told The Associated Press. "We all have lost a great father, a great author. I am very proud of him." (Washington Post)

Caspar Weinberger Dies at 88

Caspar Weinberger, U.S defense secretary under President Ronald Reagan, died today at age 88, his family said.

Weinberger died about 5 a.m. in a hospital near his home in Mount Desert, Maine. He had recently been treated for pneumonia. (chron.com)

Designer Oleg Cassini Dies at 92

Famed Italian designer Oleg Cassini has died in New York City at the age of 92. The cause of death is undisclosed. Cassini was famed for creating Jacqueline Kennedy's stylish dresses.

Mr. Cassini said that shortly after John F. Kennedy was elected, he persuaded Jacqueline Kennedy to use him for her total look, rather than as one of many designers. He had long been a family friend. (Washington Post)

Actress Maureen Stapleton Dies

Maureen Stapleton, the Oscar-winning character actress whose subtle vulnerability and down-to-earth toughness earned her dramatic and comedic roles on stage, screen, and television, died Monday. She was 80. (kansascity.com)

Darren McGavin Dies at 83

Darren McGavin, an Emmy-winning actor who worked almost constantly in television for almost 50 years and made an enduring mark on popular culture as the grizzled has-been crime reporter in the 1970s series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," has died. He was 83. (latimes.com)

Don Knotts Dies at 81

Don Knotts, the skinny, lovable nerd who kept generations of television audiences laughing as bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show," has died. He was 81. (Forbes.com)

Al Lewis of 'Munsters' Fame Dead at 82

Actor-comedian Al Lewis, who played Grandpa on the famed 1960s sitcom "The Munsters," died Friday night, friends said yesterday.

Lewis was widely reported to have been born in 1910, but his son Ted said yesterday that his father was born in 1923 and was 82. With an unforgettable face and an ever-present cigar, in his later years "Grandpa Al" became a popular New York restaurant owner who was active in politics and even ran for governor.

Gerald Ford Hospitalized With Pneumonia

Former President Ford was undergoing treatment for pneumonia Monday at the same facility where he was briefly hospitalized a month ago, his chief of staff said. He was said to be doing well. (excite.com)

Gerald Ford Hospitalized

Former President Ford, suffering from “a horrible cold,” was in the hospital Tuesday for what his chief of staff called routine medical tests.

Ford, 92, was admitted to Eisenhower Medical Center late Monday and was expected to be released Wednesday, spokeswoman Penny Circle said. (MSNBC)

High-tech Gadgets to Improve Seniors' Lives

New technology is aimed at helping senior citizens improve their quality of life. As tech-savvy baby boomers age, companies are anticipating a huge market for products to help seniors.

Researchers dreaming up such high-tech innovations to make the lives of senior citizens easier are convening this week at an unusual technology exhibition at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Woodley Park. The event, timed to coincide with a once-a-decade White House Conference on Aging, is open to the public today. (Washington Post)

U.S. Life Expectancy on the Rise

A new study shows that although life expectancy is steadily rising each year, the number of Americans aged 55 to 64 who suffer from high blood pressure and obesity is on the increase.

U.S. life expectancy has been rising almost without interruption since 1900, thanks to several factors, including extraordinary advances in medicine and sanitation, and declines in some types of unhealthy behavior, such as smoking.
Still, health officials are trying to draw attention to unhealthy behavior, and this year chose to break out data on people 55 to 64. (Washington Post)

Seniors Find Medicare Drug Plan Options Bewildering

They came equipped with notepads of questions and lists of medications, and with the thick red-white-and-blue handbook "Medicare & You." Nearly 200 strong, they came looking for help in figuring out which among dozens of bewildering plans would buy them the most medicines for the least price. (Washington Post)