Senior Citizen Odds and Ends

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Odds & Ends for Senior Citizens

Gov. Palin May Want to Reconsider Dividing U.S. into Good and Bad: Red States Lead in Suicide and Murder

Can’t divide good and bad by senior citizen populations – 2004 reds dominate large and small states

Oct. 21, 2008 - Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, may be shocked to learn that of the ten states with the highest suicide rates, nine are red states that supported President George Bush in 2004. This list even includes her home state of Alaska and Sen. John McCain’s home state of Arizona. She may want to rethink her suggestion that some parts of the nation are less American than others after seeing these facts. Read more...

How to Deal with Cranky Senior Citizens is Topic of Online Discussion

Be aware that many things in society are not easy for elderly citizens, says wikihow.com

By Tucker Sutherland, editor & publisher

Sept. 8, 2008 – Just to get your blood pumping, we want to provide you a link to a Website that is trying to educate their readers on “How to Deal with a Cranky Senior Citizen.” They also have a discussion going on the topic and we thought many of our readers may want to join in. Read more...

Odds & Ends for Senior Citizens

Obesity and Depression May be Chicken-or-Egg Conundrum

The treatment of depression and obesity should be integrated

June 3, 2008 – Millions of older Americans battle obesity and depression but new research suggest it is one of those chicken-or-egg type of things - or, maybe more like a Catch 22. People who are obese appear to be more likely to become depressed, and people who are depressed are more likely to become obese. Read more...

Memory Tip for Senior Citizens: Convert it to Fewer Syllables

Prices remembered more easily if they have fewer syllables, study finds

June 22, 2006 – Most senior citizens wrestle with their memory and worry about losing it. Now some researchers have come up with an idea that may just help – reduce the syllables in what you want to remember. Read more...

Lung Cancer Surgery No More Dangerous for Senior Citizens Than Others

March 21, 2006 - Lung cancer patients should not be denied surgery based on their age, concluded UAB researchers Robert J. Cerfolio, M.D., and Ayesha S. Bryant, M.D., in a study of 726 patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Researchers compared morbidity, mortality and long-term survival rates among different age groups, including patients younger than age 70, those between 70 and 74, 75 and 79, and 80 and older.

They found no significant difference in hospital length of stay, major morbidity or death rates during surgery between the elderly groups and the younger control groups. “Short-term risks and long-term survival are similar to younger patients,” Bryant said. The award winning study was presented at the 2006 Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ meeting in Chicago.

Three Millions Seniors Seek Food Assistance

Feb. 23, 2006 – There are three million senior citizens among more than 25 million Americans --including nearly 9 million children – that receive emergency food assistance each year from America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network of charitable agencies. This is an 8 percent increase since 2001, according to a report released today.

Maybe Senior Memories Not That Bad

A new study by Ipsos Insight says those past retirement age are better at identifying brand names than younger Americans, despite the marketing focus on Baby Boomers.

Hunger in America 2006, based on 52,000 face-to-face interviews with people seeking emergency food assistance and more than 30,000 agency surveys, is the largest, most-comprehensive study ever conducted on domestic hunger. The study was commissioned by the America's Second Harvest Network and sponsored by Altria.

About 70 percent of the clients seeking emergency food assistance are living below the federal poverty line, and nearly 40 percent have at least one adult working in their household. Seventy percent of clients are living in food insecure households-not knowing where they will find their next meal-and 33 percent of those clients reported experiencing hunger - that is, being completely without a source of food. About 39 percent are white; 38 percent are black; and 17 percent are Hispanic.

For more information on Hunger in America 2006, please visit http://www.hungerinamerica.org.

Pennsylvania Seniors No Longer Receive Reduced Unemployment Pay

Dec. 17, 2005 – As senior citizens live longer healthier lives and struggle to keep up with the cost of health care and energy, more are going back to work. It is making big changes in this country as demonstrated clearly by a law signed yesterday by Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell that changes unemployment compensation rules to now longer deduct Social Security from the unemployment checks paid to senior citizens. Read more...

Nov. 17, 2005 – An Irish hospital may have moved a big step forward in reducing the dread many senior citizens have about moving into a nursing home. St. Mary’s Hospital in County Monaghan provides a bar for its elderly patients and their guests. It helps attract more visitors for the residents, too. Go to the rest of the story for link to interview with the Irish nurse...

Sept. 16, 2005 - Early Thursday evening, Elmer Sherwin, 92, eyed a Megabucks machine at the Cannery Casino & Hotel in North Las Vegas with a feeling it might be lucky. It was. It paid off in a way few can imagine when he became the first person in the history of Megabucks to win the top award twice. The $21,147,947 jackpot comes 16 years after his first Megabucks top jackpot of $4.6 million at the Mirage in 1989.

With this jackpot, Sherwin will make a second donation to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and continue to share with his family, including his son and daughter-in-law in Las Vegas. The lucky winner just could not resist surprising his family with the win. He planned to let them hear of his jackpot on the news. "I want to see the looks on their faces when they hear," said Sherwin.

Sept. 6, 2005 – Sometimes you just should not jump to conclusions. A couple who thought each had stood the other up on a date did not meet again for 58 years but now they are about to marry.

Following a series of dates they agreed to meet at the cinema - but there was a mix-up over which cinema they were supposed to go to and they both ended up thinking they had been stood up.

The pair met again in April 2005 when they moved into their new sheltered accommodation at Bridge Court in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, U.K.

Although George didn’t recognize Beryl at first, they hit it off again decided that they weren’t going to miss out a second time and agreed to marry.

The happy couple is going to be married on September 24 at Wolverhampton Registry Office.

Aug. 11, 2005 – Lung cancer, the number one killer of both men and women, but the disease is different in the sexes. It is important to note these differences says the Society for Women’s Health Research.

“Nonsmoking women are more likely than nonsmoking men to develop lung cancer. Environmental factors other than smoke play a role in the development of lung cancer in nonsmoking women. The small amount of research available suggests that, when exposed to an environmental carcinogen, nonsmoking women are more susceptible to DNA damage than nonsmoking men. We clearly need more research into these differences so that we can reduce the cancer rate and some day find a cure,” say Sherry Marts of the Society.

The Society is at the forefront of encouraging expanded research on lung cancer, which develops differently in women and men. Current research is insufficient to understand the extent and nature of those differences or apply them to improved care for all patients.

A 2003 Society meeting identified important sex differences in the genetics and basic biology of lung cancer; described sex differences in response to environmental and chemical toxins that can lead to lung cancer; and distinguished sex differences in smoking-related behaviors and the implication of those differences for prevention and treatment of lung cancer. A report on the meeting, “Sex Differences in Lung Cancer: From Genes to Behavior,” is available on the Society’s Web site – Click Here.

The Society’s Web site also features extensive information on health differences between women and men in lung cancer and smoking – Click for lung cancer or Click for smoking.

A June 2005 public opinion survey commissioned by the Society showed that breast cancer is the disease that women most fear, despite the fact that lung cancer kills more women. More information on the survey is available by clicking here.

July 11, 2005 – Now let’s see – you can have coronary bypass graft surgery in the U.S. or you can have it in Canada. The outcomes are the same, but, it cost you 82.5 percent more to have it done in the U.S. The cost? An average of $20,673 in the U.S. vs. $10,373 in Canada.

The difference in total in-hospital costs is almost equally attributable to differences in direct and overhead costs between the Canadian and U.S. hospitals. This cost differential primarily reflects higher resource prices for products and labor and higher overhead costs in the United States, resulting from a non-socialized medical system, say authors of the new study.

However, U.S. hospitals also appear to streamline services better to reduce hospitalization. The authors say it is a strategy Canadian hospitals might emulate. In Canada, hospitalization is 16.8 percent longer than in the United States.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of illness and death in both countries, with an estimated direct cost in the U.S. of $209.3 billion in 2003, including $94.1 billion in in-hospital costs alone.

The report is in the July 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

June 27, 2005 - According to the estimates in The World Health Report 2004, by the UN’s World Health Organization, there were 57 million deaths in the world in 2002. The broad category of all "noncommunicable diseases" killed 33.5 million people; communicable diseases, maternal and perinatal conditions, and nutritional conditions killed 18.3 million people worldwide; and external causes of injuries killed 5.2 million people.

The results of ranking the leading causes of death are subject to the “cause categories” used. The broader the cause categories used, the more likely they will rank among the top leading causes of death.

Spanish men who refuse to lift a finger around the house are facing new legal sanctions. MPs in Spain have drawn up a marriage contract for use in civil ceremonies which obliges men to share household chores and the care of children and elderly family members.

The new law, which will be introduced this summer in Spain, promises a revolution in a country where nearly half of all men admit to doing no housework at all.

One man said, "I am getting married this autumn so I am learning things I've never done before: ironing, cleaning floors and doing the washing up. The contract he will sign at his civil wedding ceremony this September will oblige him - by law - to share domestic responsibilities with his partner. Failure to do so will affect the terms of any divorce settlement.

A study five years ago concluded that Spanish fathers spent an average of 13 minutes a day looking after their children. And only 19% of Spanish men thought it was right for mothers of school age children to have a full-time job.

Margarita Uria is the MP who set up the new law, which the Spanish parliament unanimously.

"Older generations will never change. Old Spanish machos are set in their ways," says Maria, a shopkeeper. "The younger generations probably will change eventually but because society is evolving, not because of this law."

A number of women's rights groups in Spain say they oppose the housework law because it belittles the issue of sexual equality.

May 31, 2005 – The battle never seems to end – is wine good for your health or does it seem this way because wine drinkers are just healthier people. The latest shot is new research showing that wine drinkers simply live healthier lifestyles than beer drinkers, liquor drinkers or non-drinkers.

Wine drinkers exercise more, eat healthier diets, smoke less and have more normal body mass than people whose preference is beer or mixed drinks, according to research from the Prevention Research Center. Wine drinkers are more likely to be vegetarians, and they also have higher education levels, which has been associated with better health. Wine drinkers also don't drink as much as other drinkers, and so they have fewer alcohol-related problems than people whose preference is beer or liquor. In several health categories, such as body mass, diet and exercise, wine drinkers are healthier than people who don't drink at all, says the study in the publication Drug and Alcohol Dependence. It was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Incidentally, if you feel you have a problem with alcohol use or curious about how your drinking behavior might be affecting your health, visit AlcoholScreening.org. It is a free service of Join Together, a project of the Boston University School of Public Health. The site launched in April 2001, and has since had more than 550,000 visitors and screened nearly 300,000 people.

May 27, 2005 – Now this may be an idea worth pursuing. In the Philippines the government has mandated a five percent senior citizen discount on 15 basic commodities. The Manila Bulletin reported today the government is urging seniors to lodge complaints against establishments that do not give them the discount.

The government, which mandated 20 percent discounts by drugstores, hospitals and restaurants for seniors in 2003, recently implemented the five percent discount for senior citizens on basic commodities such as canned sardines, canned tuna, coffee, powdered filled milk, bread, white and brown sugar, cooking oil, instant noodles, luncheon meat, meatloaf, corned beef, preserved or ready-to-cook pork, beef, and chicken, and powder or bar laundry soap.

May 24, 2005 - The idea that your bladder shrinks as you get older may be nothing more than an old wives' tale according to a University of Pittsburgh study of adult women. The feeling may, however, signal a treatable underlying condition.

"Many of us, after reaching a certain age, notice that we have to urinate more frequently and with more urgency. The standard assumption, that seems to have become part of our folklore, is that your bladder shrinks as you get older. We found that this may not be the case," said Neil Resnick, M.D., professor and chief, division of geriatric medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

The researchers found that while bladder and urethral function deteriorate throughout adult life, bladder capacity rarely changes.

Women with normally aging bladders had weaker bladder sensation; while women who experienced increased bladder sensation actually had an underlying condition called detrusor overactivity (DO). DO is a common condition, often referred to as overactive bladder, where the detrusor muscle that controls the emptying of the bladder contracts involuntarily, creating a strong, sometimes uncontrollable urge to empty the bladder.

"The good news is that DO is treatable, so that any woman experiencing urgency or incontinence should see her doctor," Dr. Resnick told the American Urological Association (AUA) at their annual meeting in San Antonio.

May 20, 2005 - Anxiety may replace anticipation when traveling for the one out of six adults over age 40 with a condition called overactive bladder (OAB). To help people with OAB avoid embarrassment when they head outside their homes, world-renowned travel expert Arthur Frommer has partnered with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation to develop Where to Stop & Where to Go: A Guide to Traveling with Overactive Bladder in the United States.

Available free, the guide is the centerpiece of a new educational campaign designed to help the more than 33 million people with OAB in the United States build confidence about traveling. The first-of-its-kind 75-page guide highlights key restaurants, museums, and other tourist attractions in 19 U.S. cities and four national parks, providing an easy-to-follow list of restroom locations. To obtain a free copy of Where to Stop & Where to Go, consumers can call toll-free 1-877-STOP-GO-5 (1-877-786-7465) or log onto http://www.WheretoStopWheretoGo.com.

May 12, 2005 - A study in the May edition of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates that suicide in persons age 80 and older is more prevalent among those who have been hospitalized than in those who have not.

A review of data on nearly 1.8 million people age 52 and older revealed that about two-thirds of the oldest subjects who committed suicide had been hospitalized for an illness in the previous two years.

Although further data show that increased frequency of illness with age could explain part of this suicide risk, especially in women, the researchers conclude that hospitalization may be a factor in suicidal tendencies in older people.

May 10, 2005 - It was female senior citizens that started the craze, now nude calendars have proliferated so that there is a Web page just to keep up with the latest editions.

April 26, 2005 – Many senior citizens consider themselves “moderate” drinkers and SeniorJournal.com has high readership of stories on the benefits. A new study released today has both good and bad news. The good news is the habit seems to produce new nerve cells in the brain, which are important for memory and learning. The bad news – this can also lead to alcohol addiction.

“We believe that the increased production of new nerve cells during moderate alcohol consumption can be important for the development of alcohol addiction and other long-term effects of alcohol on the brain,” says associate professor Stefan Brené.

They say the effect of moderate alcohol consumption that leads to the formation of new brain cells is much same as with antidepressive drugs.”

The study was done at Karolinska Institutet, one of Europe's largest medical universities and Sweden´s largest center for medical training and research

The study, which was carried out on mice, examined alcohol consumption corresponding to that found in normal social situations. The results show that moderate drinking over a relatively long period enhances the formation of new cells in the adult brain. The cells survive and develop into nerve cells in the normal manner. No increase in neuronal atrophy, however, could be demonstrated.

The number of new cells formed is governed by a number of factors such as stress, depression, physical activity and antidepressants. The new cells could prove important in the development of alcohol dependency and other long-term effects of alcohol on the brain.

April 5, 2005 - Yesterday, we each should have raised a toast of orange juice to Dr. C. C. King of the University of Pittsburgh. It was this day in 1932 that he isolated vitamin C. Before then, people knew that eating citrus fruit and fresh greens warded off certain diseases, such as scurvy, but didn't know why.

Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is one of the things required for life. One study has suggested that people with high levels of vitamin C in their blood live up to six years longer than others. Usually associated with fruit, vitamin C is also found in potatoes which is good, because the average American consumes 22 pounds of citrus fruit a year and 45 pounds of potatoes. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at http://www.census.gov .

March 11, 2005 - Seeking to accelerate the pace of research into the molecular mechanisms that govern aging, philanthropist Paul F. Glenn, an alumnus of Harvard Law School and founder of the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research in Santa Barbara, California, has committed $5 million to Harvard Medical School over five years to launch the Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging. The new resources will serve as a magnet to attract additional support for the potential creation of a larger Institute for Aging Research at Harvard Medical School.

For more than 70 years, a calorie restricted diet has been known to increase the lifespan of mice and rats 40 percent by preventing them from getting diseases of aging such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and even cataracts. The hypothesis is that within each of our cells lies an evolutionarily ancient defense program that can be activated by so-called “longevity genes” which ameliorate the cellular damage that causes death and disease. Activation of these genes in genetically altered worms and flies has been shown to produce healthier, longer lives.

Buoyed by calorie restriction animal tests, research teams in this small field have been pursuing the molecular pathways that mimic calorie restriction.

Glenn Foundation for Medical Research was founded in 1965 by Paul F. Glenn with the mission to extend the healthy, productive years of life through research in the biological mechanisms of aging.

March 9, 2005 – About 300 senior citizens will die this year from hypothermia and for many it may be because they cannot afford the cost of heating. Many may not know they qualify for government assistance programs – about 60 percent who qualify are not enrolled.

Finding out whether you qualify for programs such as the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), is easy thanks to The National Council on the Aging’s (NCOA) free and confidential online service BenefitsCheckUp at www.benefitscheckup.org.

Those seeking help can also contact the National Energy Assistance Referral at 1-866-674-6327 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or e-mail energyassistance@ncat.org. The Campaign for Home Energy Assistance is another good resource. For information, visit http://www.liheap.org/assistance.html.

BenefitsCheckUp can also help seniors find health care programs, prescription drug assistance, in-home services, financial assistance, legal services, housing assistance, property tax programs, nutrition programs, as well as volunteer and training opportunities and education programs. Since the service was launched in 2001, more than 1.4 million eligibility reports identifying benefits programs have been completed.

Feb. 27, 2005 - According to a recent study, older adults providing home care to their spouses may be more inclined to act in ways that could harm the impaired partner.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that potentially harmful caregiver behavior was more likely in spouse caregiving situations. Clinical depression was also seen as a factor.

"Depressed older spouses who occupy the caregiving role may be particularly appropriate targets for screening and intervention efforts," according to researchers. Caregiving itself has been associated with "compromised mental and physical health and increased risk for mortality." In these situations, both caregiver and recipients can be at risk for long-term negative outcomes.

The article states that potentially harmful caregiver behavior can be an early warning sign of even greater elderly abuse or neglect. Surprisingly, previous research has shown that abusive caregivers are quite willing to admit to their behavior in interviews.

Feb. 27, 2005 - A large review of data linked to over 175,000 older adults enrolled in HMOs indicates that potentially inappropriate medications are being prescribed in substantial numbers.

In 2000-01, according to researchers, more than 28% of elderly individuals received at least one of 33 medications deemed potentially inappropriate by medical experts, while 5% received one of 11 drugs that had been classified as inappropriate in all older patients.

Data showed that overall rates of use of any of the 33 potentially inappropriate medications were greater in women than in men. However, recently reported information from medical offices shows that prescriptions of these medications for elderly people has not decreased.

"The use of potentially inappropriate medications in the elderly continues to be pervasive throughout the United States despite more than a decade of research and media coverage of this issue," the authors write, calling their work indicative of "the need to understand more fully the rationale behind the continued use of these medications."

An association between potentially inappropriate medications and negative outcomes would support the position that errors like these are common among the elderly outpatient population. Questions still remain as to whether identifying these inappropriate drugs will likely lead to improved use of medications.

The findings are published in the February Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Dec. 24, 2004 - For the 25th consecutive year, Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER) today welcomed senior citizens to its offices in New York City for free use of the firm's telephones to call loved ones anywhere in the world. In addition, the firm opened offices in many cities across the United States and overseas to enable senior citizens to make similar calls.

Created in 1980, the Merrill Lynch Christmas Calls Program is a company-wide initiative that has reached more than 250,000 senior citizens globally.

"The Christmas Calls Program has long been a favorite tradition at Merrill Lynch," said Ahmass Fakahany, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Merrill Lynch. "Now in its 25th year, it is a special day for thousands of employees and volunteers who take time from their holiday celebrations to support the seniors."

Mr. Fakahany was among the more than 300 Merrill Lynch employees and others welcoming seniors visiting the company's 222 Broadway office in New York. Approximately 1,100 senior citizens began arriving at 8:00 a.m. to place their calls worldwide. The seniors are from 29 New York City Department for the Aging senior centers.

Dec. 15, 2004 – A woman who smoked nearly 500,000 cigarettes, was buried yesterday at the age of 105, according to a report in The Sun of London.

Marie Ellis, who died from heart failure caused by old age, had puffed 15 a day since she was 15-years-old, according to the Sun

The ex-typist was cremated clutching a packet of her favorite Benson & Hedges with flowers in the shape of a cigarette laid on top of her coffin.

Staff and residents from the nursing home she had lived in for the past 15 years sent her off with a rousing version of the song Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.

Maria Kallis, matron of Eaton Lodge in Westgate, Kent, said: “We all remember Marie for smoking, so we are getting a concrete ashtray out in the garden as a memorial to her.

“She smoked right up to the end, having her last cigarette just two days before her death.” Marie, who never married or had kids, also delighted in an unhealthy diet.

She always had three sugars in her coffee, loved a drop of sherry and scoffed sweets and cakes — often refusing to eat savory food.

She had all her teeth and never even suffered as much as a smoker’s cough from her “ciggies.”

Eaton Lodge nursing home in Westgate, Kent, is erecting a concrete ashtray in the garden as a memorial, which staff can use during smoking breaks. Matron Maria Kallis said: "She smoked right to the end."

Dec. 6, 2004 – A stepfather says teachings of 72-year-old preacher, Doyle Davidson, played a role in Dena Scholosser killing her baby by cutting off her arms, according to an Associated Press story by Lisa Falkenberg.

Mike Macaulay told the AP he believes his stepdaughter, who told her husband she wanted to give her children to God, is mentally ill but was dangerously consumed by the self-described prophet and his church.

Schlosser was charged with capital murder after police found the 35-year-old mother on Nov. 22 covered in blood in her living room, still holding a knife.

Macaulay said Davidson used violent imagery and told women they possessed a rebellious "Jezebel" spirit, and that they should submit to their husbands.

"I'm an apostle and I'm a prophet," Davidson said. "I only teach what's in the Bible and that's what makes them mad."

Davidson, a former veterinarian, said God told him to start Water of Life Ministries in the early 1980s. His sermons, based on literal interpretations of the Bible, are available on his Web site and broadcast on TV and radio in several states.

Davidson doesn't deny his teachings are unconventional. He said he avoids violent imagery, but he does teach that women are weaker and should submit to their husbands.

In September, Davidson was arrested on a public intoxication charge after a couple, longtime members of his church, called 911, alleging the minister attacked them at their home. Davidson said he was only trying to cast the devil out of the wife, who had become rebellious and rejected his teachings.

Macaulay said Schlosser started using prayer instead of antibiotics when her children were sick and was convinced Davidson could cure her mother of Parkinson's. Schlosser's husband, John, also supported the minister. His personal Web site contains several Bible passages and a link to Davidson's Web site.

Nov. 24, 2004 - Lena Haddix, a 72-year-old great-grandmother, is heading to Iraq as a U.S. volunteer worker. Watch the AP’s video story. Click Here

Nov. 17, 2004 - When my father was near death because his doctor had delayed in discovering his illness, I begged with my mother to change doctors and she adamantly refused. So, I'm not surprised by new research sayings nine of ten seniors who switched physicians did so only because they were forced.

Analyzing survey data from nearly 800 patients 65 and older, researchers found that 14 percent of seniors changed physicians in a single year. Of those, almost nine out of 10 changed their physicians involuntarily. Insurance-related reasons accounted for 44 percent of the switches. Forty percent of the patients sought new physicians because their former doctors had moved, retired, or died.

That's the finding of research published in the November edition of The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice.

Nov. 16, 2004 – Gene Sukie, 78-year-young retired glass-factory supervisor, cashed in his pennies today, 1,407,550 pennies, worth $14,075.50, accumulated over 34 years, according to USA Today..

"I didn't set out to set a record, but they add up," Sukie said. "It was something I could save without hurting our household," he told the newspaper.

Pennies saved from his childhood paper route paid for a $45 Schwinn bicycle in 1939. "Top of the line," he said.

He cashed in his entire collection of 40,000 pennies in 1970 to pay for a daughter's wedding. After the ceremony, he started fresh with an empty cigar box. Read more of USAToday news story

Nov. 11, 2004 – Aleta St. James may not hold the title long as the oldest American to give birth to twins. St. James delivered her babies on Wednesday, three days before turning 57. Now the Associated Press is reporting a 59-year-old great-grandmother is set to give birth to twins next month. Read the St. James story

Frances Harris of rural Sylvester, Ga., says she wasn't trying to get pregnant. She didn't even know she was carrying a child - let alone two- until she visited a doctor in August while trying to figure out some unusual weight gain over the summer, reports the AP.

For this mother of five, grandmother of 14 and great-grandmother of six, the news of her pregnancy was even more shocking considering she had her tubes tied after the birth of her last child - 33 years ago.

Nov. 11, 2004 – Julie Newmar, now 71, gained fame as the villianess Catwoman in the 1960’s Batman TV series but she may not have given up her mischievous ways, according to a suit against her by actor Jim Belushi who says his next-door neighbor is spying on him, destroying his property and calling him names behind his back, according to a report by Reuters.

He has filed a $1 million harassment, saying he will not let her drive him out of the neighborhood.

Newmar's agent, Fred Wostbrock, declined to discuss the allegations with Reuters except to say: "You've got to be kidding. The only person Catwoman would hassle is Batman -- (actor) Adam West."

Belushi says Newmar has destroyed a fence and landscaping, spied on his family and directed loud music into his backyard – all in an effort to get him to move.

The star of the ABC sitcom "According to Jim" also accuses Newmar of spreading defamatory statements about him by calling him a "Peeping Tom," a "voyeur" and "sick." He is suing for $1 million.

Newmar was involved in a highly publicized dispute with neighbors several years ago over the din created by gardeners using gas-powered leaf blowers, says Reuters

Nov. 8, 2004 – A 92-year-old Detroit woman was shot and killed Sunday in what appears to be a burglary gone bad, police told Amber Hunt Martin of the Detroit Free Press.

The woman, Della Dudley, was found dead from a gunshot to her head at 3:10 p.m. in her home in the 13100 block of 14th Street. Police said Dudley was licensed in Detroit as a cosmetologist in the 1960s, according to state records.

Police Officer Benard Beck-O'Steen said a strong box in the woman's home had been pried open. It wasn't yet known what, if anything, was taken. Beck-O'Steen said the woman lived with her 21-year-old grandson, who wasn't home when police arrived.

Nov.4, 2004 – A 29-year-old man will be arraigned today for attempted murder in Gallup, N.M., on a complaint that he poisoned an 81-year-old Catholic nun to get her out of the house they both shared with a Catholic priest, Reverend Thomas Maikowski. More... 11/04/04*

Nov. 3, 2004 – Being over 34 is not exactly a senior citizen – the folks this Website targets - but even senior women should find interesting the success of the TV show “Desperate Housewives” and other changes in the perception of older women. Joanna Weiss has written an interesting article on this new trend for the Boston Globe, and says it show women can be “hot,” even if over 34.

Weiss sees the trend to glamorous older women taking hold in several television shows and in marketing by retailers. More... 11/03/04*

Oct. 28, 2004 – It was a simple question that led police to discover the body of a 57-year-old woman in a freezer. Her male “caretaker,” asked Spokane, Washington, police what he should do about the woman in the freezer.

The woman's 59-year-old friend said he came home to find her dead and decided to put her in a freezer rather than have her body mutilated by an autopsy.

"His underlying motivation, at least what he told us, was he wanted to preserve her dignity," Capt. Bruce Roberts told The Spokesman-Review. "It's unique and unusual, but at this point there is nothing criminal."

Oct. 27, 2004 - Ernie Burgess is living proof of two things: Age doesn't matter in golf, and kids should respect their elders. Especially when their elders are 74 years old and can shoot their age.

Most kids don't believe it when they're told that the old guy who picks up the range balls can help them with their swings. To them, he's just the rigid clubhouse attendant who takes their money and reminds them to replace their divots, according to a story in the Kalamazoo Gazette.

He works from sunup to sundown seven days a week at Lawton Golf Club and hasn't had a day off since March.

Why? "Just being around golf, I guess," he said. "I need money to eat. When they cut my face back in '94 or '95, that took up all of my money, so I have to work to eat."

He was got cancer of the mouth from pesticides picked up by golf balls. "They cut my mouth in half. Maybe it was '93, because I had just missed Medicare by six months."

"My age," Burgess said. "You get to a certain age, who's going to hire me now? They want some young guy, which is only right. They're not always looking for knowledge."

"He's one of those old pros who just likes to swing," said Lawton high school head coach Barry Shanley, whose team will travel to the state finals this week for the third straight season. "Having a guy like that teach our kids keeps them inspired to want to keep playing."

Not only did he qualify for the Hartford Open as an amateur 15 straight years, he also qualified for seven PGA Tour Events in one season during the '60s.

Zsa Zsa Gabor - 84, 85 or 86 - the glamorous, funny, sex-symbol, has been selected for induction into the B-Movie Hall of Fame.

Zsa Zsa Gabor was born in Budapest, Hungary somewhere between 1917 and 1919, and became was Miss Hungary in 1936. She followed her sister Eva to Hollywood.

Married nine times, she kept fans laughing about her man-hungry ways. She is more famous for her humor and celebrity status than as an actress. Although, she did win the Golden Globe in 1957

Her credits include the campy Queen of Outer Space (1958), Moulin Rouge (the 1951 version, not Nicole Kidman's 2001 version), and a small role as a nightclub manager in the Orson Welles classic Touch of Evil (1959). She played the villainess Minerva in the final episode of the 1960s TV series Batman. Zsa Zsa is the mother of actress Francesca Hilton, her daughter with her ex-husband Conrad Hilton.

82-Year-Old Refuses to Leave Hospital, Insurance Won’t Pay – Where is King Solomon?

Oct. 24, 2004 – It may take the wisdom of King Solomon to sort this one out. Sarah Nome, 82, was given discharge papers by her doctors in January, but she refuses to leave the hospital and her health plan refuses to pay, according to a report in the Marion (CA) Independent Journal.

The dispute between Nome, who has refused to leave Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Terra Linda, and officials with the health plan is slated to be settled in a trial next month.

Her discharge papers were signed by doctors on Jan. 29, but the elderly woman claims she cannot leave her bed at Kaiser because she has two broken knees and that the health care plan has not presented her with alternative placement.

Frustrated Kaiser officials have filed a civil lawsuit seeking her eviction in Marin Superior Court and are arguing she no longer needs acute care. They say they are willing to help her find an alternative setting.

"Her condition is good and she has been ready to be discharged for eight months," Carol Harris, a Kaiser spokeswoman, told Nancy Isles Nation, reporter for the newspaper.

A patient who does not leave the hospital after being discharged is no longer covered by the Kaiser plan because there is no medical need. If the patient opts for what is called "custodial care," he or she is provided room, board and assistance at a daily rate. In Nome's case, the rate is $3,200 a day.

Custodial care is not covered by Medicare, universal health guidelines or Kaiser, Harris said.

Oct. 20, 2004 – An elderly couple, suspected of having Alzheimer’s, flagged a taxi in El Paso and asked for a ride to their home – 500 miles away. Taxi driver Ismael Baeza said they didn't appear to have any money but he took them there anyway, reports to Associated Press

Baeza, 24, picked up an elderly couple Monday who wanted to go to their hometown in Bandera, west of San Antonio. "About halfway through the trip, I found out that they didn't have the money to pay for the trip," Baeza said in a report in Wednesday's El Paso Times. "It was either drop them off at the next town or keep going. Something told me to just keep going. I couldn't leave them off in one of those little towns."

The trip took 10 hours and covered 500 miles from El Paso to Bandera and would have been a $1,200 fare for Baeza. Baeza's father, Sam, accompanied him and bought food and drinks for the couple along the way.