What? A hearing aid that's invisible, works better than conventional models and can be worn for months at a time.

Wait, did you say $3000 PER YEAR???

According to the New York Times, the Lyric hearing aids are placed very close to the eardrum creating a more natural sound, and because they are so small, the batteries only need to be replaced once every four months. But there's a catch. You don't buy them. You subscribe to them - for $2900 - $3600 per year.

It simply had to happen - aging Baby Boomers trying to hold on to youth for as long as possible will have a myriad of products designed to prop up their sagging systems - as long as you can afford it.

And because we have such great healthcare in this country - most insurance companies won't pay for Lyric - or any other hearing device. Sigh.

Well, they won't pay for glasses either, but at least I can hold on to my old specs and learn sign language.

I wear glasses with transition lenses these days--three sections--distance, mid-distance, and close-up. The distance part works as well as can be expected, the middle-distance part works depending on what you consider 'middle,' but the close-up is marginally better than blindness. How often do you see boomers hitching their glasses up to their foreheads to read a map, a label, the newspaper?

Apparently there's a new procedure available called "CK" - conductive keratoplasty--which may be able to correct changes to our aging eyes. While it is supposed to correct far-sightedness, it may not be you for if you're also nearsighted. It sure would be nice though, not to have to carry a miner's light and a magnifying glass every time you want to read the menu.

If you were planning to have a pacemaker installed or try a new drug for what ails you, I'd hold off for a while. According to this article in the NY Times, The FDA's enforcement of drug safety laws has steadily declined since...big surprise here...Bush has been president. According to a study by Democrat Congressman Henry Waxman, warning letters to drug companies and medical device makers and seizures of dangerous or defective drugs have both dropped steeply over the last five years. So, I guess Bush can add dismantling safeguards to the fundamental health and safety of individuals to his list of accomplishments. What does he care--he doesn't need a defibrillator.

In case you're wondering about the dearth of fresh content here lately, there's a perfectly good explanation. One of us has just quit smoking after 38 years and had neither the patience nor concentration to sit at the computer for long. The other one of us has gone into virtual hiding until the worst of the withdrawal is over---it's a little dangerous around here.

No really, being a defiantly unreconstructed smoker in these days of self-righteousness and bossiness has been a privilege and a pleasure. Standing in doorways and parking lots; braving the 'tsk-tsks' of passers-by to whom my personal choices should be none of their damn business; being made to feel as I'm selling crack to pre-schoolers every time I light up---none of this contributed to my decision to quit. Even our state's recent ban on smoking in restaurants didn't do it.

However, as I approach my senior years, I finally believe the stuff about emphysema and lung cancer--helped along by a nasty cough lately. It occurs to me that, were I to contract either of these diseases, it would be my own damn fault and I would be subjecting friends and family to my time-consuming, annoying, and costly decline.

So, 1 month in, I've gained 8 pounds, can't sit still, sleep a lot, and chew on a lot of straws. I'm sure it'll get better. My brain may even resume normal function. But right now, gotta run--I need a new straw. Oh yeah--if you're still smoking and might want to stop, QuitNet isn't bad. Didn't help me much but it's an awfully friendly warm & fuzzy place to hang out while you're jones-ing.

Here are 2 phrases I hoped never to see in a sentence: 'baby boomers' and long-term care.' But we all know bad things don't wait until we're 80 or so to happen. According to this release, a new insurance product affords baby boomers greater funds from long-term care policies for use during early claims.

We really really like when people send us content for the site. We like it even more when the content is of direct interest to Boomers. The following is an excerpt from a new book by Paul Zane Pilzer about health insurance for those nearing retirement age. That would be us. Read and learn. You can also buy the book at Amazon

The New Health Insurance Solution
by Paul Zane Pilzer

If you retire before age 65 when you become eligible for Medicare, you may face the most challenging health insurance period of your life.

Why Employers Are Cutting or Canceling Their Retiree Health Insurance Benefits

When employer-sponsored health insurance began, people often worked for the same employer for most of their life--there was an unwritten contract between a corporation and its workers to provide health benefits, retirement benefits, and lifetime employment. This contract was shattered during the past two decades as globalization forced employers to lower their labor costs to remain in business.

If you currently work for one of the few companies that provide retiree health benefits, don't expect your company to still be providing them when you retire. If you are currently receiving retiree benefits, don't count on these benefits continuing unless your former employer is bound by an ironclad contract.

We received a release about The Irritable Male Syndrome, recently released in paperback. Although I didn't realize that crankiness in Boomer-age men was an actual syndrome, the book, by Jed Diamond, sounds pretty interesting. An article by the author follows.

According to this article this article in the Amsterdam News a new CDC report indicates that the elderly and the almost elderly (that would be us) are at greater risk for HIV and AIDS then in previous years. Of all new cases reported in 2003, about 30% were people 45 or older.

For more on AIDS from Senior Health

We received this from Barbara Morris, a 76-year-old working pharmacist and writer on anti-aging strategies. We're all for anti-aging strategies.

Put Old on Hold -- Start Now
By Barbara M. Morris, R.Ph.

Is it possible to avoid premature mental and physical decline? Is it possible to reach age 60, 70 and beyond and feel and function like a healthy 40- or 50-year-old? Absolutely. Gerontologist Dr. John W. Rowe says how well you age is 70 percent lifestyle choices and 30 percent heredity and environment. That 70 percent gives you incredible power to control how your life evolves.

This is how to fight 'old age' and win:

Do we really want to be reminded to upgrade our health and fitness habits? No. Do we need to be told again that yeah...we're getting older? Oh please, leave me alone. Certainly I'm resilient enough to get by on Tastykakes and the occasional jumping jack. On the off-chance I'm wrong, here are some health and fitness tips for our doddering and deconstructing bodies.

No, not a cure for gray hair, but tasty clues as to what causes it. According to an Associated Press article scientists have discoverd why hair turns gray, and in the bargain are following clues to treating melanoma.

Being the "self-absorbed" generation that we are, we'll probably find a way to ignore the cancer findings and go straight for the cure for gray hair.