Senior Housing News

Seniors and their advocates all are in agreement that an exercise regimen is crucial to aging gracefully; Aging gracefully; Most seniors not sure exactly what it means. We'd all love to age grace-fully, but it might be easier if we knew what the heck that meant. Does aging gracefully mean cheerfully accepting grey hair and other physical changes the way Barbara Bush (age 87) seemingly does? Or, on the other hand, does it require staying eternally gorgeous as the years slide by like Sophia Loren (77)? Is it keeping a busy schedule of work or public service like Jimmy Carter (87) or Betty White (90)? Or being super fit, like 68-year-old champion long-jumper Carl Etter of Duluth, Minn.? Or maybe it's gradually slowing down, relaxing, spending time in the garden, enjoying the grandchildren. It depends on your perspective. A few years ago, Ecumen, a senior housing and services company, compiled a list of graceful aging suggestions from customers and staff. They included suc…

John and Bernice Klassen are stumped when asked what they miss about suburban Ottawa. Six years ago, they sold their four-bedroom house in Nepean and moved to a low-rise condo building not far from Elgin Street. They were like a lot of baby boomers: fed up with maintaining a house that was too big for their needs. "It was also a question of lifestyle," says John, 63, and now retired from foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. "There, you had to get in the car just to buy a litre of milk. Here, everything's within walking distance: the National Arts Centre, the ByWard Market." "The transition was so easy, we've never looked back," says Bernice, also 63, and a retired college teacher. "We both wanted to move downtown and we said: 'It's either now or we won't be able to afford it.' " The Klassens, after a lifetime of working hard, likely needn't worry about housing. They have pensions, savings and a comfortable home. Down the road, they can sell the condo and …

Aging gracefully, Most seniors not sure exactly what it means

Are we ready for the boomer tsunami?