Category Archives: News

Housing Market: Seniors’ Home Equity Rises $24 Billion In 3rd Quarter 2019 To All-Time High

From a NRMLA online news release:

NRMLA logo“Research suggests that as we age, Americans will spend more of our hard-earned retirement assets on health care, such as insurance, prescription drugs, in-home care and other services that help us remain independent,” says NRMLA’s President Steve Irwin. “A retirement plan that includes the responsible use of home equity may be the best option that can help ensure healthcare spending doesn’t become a financial burden for many retired couples.”

(December 17, 2019) – Homeowners 62 and older saw their housing wealth grow by 0.3 percent or $24 billion in the third quarter to a record $7.19 trillion from Q2 2019, the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association reported today in its quarterly release of the NRMLA/RiskSpan Reverse Mortgage Market Index.

nrmla_senior_home_equity.jpg

The RMMI rose in Q3 2019 to 259.19, another all-time high since the index was first published in 2000. The increase in senior homeowners’ wealth was mainly driven by an estimated 0.5 percent or $40.7 billion increase in senior home values, offset by a one percent or $16.5 billion increase of senior-held mortgage debt.

To read more: https://www.nrmlaonline.org/about/press-releases/senior-housing-wealth-reaches-record-7-19-trillion

Technology: Ikea Is “Picking Winners, Setting Trends” In Smart Home Market (The Verge Video)

For seven years, Ikea has treated the smart home as a hobby. That’s changing now that Björn Block’s Home Smart division has been promoted to the same importance as Living Room, Bedroom, and all the other Ikea businesses that have come to define the company.

Ikea faces the challenge of teaming up with Google, Amazon, Apple, and other tech giants while also battling them for primacy in the home.

Read the full feature here: http://bit.ly/38VyVH9

Travel: “The Fight To Stop Venice From Flooding” (BBC News Video)

t’s a month since high tides struck Venice, causing devastating flooding. The city’s mayor estimated damage at over a billion euros.

A system of floodgates called MOSE, under construction for years, should have prevented the disaster. But it’s been delayed and mired in corruption.

The fight to stop Venice from flooding BBC News Video Dec 18 2019

So is MOSE the lifeline Venice needs – or is it doomed to failure?

Studies: “Home Hospital” Model Of Care Reduces Costs By 38%, Improves Recovery (Harvard)

From a Harvard Gazette online article:

“This work cements the idea that, for the right patients, we can deliver hospital-level care outside of the four walls of the traditional hospital, and provides more of the data we need to make home hospital care the standard of care in our country,” said corresponding author David Levine, a physician and researcher in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care.

“It opens up so many exciting possibilities — it’s exciting for patients because it gives them the opportunity to be in a familiar setting, and it’s exciting for clinicians because we get to be with a patient in that person’s own surroundings. As a community-minded hospital, this is a way for us to bring excellent care to our community.”

The home hospital model of care — in which select patients receive hospital-level care for an acute illness from the comfort of their own home instead of in a traditional hospital — has become increasingly popular across the U.S.

To read more: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/12/home-hospital-model-reduces-costs-by-38-improves-care/

WW II Tribute: 75th Anniversary Of The Battle Of The Bulge Celebrated (PBS Podcast)

75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge PBS Newshour December 16 2019Today, Monday December 16,  marks 75 years since the beginning of one of World War II’s most savage battles. In December 1944, the Nazi army surprised U.S. and Allied forces in the frozen forests of Belgium. Badly outnumbered, the U.S. lost 10,000 soldiers amid frigid conditions in the war’s deadliest conflict. John Yang reports on the commemoration of what became known as the Battle of the Bulge.

Politics: Tamara Keith And Amy Walter In “Politics Monday” (PBS Video)

Tamara Keith and Amy Walter in Politics Monday PBS Newshour Dec 16 2019NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including the two articles of impeachment passed by the House Judiciary Committee, political stakes for a potential Senate trial, public opinion on impeachment, a labor dispute threatens the next Democratic debate and how many Democratic voters have already chosen a candidate.

Research: USC Creates Organoids From Stem Cells To Treat Polycistic Kidney Disease (Video)

USC Stem Cell scientist Andy McMahon is using human stem cells to create mini-kidney structures known as organoids. His lab is using these organoids to study and find new drugs to treat polycystic kidney disease.

Health: “Treating Cancer And Other Diseases Through The Immune System” (UCTV Video)

Interactive immune systems are at the center of cancer and other diseases. Dr. Matthew Krummel explores how the immune system can regulate cancer progression. Recorded on 10/31/2019.

To read more: https://www.uctv.tv/shows/Understanding-and-Treating-Cancer-and-Other-Diseases-Through-the-Immune-System-35239

Crime: “Social Security Administration Scams” Are #1 Fraud Reported To FTC

From an FTC online release:

FTC LogoThe Social Security Administration (SSA) scam is the number one scam reported to the FTC right now.

As soon as a caller threatens you, or demands you pay them with a gift card or by wiring money.  It’s a scam. Even if the caller ID tells you otherwise.

If you get a call from someone claiming to be from the Social Security Administration, hang up the phone and remember:

  • Your Social Security number is not about to be suspended.
  • The real Social Security Administration will never call to threaten your benefits.
  • The real SSA will never tell you to wire money, send cash, or put money on a gift card.

 

To read more: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/12/getting-bombarded-scam-calls-youre-not-alone?utm_source=govdelivery

Health: “Understanding Parkinson’s Disease” (Nature Videos)

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition that affects the brain and other parts of the nervous system. The gradual loss of nerve cells leads to a suite of characteristic motor and non-motor symptoms.

Understanding Parkinson's Disease Nature Neuroscience Videos Dec 16 2019

What causes these cells to die and how the pathology develops in the nervous system are not yet clear but multiple lines of investigation are being pursued to answer these questions. In this animation, we explore some of the latest in Parkinson’s disease research.

Website: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41583-019-0254-x