Join the Tech Revolution
Change is in the air! The percentage of Americans age 65 and older who use the Internet is growing rapidly. A recent Pew research survey found that more than 50 percent of older Americans are surfing the web, participating in social networking, or using e-mail. In 2000, when Pew first began tracking Internet use, only 13 percent of Americans were online, in 2008, just over one-third were using the Internet, and now, 85 percent of Americans over 18 years old are using the internet. That’s a significant change.
Devices, devices, devices
Regardless of their greater interest in the web, retirees are still behind the curve when it comes to technology. When you look at the gap in digital device ownership, you can see there is ample room for older Americans to begin accessing the Internet in new ways.
- Cell phone ownership
- 69% of those 65 and older
- 87% of those 50-64 years old
- 88% of Americans 18 and older
- Desktop computer ownership
- 48% of those 65 and older
- 63% of those 50-64 years old
- 58% of Americans 18 and older
- Laptop computer ownership
- 32% of those 65 and older
- 57% of those 50-64 years old
- 61% of Americans 18 and older
- E-reader and tablet ownership (respectively)
- 11% and 8% of those 65 and older
- 16% and 14% of those 50-64 years old
- 18% (for both) of Americans 18 and older
What’s In It for Me?
Experts say that adopting new technologies is strongly related to two factors: simplicity of use and incentives. People are most likely to adopt new technology when they understand the benefits. For example, social networking and online telephony are gaining popularity because they make it easy to stay in touch with friends and family. Video streaming makes it possible to access a favorite television show anytime, anywhere. E-books make it possible to carry a personal library in a purse or briefcase. They also make it possible to listen to a book instead of reading it which is great for people with glaucoma.
If you would like to learn more about diverse types of technology and how to use various devices, visit your local library. Libraries often offer in-person technology training classes. Alternatively, you can visit www.AARP.org or other web sites for helpful ‘how-to’ guides and technology articles.
Sour Power
Ready, set, grab your juicers! Lemons offer a bevy of potential health benefits. They can stimulate natural enzymes that help rid the liver of toxins; provide citric acid which may help fight pancreatic and kidney stones, as well as eliminate calcium deposits in arteries; and encourage clear skin and fewer wrinkles by providing antioxidant vitamin C. (Just make sure you brush your teeth afterward because citric acid is not good for tooth enamel.)
Lemon Pineapple Spritzers
3 cups pineapple juice
4 large lemons (3 juiced; 1 sliced for garnish)
1½ cups white sugar
2-liter bottle of carbonated water
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine pineapple juice, lemon juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for one minute. Allow syrup to cool. Fill six glasses with ice. Place a slice of lemon in each glass. Pour about two ounces of syrup in each glass. Add carbonated water and stir well.
What Do You Know About Work and Retirement?
Many Americans plan to work part- or full-time during retirement. There are many reasons retirees choose to stay employed: extra income, daily social interaction, a sense of purpose, and other reasons. Learn more about work and retirement by taking this brief quiz.
1. What percentage of working people expect to continue working after retirement?
a. 25%
b. 34%
c. 47%
d. 69%
2. What percentage of retirees work for pay?
a. 25%
b. 34%
c. 47%
d. 69%
3. Can you receive Social Security benefits if you continue to work after retirement?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Yes, in some cases
4. Working during retirement may:
a. Push a retiree into a higher tax bracket
b. Help fill a retirement income gap
c. Provide a sense of purpose
d. All of the above
Gemstones in Tectonic Settings
Whether you’re interested in gemstones or geology, recent work published on www.Geology.com, could have both economic and scientific implications. As it turns out, certain gemstones, such as rubies and jadeite jade, were created in very specific geologic conditions.
- Jade is the product of subduction which is a collision between oceanic and continental tectonic plates. The colder and denser oceanic plate is pushed into the hot mantle rock underneath the continental crust. As the oceanic plate is squeezed and heated under the continental plate, sediment may form into jade.
- Rubies, on the other hand, were created when continental tectonic plates collided. This tends to occur after the process of subduction brings continents closer together. Continental plate collisions tend to produce mountain ranges.
While not all subduction zones have jade and not all continental collisions produce rubies, understanding the tectonic settings in which these stones typically are found may help geologists learn more about tectonic plate movement, and the formation of the world as we know it today. It also may make it easier for gem hunters to find sources for these precious stones.
Quiz Answers:
1. 69%.
2. 25%.
3. Yes, you can receive Social Security benefits while still working. If you have not yet reached your full retirement age (and earn more than a certain amount) your benefits will be reduced temporarily. At full retirement age, your benefits will increase.
4. All of the above.
Sources:
http://www.pewinternet.org/Media-Mentions/2013/Online-Habits-Coming-Slowly-to-Older-Adults.aspx
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Older-adults-and-internet-use.aspx
http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2012/PIP_Older_adults_and_internet_use.pdf
http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/elder-tech-whats-important/
http://www.aarp.org/technology/how-to-guides/
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/01/lemon-benefits_n_2789780.html
http://www.myrecipes.com/
http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/patientcare/healthcare_services/liver_biliary_pancreatic_disease/liver_anatomy_function/Pages/index.aspx
http://www.ebri.org/pdf/surveys/rcs/2013/Final-FS.RCS-13.FS_2.Expects.FINAL.pdf
http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/whileworking.htm
http://www.livescience.com/34772-ruby-jade-tectonic-gemstones.html
The above material was prepared by Peak Advisor Alliance.