Aging

Lonely people may have a greater risk of developing late-life dementia, researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago reported this week. The study of 823 people older than 80 found that those who described themselves as lonely were twice as likely to develop the kind of dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease. Previous studies have suggested that people who are socially isolated or lack intellectual stimulation are at greater risk for Alzheimer's.

Restylane, a popular cosmetic treatment for temporarily plumping out wrinkles, actually makes the skin produce more collagen, the natural stuff that makes skin look young, researchers said last week. That means the product, which millions of people have had injected around their lips, cheeks and foreheads, has effects beyond what its manufacturers claim, the team at the University of Michigan Health System reported.

THE muscles may not fire as quickly and the bones might creak a little, but all-out, hard-driving competition doesn't have to stop after the diploma's in hand. Men and women who gave up their favorite sport after high school or college are discovering that you can go home again decades later -- be it to the track, the pool, the softball field or the ice rink.

The aging of the baby boom generation is no secret. But Dowell Myers, a professor of urban planning and demography at USC, believes that the boomers' future is directly tied to the economic success of the state's younger immigrant population. His forthcoming book is titled "Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America." Why should baby boomers care about the state's immigrant population?

Americans older than 55 are filing for bankruptcy at a faster rate than the general population as growing mortgage debt and higher healthcare costs make them more vulnerable, a new study shows. The trend of rising bankruptcies among older Americans probably will continue for the foreseeable future, according to the study's authors, John Golmant and Tom Ulrich, researchers at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

ADVANCING age does have its perks: wisdom, recreational vehicles and, now, sanctioned snacking. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002, Claire Zizza, a researcher at Auburn University's Department of Nutrition and Food Science, compared the diets of more than 2,000 seniors 65 and older. She found that the 84% who snacked consumed significantly more daily calories (protein, carbohydrates and total fat) than nonsnackers.

When hope comes in a $30 bottle, people start to lose their cool. And when a respectable news program hypes it as a potential antidote to aging, they may even go crazy. Take the curious case of Britain's new cult-favorite skincare line, Boots' No. 7. When the homely brand first introduced its Protect & Perfect anti-aging serum two years ago in Britain, consumers hardly took notice. That all changed when the BBC broadcast a special report on beauty products in March.

IT started out as a gag, a literary riff on aging gays and lesbians who flock to retirement homes built just for them. Armistead Maupin toyed with the idea when he began writing "Tales of the City" back in the 1970s, and his imagination ran wild: No one would be allowed to wear golf clothes; Broadway sing-alongs were mandatory. With the right accessories, you could be 50 \o7and\f7 fabulous. Thirty years later, those punch lines are giving way to plumb lines.

Like millions of Americans, Bill and Helen Bluett's greatest financial asset is their home, a Spanish-style dwelling just a quarter of a mile from the ocean in San Clemente. Selling the place and buying a cheaper one elsewhere could have brought the couple hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra money for their retirement years. But there was one problem with that idea. "We love our home," said Bill Bluett, 67, a retired mechanical engineer. "We love our neighborhood.