A needed spotlight on LGBTQ+ retirees

1. A dementia village sprouts in Indiana.

We’ve long admired the work of Hogeweyk in the Netherlands, the world’s first dementia village—a place where people suffering with dementia can continue to live their lives in a safe, open environment. So we were quite pleased to hear, even if somewhat belatedly (the mail room at TNSB Headquarters can be quite temperamental), of a similarly designed facility called Milton Village in Roseland, Indiana. Milton Village opened a year ago with the goal of giving patients freedom to move around a controlled environment and engage in activities that they can enjoy.

Milton Village, which looks more like a club than a nursing facility, boasts of everything from a putting green to a juke box to a salon. The indoor services are modeled as storefronts, to give the place a feel of a small town. Among the community features are a garage with a rolling glass door, tools, a large TV set, and a nonfunctioning car where patients can putter. Milton Village is open only for day services, so all its clients go home at night. It thus serves principally as a respite and care center for both dementia sufferers and caregivers alike.

There are now more than 6 million Alzheimer's patients in the US, a number that is projected to double by 2050, so we should expect an increased demand for creative and humane centers like Milton Village in the coming years.

2. A needed spotlight on older LGBTQ+ retirees.

Preparing for retirement is hard for anyone: how much money do you need, when should I retire, what about caregiving and health care, and how do I stay engaged and purposeful? But according to a new report from NCOA, that process is a lot harder for LGBTQ+ people. The challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people start before retirement. They are more likely to report that they left the work force involuntarily because they couldn’t find adequate work or because of health reasons. In retirement, more LGBTQ+ people report income under $25,000 and a bigger share of LGBTQ+ older adults say they have trouble paying bills, and many more are forced to rely on government food and housing assistance programs compared with non-LGBTQ+ older adults.

It is a problem of significant dimension as more LBGTQ+ people approach or enter retirement age. The LBGTQ+ adult population is estimated at about 20 million, or 8% of the adult population, and as they age, they will face increased challenges. Most Americans can’t afford their own health care or long-term care costs, so this problem is likely to be intensified in a group that has significantly more health problems and significantly less likely to have spouses or relatives available to care for them. For more information and resources, check out this site .

3. A posthumous skydiving record.

Kudos to NCOA for shining a spotlight on this important problem but let’s finish on a high note, with a tip of the TNSB cap to Dorothy Hoffner, who at age 104 became the world’s oldest skydiver two weeks ago. Technically speaking, her jump is still awaiting Guinness certification, but we don’t let niceties like that get in our way. Not after Dorothy ditched her walker and led a tandem jump from 13,500 feet. She told NBC Chicago that “skydiving is a wonderful experience. It’s nothing to be afraid of. Just do it.”

Those weren’t quite her last words, but Dorothy passed away in her sleep just days after her historic jump. All we can say is that if there is a right way to go, Dorothy has found it.

And Finally... We Watched the Golden Bachelor So You Don't Have To

Truthfully, we’re finding it a bit harder every week to watch, but your faithful correspondents will soldier through. This week, Ellen got a special date with Gerry on a hot-air balloon. If they were as brave as Dorothy Hoffner, they would have finished off the date by parachuting out together. Sadly, we had to instead settle for a lengthy kiss. And Theresa and Kathy went at it, after Kathy thought Theresa was unbecomingly boasting about her date with Gerry. Kathy even complained to Gerry, and her schoolyard antics were rewarded with a coveted rose. We don’t particularly approve of this plot twist, but trust that justice will be served in future episodes.

We’re more interested in the cultural significance of the show anyway. ABC took a leap that viewers, especially younger viewers, would care about the romantic interest of older adults, albeit a very good-looking group of older adults. And they seem to. Ratings for the Golden Bachelor continue to outstrip earlier versions of the show, including on streaming platforms. The show broke series premier records on Hulu and online streaming has tripled the number of viewers in the 18-49 demo. It’s a fascinating, and perhaps a little surprising, development and makes us think that we should be giving those roses to network programmers for a change.

Shameless Self Promotion: And speaking of golden, last week the Century Lives podcast from the Stanford Center on Longevity was awarded a coveted Gold Model for best health and wellness podcast from the Signal Awards—and a bronze prize for best documentary podcast. Check out our award-winning episodes here .