HEALTH:
Your COVID-19 Health Toolkit: T he pandemic has brought many challenges, including how to balance your healthcare needs with trying to protect yourself from COVID-19. Here a rundown of the checkups, supplies, and more that can help keep you well this season and beyond. Consumer Reports, July, 31
 
Avoiding Care During the Pandemic Could Mean Life or Death: Many patients are shunning hospitals and clinics. The coronavirus has so diminished trust in the U.S. medical system that even people with obstructed bowels, chest pain and stroke symptoms are ignoring danger signs and staying out of the emergency room, with potentially mortal consequences. Kaiser Health News, July 31.
Volunteering for a COVID-19 Vaccine Trial: COVPN is managing the recruitment of volunteers for clinical trials of vaccines being developed by AstraZeneca, Novavax, Moderna and the Johnson & Johnson unit Janssen. The Moderna trial is expected to begin later this month, with the other three trials starting between August and December. Are you interested in participating? Next Avenue, July 28.

Should Youth Come First in Coronavirus Care? If medical rationing becomes necessary, some older adults are prepared to step aside. But many have the opposite concern: that they will be arbitrarily sent to the rear of the line. The New York Times, July 31.
Heart Damage Found in Coronavirus Patients Months After Recovering From COVID-19: Two German studies, published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Cardiology, found heart abnormalities in COVID-19 patients months after they had already recovered from the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. USA Today, July 30.

Why Quarantining Can Be Bad for Your Health: As our country braces against the ebb and flow of mandates to stay-at-home, we should give serious consideration to the repercussions of self-quarantine or isolation on the mental and physical well-being of those most vulnerable to COVID-19. Next Avenue, July 29.
Few U.S. Women Know About Cancer That Develops Near Breast Implants: There's a low level of awareness among American women about a form of lymphoma that can occur around breast implants, a new study finds. HealthDay, July 30.
MIND:
New Research Finds Flu and Pneumonia Vaccines May Lower Alzheimer’s Risk: With vaccines top of mind at the White House and across the globe during the coronavirus pandemic, two studies shed new light on how vaccines for flu and pneumonia may lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Next Avenue, July 30.
 
Blood Test for Alzheimer's Detects Signs 20 Years Before Memory, Thinking Falter: A new blood test detected Alzheimer's disease as accurately as expensive brain scans or spinal taps, raising the possibility for a new, inexpensive option to diagnose the most common form of dementia. USA Today, July 28.
Gum Disease Tied to Alzheimer’s Disease Risk: Severe gingivitis with tooth loss was associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The New York Times, July 29.
 
Under 50 and Overweight? Your Odds for Dementia Later May Rise: Need fresh motivation to lose some weight? New research suggests that young adults who are overweight or obese face a higher risk for dementia in their golden years. HealthDay, July 30.
MEDICARE:
Medicare Enrollment Deadlines You Shouldn't Miss: Most people become eligible for Medicare during the months around their 65th birthday. If you don't sign up for Medicare during this initial enrollment period, you could be charged a late enrollment penalty for as long as you have Medicare. U.S. News & World Report, July 27.
 
Medicare Premiums and Prescription Drugs Come at a Shockingly Large Cost to Retirees: Will you be prepared for the expense when it finally comes time for you to retire? The Motley Fool, July 28.
MONEY:
Get Your Retirement Plan Back on Track: Whether the damage to your savings was self-inflicted or unavoidable, we’ll help you revive your retirement plan. Kiplinger, July 30.
 
How to Survive as a Retiree in a Down Market: With the coronavirus pandemic causing fluctuations in the stock market, many people fear an extended economic downturn. It can be especially nerve-wracking if your portfolio valuations are down, or your retirement income is less than you planned for. U.S. News & World Report, July 29.

This is How Your Unpaid Debts are Handled if You Pass Away: When a person passes away, it’s not unusual for them to leave behind some unpaid debt. So what happens to those remaining balances? It depends. CNBC, July 31.
RETIREMENT:
How Many Years of Retirement Should You Prepare For? Retirement is like a long vacation in Las Vegas. The goal is to enjoy it to the fullest, but not so fully that you run out of money. The Motley Fool, July 30.
SOCIAL SECURITY:
Social Security Shocker: Pandemic to Reduce Benefits by 9% for Americans Turning 60 in 2020: If you are turning 60 in 2020, the pandemic could do more than interrupt your party plans. It could also lower the amount you’ll receive when you file for Social Security. Kiplinger, July 30.
 
1 in 4 Baby Boomers Say They'll Postpone Retirement Due to the Pandemic: Nearly a quarter of Baby Boomers plan to postpone their retirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and about the same number say the crisis has changed when they plan to claim their Social Security benefits. Money, July 30.
 
Keep Social Security and Medicare Reform Out in Daylight Where We Can All Watch: The combined trust funds for Social Security’s retirement and disability programs are on course to be depleted in 2035; without changes, funding from payroll tax receipts will be sufficient to pay only 80% of currently scheduled benefits. Reuters, July 31.
LEGAL ISSUES:
A Will Doesn’t Cover All Your Bases When it Comes to End-of-Life Decisions. Here’s What Else You Need: As the coronavirus continues sweeping through U.S. communities and the death toll keeps rising, you might be considering your own mortality. CNBC, July 27.
 
The (Only) 3 Reasons You Should Have an Irrevocable Trust: Should you really agree to give up control of your assets? There are some good reasons to get this type of trust, but there are some major drawbacks as well. Kiplinger, July 27.
EXTRA:
Looking for Love During COVID-19: When government leaders instituted stay-at-home orders and other quarantine rules in the spring, more than just hairstylists and restaurants were suddenly shuttered. People’s love lives were instantly shelved, too, as the lack of places to go and concerns about the virus overshadowed the desire to couple. Next Avenue, July 31.
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