The first members of Generation X — the cohort of Michiganders born between 1965 and 1980 — turn 60 this year. Caregiving duties are here. Retirement is in sight. Here’s how to prepare.
Robin Erb
Robin Erb covers a range of health issues in Michigan, including the industry of aging and the issues facing older residents in Michigan, a state that is aging faster than most others. She joined Bridge in 2019 and has led investigations that tracked millions of dollars in opioid settlement money and explored severe worker shortages in health care that threaten lives and the state's economy. She chronicled the shock and grief of Michigan families in COVID’s wake, as well as state policy decisions and the triumphs of medical breakthroughs. Robin previously spent six years covering health at the Detroit Free Press, documenting the battle over, and the eventual passage of, the Affordable Care Act and Michigan's Medicaid expansion. She studied communications and political science at Miami University and has a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Lourdes University (Toledo, Ohio). She and her husband raised two wonderful children — but have failed miserably at training their Beagle-Bassets — in southeast Michigan. Reach her at rerb@bridgemi.com.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Where to find help for Michigan seniors. A guide for navigating the maze
Michigan’s network of senior services can be hard to navigate. The first step is knowing who to call first.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Crush of retirees a crisis in Michigan. State unprepared to meet their needs
Michigan spends more than many states and gets less in return on services for seniors, who face long waits for care, transportation gaps and bureaucracy that pushes them to nursing homes. The problems will only get worse.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Unlocking the secrets of Michigan’s ‘superagers,’ who defy golden years
At the University of Michigan, research is underway that asks if ‘superagers’ have special brains that keep them active and sharp well into their senior years. Or does a superager’s insistence on staying active protect their brain?
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
DOGE lays out $394M in Michigan health cuts. But what does it mean?
Local health providers and public health leaders were set on edge this week after a federal website listed $394 million in cuts to Michigan’s state health department.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Oakland County confirms first Michigan measles case this year
Health officials worry that the single case of highly contagious measles might spread after the infected person went out to eat in Rochester and twice sought emergency room treatment.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
‘Uncertainty’ for Michigan health officials amid Trump messaging blackout
The CDC, NIH and FDA — agencies that track disease and warn of health threats — have been ordered to suspend communications, at least until Saturday. Some worry about a continued blackout.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Trump reverses Biden-era drug pricing order. What it means for Michigan
A law driving down some Medicare drug prices remains on the books, but one expert says efforts toward a $2 drug list and coverage for obesity drugs are now uncertain.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
1 in 4 older Michiganders lack enough friends. That’s a health concern
Researchers at the University of Michigan sought to measure loneliness and isolation among Americans 50 and older. There’s good news amid the bad: Post-COVID, the rate of loneliness has receded.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Sick with norovirus? Do all of Michigan a favor: Stay home
Highly contagious noroviruses cause miserable symptoms, and infections have been on the uptick in recent weeks.