Aging in Michigan

Studies show that recreation is key to healthy aging, but Michigan relies mostly on a hodgepodge of local taxes that advocates say has led to a system of have and have-nots.

Michigan’s network of senior services can be hard to navigate. The first step is knowing who to call first.

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.

Lawmakers need to streamline bureaucracy, change policies and focus on caregiving to prepare for a gray wave that is gripping Michigan.

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.

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.

Words such as ‘dementia’ or ‘Alzheimer’s’ can conjure images of confusion and solitude. A growing group of people with dementia say there’s still a lot of living and laughter.