Their romance was new when covid hit. Both in their 90s, they snuck around ‘like teenagers.’
When their retirement community enforced the COVID-19 regulations for isolation, Bill Biega, age 98, and Iris Ivers, 91, had to make a quick decision: follow the regulations and stay separated, or cohabit and face the pandemic together. They decided that Iris would move in with Bill. More than a year later, they’re still together.
“Even in your 90s, it’s never too late to have a love life,” Bill says.
How Long Can We Live?
“As medical and social advances mitigate diseases of old age and prolong life, the number of exceptionally long-lived people is increasing sharply.” The United Nations estimates that there will be 25 million centenarians in the world by 2100.
This article examines the various research approaches into aging and how to prolong lives.
Affluent Americans rush to retire in new ‘life-is-short’ mindset
In an article from Bloomberg reprinted in the Seattle Times, Michael Sasso declares, “About 2.7 million Americans age 55 or older are contemplating retirement years earlier than they’d imagined because of the pandemic, government data show.”
He goes on to report that “Early retirements, whether desired or forced, will deprive the labor market of some of its most productive workers and have an impact on the economic recovery that is still too early to evaluate.”
The ‘gray divorce’ trend: As the Gates split shows, more older couples are getting divorced. Here’s why
CNN uses the news that Bill and Melinda Gates are getting divorced after 27 years of marriage as the springboard for a discussion of the upward trend for toward divorce by older adults.
Johnny Bench Misses His Hall of Fame Friends
I’ve been a baseball fan all my life and have been particularly struck by the number of former players who have died recently. This article focuses on Johnny Bench, the longtime catcher for the Cincinnati Reds. “Bench knew, played with or played against all of the 10 Hall of Famers who died in the past year.”
If you remember watching those men play, this article will tug at your heart strings, as it did mine.
© 2021 by Mary Daniels Brown
Retreading for Retirement 