USA: Trump starts to lose Senior Support Anxious About the Virus, Older Voters Grow More Wary of Trump - by Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman

The coronavirus crisis and the administration’s halting response to it have cost President Donald Trump support from one of his most crucial constituencies: America’s seniors.

For years, Republicans and Trump have relied on older Americans, the country’s largest voting bloc, to offset a huge advantage Democrats enjoy with younger voters. In critical states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida, all of which have large older populations, Trump’s advantage with older voters has been essential to his political success; in 2016, he won voters over the age of 65 by seven percentage points, according to national exit poll data.

But seniors are also the most vulnerable to the global pandemic, and the campaign’s internal polls, people familiar with the numbers said, show Trump’s support among voters over the age of 65 softening to a concerning degree, as he pushes to reopen the country’s economy at the expense of stopping a virus that puts them at the greatest risk.

A recent Morning Consult poll found that Trump’s approval rating on the handling of the coronavirus was lower with seniors than with any other group other than young voters. And former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, in recent polls held a 10-point advantage over Trump among voters who are 65 and older. A poll commissioned by the campaign showed a similar double-digit gap.

Read more: Anxious About the Virus, Older Voters Grow More Wary of Trump

The Netherlands: More Dutch seniors active on social media

Social media usage among the elderly in the Netherlands has soared in recent years. The group 65 to 74-year-olds in particular have become increasingly active users.

In 2019, 76 percent of the respondents in this age category said they had used social media, up from 40 percent five years previously.

An increase in social media use was also seen among people aged 75 and over. Exchanging text messages, via WhatsApp for example, is most popular among the elderly. This is according to recent figures taken from the survey on ICT usage by households and individuals in 2019, conducted by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

In 2019, 87 percent of the Dutch population aged 12 years and over indicated they had used social media such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, discussion forums or weblogs in the previous three months. This was still 74 percent five years previously.

Virtually everyone in the age group 12 to 54 years use social media (95 percent or more). The shares were 89 percent among 55 to 64-year-olds and 76 percent among 65 to 74-year-olds last year. In 2014, these shares amounted to 64 and 40 percent respectively.

An increase in social media use is also seen among Dutch seniors over the age of 75: in 2014, 13 percent were active while five years this had risen to 40 percent.

Read more: More Dutch seniors active on social media

The Internet: Why Seniors Need the Internet More Than Anyone - by Ben Kassoy

Baddie Winkle isn't wearing any pants. But she does have on a giant T-shirt tessellated with images of Queen Bey.

"I nominate Beyoncé for the ice bucket challenge!" the 86-year-old proclaims, dumping a cauldron of frigid water over her head.

Since tweeting this Vine video Aug. 31, it's been retweeted over 1,300 times. No big deal for the badass grandma, who regularly posts hilarious, irreverent, and pop culture-driven material to her 254,000 Twitter followers and nearly 410,000 followers on Instagram.

And while Baddie's cyber stardom keep us rollicking, Internet use can have serious health benefits for people her age. Depression and chronic pain affect more than 6.5 million Americans 65 and older, and research shows that knowing how to use smartphones, music streaming sites and, yes, social media can offer relief.

Thing is, 40 percent of older adults don't touch the Internet at all. And 66 percent of those say they'd need help getting started. If only there were tons of tech experts who have a lot of time on their hands and, for whatever reason, love seniors. But where would we find these kind of people? Hmmm...

"I now know from experience that teaching some of my elders technology is going to change their lives," wrote Megan, a student who showed her grandfathers, grandmothers, and three other local seniors some of the basics. "Ever since my grandmother passed away last year, my family and I have noticed a little bit of depression seeping into my grandfather's life. My grandfather has no one to visit with and is often alone for weeks because no one has time to sit and talk with him. When I showed him the basic rules of a Gmail email account, he was very enthusiastic about the idea of having someone to write to."

Yep, young people, who tweet and Instagram, like, 27 hours a day are technology whizzes from birth who -- surprise! -- adore their grandparents. This holiday season, for the third consecutive year, DoSomething.org's Grandparents Gone Wired campaign will activate thousands of 13- to 25-year-olds to plug their grandparents or other local seniors into social media, smartphone apps, and email. One of last year's participants, Madeline, taught her grandma how to video chat.
 Read more: Why Seniors Need the Internet More Than Anyone | Ben Kassoy

Reuters: In ageing Europe, greycationers seek local thrills - by Brian Rohan

In ageing Europe, greycationers seek local thrills - by Brian Rohan

Close-to-home holidays dubbed "staycations" by trend-watchers have proliferated in the financial crisis, but now the travel industry is gearing to draw another crowd -- aging populations in countries like Germany whose spending power may outlast the downturn.You could call them "greycationers": the 50-plus age group mutating under a massive influx of baby-boomers who grew up in the 1960s. After redefining youth culture, they are now making their mark on older age.Health pursuits and sports, spas, swimming and cycling are all popular, as are vacations organized around cultural events like concerts and museum visits, tour operators say.In 2008, they spent $91 billion on foreign travel, compared with $80 billion spent by U.S. nationals, the U.N. report showed.

"Seniors today are more active, financially independent, and eager to travel," said Klaus Laepple from Germany's DRV travel association. "Their favorite destination is Germany." A study released by the Economy Ministry last month showed the senior age group is expected to take 20.3 million domestic holidays a year by 2020 compared with 17.2 million in 2007.

baltimoresun.com: Sex, Health & Happiness - "Things are looking UP" Deborah Kotz

For the complete report from the baltimoresun.com/US News and World Report click on this link

Sex, Health & Happiness - "Things are looking UP" Deborah Kotz

Comedian George Burns once cracked that "sex at age 90 is like trying to shoot pool with a rope." Clearly, he was speaking for his own generation. Today's seniors, their sex lives liberated long ago by one pill and extended indefinitely by another, have every intention of staying in the game. The scope of the sexual shifts launched by Viagra a decade ago--perhaps as monumental as those triggered by the birth control pill--is now becoming apparent. A July study published in the British Medical Journal found that considerably more 70-year-olds are enjoying sex regularly than 30 years ago: 57 percent of men and 52 percent of women today versus 40 percent and 35 percent back then. (And that's before the baby boomers arrive with their outsize expectations.)

About one quarter of those ages 75 to 85 are now sexually active, according to recent research from the University of Chicago. "We used to think seniors didn't have sexuality at all," says Helen Fisher, a professor of anthropology at Rutgers University and author of Why We Love.

"Viagra has caused many older people to put sex way up front in their relationships." That could explain why U.S. sales of the little blue pill and two newer drugs have skyrocketed to more than $1.5 billion--or 19 million prescriptions--a year, causing drug companies to salivate over the possibility--still distant--of a "pink Viagra" for women. Further along in the pipeline: a testosterone gel to reverse libido loss after menopause and a pill that boosts desire by acting on serotonin receptors in the brain.

A Scottish study found that people who enjoy sex every other day looked about seven to 12 years younger than their peers, on average.