While September marks that time of year when kids are going back to school, their grandparents are getting flu shots. It’s hard to believe that another flu season is about to begin and after last year’s scare and confusion with the H1N1 virus, most people are hoping to be better prepared. Last year’s virus became the first influenza pandemic — a global outbreak — in 40 years. The Centers for Disease Control advises that the H1N1 virus will most likely continue to spread along with other seasonal viruses throughout the United States during the 2010-2011... 

Monday is a national holiday in Japan — Respect for the Aged Day. But these days, senior citizens are provoking as much angst as admiration. Last summer, Tokyo’s oldest man turned out to be mummified remains. The bones of another would-be centenarian, it turned out, were being stored in her son’s backpack. Both cases involved pension fraud. A government survey of centenarians nationwide released earlier this month found 230,000 citizens were “missing.” Authorities believe most of these had died during war or national disasters,... 

The highest suicide rate of any age group occurs among those aged 65 and older. There is an average of one suicide among the elderly every 90 minutes which suggests that senior citizens have the highest suicide rate. To combat this growing problem, organizations are launching a statewide suicide prevention and awareness that will focus on the elderly and their caregivers. Researchers are trying to uncover the reason for the high rate of suicide in seniors. Some researchers say factors such as lack of social support, poor sleep patterns, and memory or other...