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New York Post
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
Senior citizens are happiest living in these US states, study says
Where you live can have a big impact on your mental health. Particularly for seniors, it's important to settle down in a location that promotes happiness. Older adults face a higher risk of mental health problems due to circumstances like the loss of loved ones, loneliness, chronic illness or disability, medications, changes brought on by retirement and other stressors, according to the National Council on Aging. a senior care resource, recently released its Senior Happiness Index, revealing where in the country seniors are happiest based on WalletHub's state happiness roundup. Experts analyzed various factors like happiness levels per state, cost of living, average life expectancy, health rates in residents over 60 and the number of senior centers per state. Below are the results for the top 10 happiest states for seniors. Utah Idaho Connecticut Delaware Nebraska Hawaii New Hampshire Minnesota New Jersey Vermont 4 Factors like happiness levels per state, cost of living, average life expectancy, health rates in residents over 60 and the number of senior centers per state were considered when compiling the top 10 states for seniors to live. Gordon Fahey – Utah claimed the No. 1 spot for the most content seniors, with a happiness score of 7.69 out of 10. According to the study, Utah's high rank is due to its 'supportive environment' for senior living, good senior health and the third-lowest percentage (21.48%) of seniors living alone, which reduces the risk of social isolation. The researchers mentioned that more than two-fifths of seniors in Utah volunteer, which is the highest rate in the U.S. Volunteering allows the state's aging population to 'stay connected and involved with their community,' commented, which 'contributes significantly' to well-being and happiness. 4 According to the study, Utah's rank is due to its 'supportive environment' for senior living, good senior health and the third-lowest percentage of seniors living alone. Jason – Idaho followed closely behind, with an overall happiness score of 7.38 out of 10. Less than a quarter of seniors in Idaho live alone, the second-lowest rate in the country, and the state ranks in the top five for senior centers. 'Known for its stunning natural landscapes, Idaho offers seniors plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation, promoting both physical and mental well-being,' added. Connecticut and Delaware tied for No. 3, scoring a 7.01 out of 10 on the happiness scale. Connecticut has the third-highest average life expectancy and is among the top 10 states for overall health. 4 Idaho has an overall happiness score of 7.38 out of 10. Jeremy – Only 7.2% of Connecticut residents lack health insurance, which ensures access to necessary medical services for the aging population. Connecticut also offers a variety of discounted cultural and immersive experiences for seniors, such as museums, parks, libraries and arts events. According to Delaware is regarded as one of the 'happiest and most supportive states for later life.' The state ranks in the top 10 for overall senior health and happiness, and in the top five for the lowest percentage of people living alone. 4 Only 7.2% of Connecticut residents lack health insurance, ensuring access to necessary medical services for seniors. travelview – considered Delaware's cost of living index 'relatively affordable,' which can help residents maintain a 'comfortable and independent lifestyle.' Other states stood out in these categories, including North Dakota for the most senior centers per 100,000 population and West Virginia for the most affordable cost of living. Hawaii has the lowest percentage of seniors over 65 years old living alone, the highest average life expectancy and the highest senior state of happiness.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Study reveals 10 happiest states for seniors: Did yours make the list?
Where you live can have a big impact on your mental health. Particularly for seniors, it's important to settle down in a location that promotes happiness. Older adults face a higher risk of mental health problems due to circumstances like the loss of loved ones, loneliness, chronic illness or disability, medications, changes brought on by retirement and other stressors, according to the National Council on Aging. 'Happiest' Us Cities Revealed: See Where Yours Ranks a senior care resource, recently released its Senior Happiness Index, revealing where in the country seniors are happiest based on WalletHub's state happiness roundup. Experts analyzed various factors like happiness levels per state, cost of living, average life expectancy, health rates in residents over 60 and the number of senior centers per state. Read On The Fox News App Below are the results for the top 10 happiest states for seniors. Utah Idaho Connecticut Delaware Nebraska Hawaii New Hampshire Minnesota New Jersey Vermont Utah claimed the No. 1 spot for the most content seniors, with a happiness score of 7.69 out of 10. U.s. Happiness Is At An All-time Low, Study Finds: See Which Countries Rank Higher According to the study, Utah's high rank is due to its "supportive environment" for senior living, good senior health and the third-lowest percentage (21.48%) of seniors living alone, which reduces the risk of social isolation. The researchers mentioned that more than two-fifths of seniors in Utah volunteer, which is the highest rate in the U.S. Volunteering allows the state's aging population to "stay connected and involved with their community," commented, which "contributes significantly" to well-being and happiness. Best And Worst Us States To Drive In: See Where Yours Ranks On The List Idaho followed closely behind, with an overall happiness score of 7.38 out of 10. Less than a quarter of seniors in Idaho live alone, the second-lowest rate in the country, and the state ranks in the top five for senior centers. "Known for its stunning natural landscapes, Idaho offers seniors plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation, promoting both physical and mental well-being," added. Connecticut and Delaware tied for No. 3, scoring a 7.01 out of 10 on the happiness scale. Connecticut has the third-highest average life expectancy and is among the top 10 states for overall health. Only 7.2% of Connecticut residents lack health insurance, which ensures access to necessary medical services for the aging population. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter Connecticut also offers a variety of discounted cultural and immersive experiences for seniors, such as museums, parks, libraries and arts events. According to Delaware is regarded as one of the "happiest and most supportive states for later life." The state ranks in the top 10 for overall senior health and happiness, and in the top five for the lowest percentage of people living alone. considered Delaware's cost of living index "relatively affordable," which can help residents maintain a "comfortable and independent lifestyle." For more Health articles, visit Other states stood out in these categories, including North Dakota for the most senior centers per 100,000 population and West Virginia for the most affordable cost of living. Hawaii has the lowest percentage of seniors over 65 years old living alone, the highest average life expectancy and the highest senior state of article source: Study reveals 10 happiest states for seniors: Did yours make the list?
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Caring's 2025 Mental Health Study Finds Nearly 1 in 3 Seniors Diagnosed with Anxiety or Depression
Caring surveyed thousands of American seniors to better understand their mental health challenges and how they're managing symptoms and finding ways to cope against the unknowns of aging. Charlotte, NC, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- a leading senior living referral service and the nation's top site for care reviews, published the results of its 2025 Senior Mental Health Study. The study, based on a survey of more than 4,000 Americans aged 65 or older conducted in April of 2025, found that 1 in 3 seniors have a clinical diagnosis of anxiety or depression. Surprisingly, caregiving stress ranked lower among causes of anxiety and depression. For many seniors, personal health concerns and global events were more significant sources of stress. While some respondents have lived with symptoms for over six years, others have only recently developed them. Women were more likely than men to report a diagnosis. The study also highlights a reliance on medication over therapy to manage their symptoms, despite expert insights emphasizing the benefits of talk therapy. Dr. Ken Robbins, board-certified in both internal medicine and psychiatry, states, 'People are often skeptical that talk therapy is going to be helpful to them when they can talk to friends or relatives, and they don't feel the need to talk to a therapist. They don't understand how different it is when you speak to a professional who can help change the way you think.' Overall, the survey shows that even though seniors may be struggling with their mental health, they've found several positive ways to cope with their stressors, such as prayer, meditation, spending time with a pet, or staying active. provides numerous resources to help seniors and their caregivers with the financial, emotional, and physical impacts of aging and/or caring for their parents. Read our full report for more findings from this survey, including: 1 in 3 anxious/depressed seniors have a clinical diagnosis, and many of them have lived with their conditions for over six years. More seniors use medications for anxiety and/or depression than take part in therapy. Current events is the highest cause of anxiety, while caregiving is one of the least-common reasons seniors say they feel anxious or depressed. Seniors find several positive ways to cope with their stressors, such as exercising or spending time with a pet. partnered with PollFish to survey more than 4,000 American seniors 65 years and older to review their anxiety and depression, contributing factors, and how they are coping with their struggles. The survey was conducted online on April 14th – 15th, 2025. About Caring With millions of visitors to its flagship website, Caring is a leading senior living referral service and the nation's top site for senior care reviews. Founded in 2007, Caring's mission is to help as many seniors and their caregivers as possible through empathetic, expert guidance. Applying cutting-edge technology to this humane mission, Caring provides relevant senior care information and support, as well as comprehensive senior living and senior care directories for the United States, including nearly 400,000 consumer reviews. Through a toll-free referral line at (800) 558-0653, Caring's trusted, nationwide team of Family Advisors — who are among the most highly trained, highly skilled, and knowledgeable experts in senior care — helps seniors and their families research and connect to the most appropriate services and support for their specific situations. For more information about our organization and our free services for seniors and their families, please visit and join with Caring on Facebook. CONTACT: pr@
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Estate planning: Weber State launches no-cost, online tool to help everyone create a will
You've likely heard that there are only two certainties in life. One is taxes. You know the other. Still, many are ignoring their own mortality — at least when it comes to estate planning. Fewer than a third of Americans report having a will, according to the 2024 Wills and Estate Planning Study from Procrastination is usually to blame for many not engaging in estate planning. Would-be planners just 'haven't gotten around to it,' according to the study. Other common 'No will/No trust for me' responses: 'I don't have enough assets to leave to anyone.' 'I don't know how to get a will or a living trust.' 'It is too expensive to set up.' 'It takes too long or is too complicated to set up.' Weber State University's development office hopes to steer around such common roadblocks to creating a will with its recently launched online estate planning tool. The Wills Planner tool is available to all — and it's free. WSU development coordinator Angie Anderson said the accessible, no-cost estate planning tool aims to lessen the challenges that families often face following the death of a loved one. 'We all hate having to think about it, but we want our families to be taken care of,' Anderson said. 'So we want to give everybody the opportunity to put some thought into how they want their legacies to be remembered.' The online estate planning tool is designed to make crafting a will as simple as possible. Site visitors can first download a free estate planning guide and then watch a series of brief tutorial videos with instructions on getting started, selecting individuals to help manage end-of-life legal and health care decisions, and how to select an estate plan that identifies people and charities that one might wish to have as beneficiaries. Users can then set up an account and begin the registration process. Users of the Weber State online tool have the option to name Weber State as a beneficiary in the document — but there's no obligation. 'We're really focused on empowering people to take that first step to plan for their future and their families,' Anderson said. 'Weber wants to make that as easy as possible.' Users of the tool can also work with WSU's development office for additional assistance. The office works with an experienced advisory council made up of financial advisers, attorneys and other experts, according to WSU. The pandemic triggered an uptick in Americans' preoccupation with their health and, yes, their mortality. So it's little surprise that there was a COVID-19-era surge in wills and trusts. But when the pandemic eased, Americans apparently focused attention on other matters. But the realities surrounding the need for careful estate planning remain. Experts say almost everyone should have an estate plan — but it's absolutely vital for anyone with children or people who own a home. People who die without a will, according to a USA Today report, 'can leave a thicket of probate problems' for loved ones. 'If you are 19, if you are 99 — everybody needs a will,' said Erin Smith, director of estate planning at Edelman Financial Engines, a financial planning and investment advisory company. Older Americans are more likely to have wills. Yet, even many of them don't have one. According to 43% of adults over 55 had wills in 2024 — down from 46% in 2023 and 48% in 2020. Many financial advisers recommend that Americans should have a will as part of a larger estate plan that dictates not just what happens to one's assets after death, but also who will manage one's affairs in an emergency while still living, USA Today reported. Someone who dies without a will might leave big questions unanswered: Who cares for a child? Who gets the family home? And some assets are tricky to divide among multiple heirs. 'People with children should probably have a will. People with minor children should probably have a will, just to determine who will take care of them,' Gal Wettstein, a senior research economist at the Center for Retirement Research, told USA Today. In a will or trust, a person instructs how to distribute property and other assets upon their death. When someone dies without a will, the local courts take over. Anyone with a comparatively simple estate — say, a spouse, a couple of children and a modest list of assets — might assume they don't need a will. But probate laws vary, and it can be hard to predict who gets what. In Utah, if a resident dies without a will, the probate court will appoint a personal representative to take care of the estate of the decedent, according to SmartAsset. The court then follows intestate succession laws to determine who inherits your property and how much of it they get. Aside from traditional estate planning such as wills, it's also essential to have a plan for one's digital assets — including passwords that unlock bank statements, social media accounts, digital photographs, video game assets and perhaps cryptocurrency. As noted recently in the Deseret News: If you don't plan how to pass that on before you die, it's going to pass along with you. Begin the process by giving your digital assets 'their own afterlife.' Here's a few tips from estate planning experts Gerry W. Beyer and Kerri G. Nipp: Make tangible media backups. Put important digital materials on a thumb drive or copy them to a CD or DVD. Take inventory of assets — including account details, usernames, passwords and instructions for handling the accounts in case of disability or death. 'Store this inventory carefully, considering options like a trusted person, encryption, a safety deposit box or an online password storage service,' they said. Consider storing photos and videos on a website that multiple family members or friends can access immediately. Wills should state whether the fiduciary has access to digital assets. Consider putting digital assets in a revocable trust, 'which may not become part of the public record and is easier to amend than a will.' You don't want to redo paperwork with every password change. There are online afterlife companies that can help plan for digital assets. There are also businesses that will manage one's passwords securely so they only have to keep track of one. Guard that one carefully.
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Adult children caring for parents: What to know about filing taxes as a caregiver
Adult children caring for parents: What to know about filing taxes as a caregiver As parents get older and their children do, too, there comes a time when the caregiving role is reversed. And caregiving can be costly. More than 48 million Americans are caregivers, and the average caregiver spent $7,242 in out-of-pocket expenses in 2021, according to the AARP. Last year, a survey found more than half of adults with at least one living parent claimed that parent on their taxes. More: Don't get caught with a huge tax bill. What new retirees can do to avoid one. Adult children who care for their parents can claim their parents as dependents on their taxes if: The parent is a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national or a resident of Mexico or Canada. The parent earned less than $5,050 in taxable income last year. Social Security income generally doesn't count, though there are some exceptions. You provided over half of their financial support including meals, housing, medical bills and other living expenses. Your parent does not have to live with you to be claimed as a dependent, according to Lisa Greene-Lewis, a CPA and tax expert at TurboTax. And you don't need to provide proof that you've been covering more than half of your parent's finances in your taxes. But she suggests keeping those receipts handy in case you are audited. More: Family caregivers spend $7,200 a year. This proposed federal tax credit could help If you claim your parent as a dependent on your taxes, then there's no need to submit a return on their behalf, Greene-Lewis said. Adult children who claim their parents as dependents cannot be claimed as dependents themselves by another taxpayer, and the parent can only be claimed by one caregiver. Other qualifications regarding claiming dependents on your taxes can be found on the IRS website. Single caregivers get higher deductions Single adult children who care for their parents will see a larger standard deduction on their taxes, Greene-Lewis said. Typically, single taxpayers see a deduction of $14,600. But if you file as head of household and claim your parent as a dependent − again, even if you don't live with your parent − that deduction could rise to $21,900. If your parents give you money to offset their expenses, that money is not taxable to you, according to the IRS. Can you claim medical costs on tax returns? Yes, caregivers can claim their parents' medical expenses on their tax returns. Those deductions must be itemized and total more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. That can include insurance premiums, doctor's visit costs, prescriptions and other medical bills. If you don't have some of those receipts on hand, Greene-Lewis suggests going to the pharmacy where your parent usually gets their medications. They should be able to print out a prescription history, she said. You can also go through your own credit card statements to gather the same information. Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is funded by a grant from Pivotal Ventures. Pivotal Ventures does not provide editorial input. Reach Madeline at memitchell@ and @maddiemitch_ on X.
