Estimates that the number of Americans afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia will nearly triple over the next few decades has many worrying whether or not they have the disease.

The website Caring.com offers reassurance that some forgetfulness is just that, and not a sign of anything more ominous. Here’s a segment of their list of memory issues that may be much ado about nothing.

Forgetting the name of a new acquaintance. This is something that happens to all of us, young and old.

Forgetting an old friend’s name. It may be embarrassing, but again, it happens to the best of us.

Remembering in the middle of the night that you forgot to take out the trash. See above.

Catching mistakes while balancing your checkbook. Balancing a checkbook without ever making errors isn’t the easiest thing to do.

Forget where you parked your car. It’s a fairly common occurrence, especially in parking structures at shopping centers, malls and hospitals. It may be a concern if you have to write down where you parked every time.

be.group president and CEO John H. Cochrane III joined Time Warner Cable Local Edition host Leslie Leyton to discuss the coming ‘silver tsunami’ as the first group of baby boomers born in 1946 turned 65 last year.

Cochrane addressed the impact this key demographic will have on the senior living industry, and how be.group and others are changing to cater to the demands and desires of boomers.

But not any time soon. According to common wisdom, most boomers would continue to work beyond 65 in hopes of making up for financial losses experienced during the recession. A recent study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute finds that may not be the case.

MetLife reports that the first boomers to turn 65 in 2011 are well into retirement. According to the survey of 1,012 boomers born in 1946, 45 percent stated they were fully retired. That’s more than double the boomers on the cusp in 2008—at 19 percent—who said they had retired.

“Many of the boomers weathered the recession well and have been able to stop working,” said Sandra Timmermann, the institute’s director. “Half of all boomers feel confident that they are on track or have already hit their retirement goals.”

“Family Matters: the Money Squeeze” shared the stories of three multigenerational households that are struggling with everything from paying for eldercare to covering college tuition.

Legal and financial experts interviewed for the series emphasized the importance of planning ahead. Jack Hetherington, a Philadelphia-based elder-law attorney, estimated that fewer than one in five adults take the necessary steps to effectively plan for eldercare. “People dread talking about it because we don’t like to face our mortality,” Hetherington told NPR.

Reynolds’ book, published last month, isn’t just about exercising more. She delves into the science of fitness and differentiates between exercise that increases sports performance and what we do to improve our health—which can be as simple as standing in place for 20 minutes, according to Reynolds.

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that exercise has to be hard, that exercise means marathon running or riding your bike for three hours or doing something really strenuous. That’s untrue,” she said. “If you walk, your body registers that as motion, and you get all sorts of physiological changes that result in better health. Gardening counts as exercise.”

Dr. Welles' son, Bob, and daughter, Patti

The new center, which is equipped with treadmills and stationary bikes, has been named in honor of former resident and medical director Dr. Marshall Welles, a well-regarded physician who spent 35 years with wife Helen as a medical missionary. Welles’ family joined residents and staff for a special dedication ceremony to celebrate the physician, who continued his medical practice until age 84.

Dr. Welles' son, Bob, and daughter, Patti

The new center, which is equipped with treadmills and stationary bikes, has been named in honor of former resident and medical director Dr. Marshall Welles, a well-regarded physician who spent 35 years with wife Helen as a medical missionary. Welles’ family joined residents and staff for a special dedication ceremony to celebrate the physician, who continued his medical practice until age 84.

Author Diana B. Denholm, a psychotherapist in West Palm Beach, Fla., knows firsthand what it means to be a caregiver. A month after her husband’s marriage proposal, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He later struggled with congestive heart failure, kidney failure and a host of other ailments. She was his primary caregiver for more than 11 years.

In an interview with the New York Times, Denholm talks about her experience and her guidebook, which she says offers women the support they need in caring for their ailing spouses.

Denholm’s advice also may be helpful to those dealing with an aging parent. Check out just a few of the 50 “do’s and don’ts” she shares in the interview:

• Don’t let your husband take advantage of you or be abusive in any way.
• Ask for help when you need it.
• Don’t assume roles and jobs just because somebody thinks you should.
• Recognize that he’s the one who is ill, not you, and that your journeys will be   different.
• Realize that sacrificing yourself completely will not make him well.
• Speak up for yourself and take a hard line on safety issues.
• See the humor in situations and try to laugh rather than criticize.
• Learn relaxation techniques.
• Give your husband a whistle, bell or call button to help him call you.
• Take advantage of the time remaining and have fun with your husband however you can.

As a caregiver, what are some things that you do to help cope with the challenges, demands and stress?

Researchers from the University of Illinois’ Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology placed groups of mice in four separate settings, ranging from a high-energy, stimulating situation filled with colorful toys, seesaws, running wheels and food dusted with cinnamon, to one with no embellishments and the standard kibble.

The mice underwent cognitive tests at the beginning of the study. Scientists injected a substance that allowed them to monitor any changes in the rodents’ brains. Then they monitored activity for several months.

Based on the findings at the end of the study, “only one thing had mattered, and that’s whether they had a running wheel,” said Justin S. Rhodes, a psychology professor at the Beckman Institute and lead researcher, in an interview with the Times.

While the mice played with the toys and enjoyed the food, researchers said that cognitive improvement only occurred while running in the wheel.

Oxy showed its gratitude to the Samuelsons with an extraordinary ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new alumni office “symbolizes the college’s renewed commitment to its alumni and Jack and Sally’s generous lifetime of service to Occidental,” said Oxy President Jonathan Veitch.

Jack and Sally Samuelson (l.) with Oxy President Jonathan Veitch