AgeLab

Researchers from the MIT AgeLab and Transamerica have found that individuals ages 40 to 59 are more likely to struggle with preparing for increased longevity, reports Lorie Konish for CNBC. “The research finds while 74% of people in their 50s say it is extremely or very important to save enough money to eventually stop working, just 57% said they expect to be able to retire,” writes Konish. “Moreover, half of people in midlife are struggling to get by financially, more than other age groups studied.”

Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, speaks with CNBC reporter Greg Iacurci about the importance of longevity planning, which entails creating a more complete framework for retirement that includes aspects such as transportation, social life and small tasks that could become difficult in old age. “Leisure is a story we wrote for retirement when it was short,” said Coughlin.” “Life is the new story we need to write when it becomes so much longer.”

Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, writes for Forbes about how a person’s zip code can impact their retirement planning. “Most of us think where we’ll live in retirement is answered by where we live now,” writes Coughlin. “That is, we choose to age in place and stay put. However, as we age, our needs, desires, health conditions, social connections, and more will change. This can often create a disconnect between what works now and what will work later on.”

Writing for MarketWatch, Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, discusses the importance of ensuring that retirees have access to quality healthcare. “Given demographic shifts in the medical profession as well as healthcare-industry restructuring, understanding where, and from whom, you will be accessing quality personal care that fits your unique health conditions, just when you most need it most, must now be part of an overall longevity plan that extends well beyond money,” writes Coughlin.

Research scientist Bryan Reimer co-authored a real-world study on human driving behavior, reports Junko Yoshida for The Ojo-Yoshida Report.  The study “provides a window on actual driver behavior associated with system-initiated transitions of control under real-world, naturalistic driving conditions,” says Reimer.

MIT AgeLab director Joseph Coughlin writes for Forbes that Tom Brady’s second retirement from the NFL demonstrates how those planning for retirement “need to plan for longevity, not the one-and-done retirement we think of today.” Coughlin adds: “Planning for your retirement years means identifying the many different retirements you may have in what has been incorrectly defined as a single life stage and experience. Maybe it will be a traditional retirement, but maybe it won’t.”

Boston.com reporter Melissa Ellin spotlights the MIT AgeLab’s Age Gain Now Empathy System (AGNES), “a suit that allows wearers to feel what it is like to be 80 years old with some chronic health conditions,” writes Ellin. The suit was recently featured in “Limitless with Chris Hemsworth,” a docuseries highlighting scientific research and insight into the human body.

Writing for Forbes, Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, highlights the safety concerns associated with shrinking airlines seats. “Tightening seating is argued to be a threat to a speedy emergency evacuation and even the cause of dangerous health conditions such as blood clots,” writes Coughlin.

Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, writes for Forbes about the three major risk factors to consider when planning where to live in retirement. “Retirement planning can’t control the weather,” writes Coughlin. “However, critically and realistically assessing our personal resilience and how to best prepare for the possible risks of where I live, is a critical element to thinking about how I will live in older age.”

MIT AgeLab director Joseph Coughlin writes for Forbes about why many former retirees are returning to the workforce. “These older adults are inventing something that is neither our current idea of retirement or of work,” writes Coughlin. “They are quietly creating something else — a new life stage altogether that sees the retirement age of today as a mile marker, not an exit.”

Sharing automated vehicle data with the public can fundamentally change the way regulators, police departments, insurance companies and other organization understand the risks of drive-assistance systems, report Cade Metz and Ella Koeze for The New York Times. “This can help separate crashes related to technology from crashes related to driver error,” says research engineer Bryan Reimer.

Joseph Coughlin, Director of the MIT AgeLab, writes for Forbes about Serena William’s recent retirement announcement and the evolving concept of retirement. “Tennis star Serena Williams announced her ‘retirement’ from tennis this week while challenging the very idea of retirement,” writes Coughlin. “Williams is not alone. Many people, far older than her 41 years, are declaring retirement a dated term best left to past generations and another era.”

Writing for Forbes, Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, emphasizes the importance of friendships in retirement. “Comprehensive longevity planning is about living well in later life, not just financial planning,” writes Coughlin. “Without rich social connections, health, even coupled with ample wealth, might still result in unhappiness in older age. It appears that men, in particular, must work harder than most women to invest and build their social portfolio.”

Research scientist Bryan Reimer and his colleagues have been collecting data from vehicles with driver-assist technology for the last seven years, writes Pete Bigelow for Automotive News. “We desperately need to understand the denominators, the frequency of events and the behaviors underlying them to understand the benefits and limitations of automated and assisted driving,” says Reimer. “We need to understand which aspects are working well and which ones need refining.”

A study by MIT AgeLab research scientist Bryan Reimer found that drivers using autopilot were “more likely to look away from the road once the system was on,” reports Aarian Marshall for Wired. “With automation comes an inherent new level of complexities. There are lots of risks and lots of rewards,” says Reimer.