GBONEWS: Feds Rarely Penalize Medicare Advantage; Trump Pardons 3rd LTC Convict; Did Boomers Ruin Everything?; 3 Fellowship/Awards Deadlines; Unlocking Dementia Wards; Cuts Feared on SSI, Disability; & MORE
GENERATIONS BEAT ONLINE NEWS
E-News of the Journalists Network on Generations.
November 26, 2025 — Volume 32, Number 15
EDITOR’S NOTE: GBONews, e-news of the Journalists Network on Generations (JNG), publishes alerts for journalists, producers and authors covering generational issues. If you have difficulty getting to the full issue of GBONews with the links provided below, simply go to www.gbonews.org to read the latest or past editions. To subscribe to GBONews.org at no charge, simply send a request to Paul with your name, address, phone number and editorial affiliation or note that you freelance. For each issue, we’ll email the table of contents and links to the full issue at www.gbonews.org. GBONews does not provide its list to other entities.
In This Issue: Old School Decisions—Garlic or Parmesan Mash? Wheat or Gluteless? Less Epstein Files, More Jack Smith Mar-a-Lago Report? Don’t Worry, Eat Happy!
Our Table of Contents
1. THE STORYBOARD
*** “What’s New in Aging,” by Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue (Insights and advice from the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting);
*** “Complaints about gaps in Medicare Advantage networks are common. Federal enforcement is rare,”by Susan Jaffe, KFF Heath News/CBS News;
*** “Dementia Housing Without Locked Wards? It’s a small but growing movement,” by Ashley Milne-Tyte, NPR Morning Edition;
*** “Trump pardons another long-term care convict; frees Schwartz, architect of Skyline chain collapse, $39M fraud,” by James M. Berkland, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News;
*** “Who Will Care for Me When I’m Old?” by Alexa Mikhail, TheFlowSpace.com (with love from Arianna Huffington);
2. EYES ON THE PRIZE:
*** National Press Foundation Applications Due by Dec. 14, for NPF’s Widening the Pipeline Fellowship;
*** Entries by Jan. 12 Are Open for the National Center on Disability and Journalism’s Award for Excellence in Reporting;
*** Report for America (RFA) applications open from Jan. 20 through Feb, 16, 2026, pays 50% of local reporters’ salaries for focus on under-covered issues and communities.
3. AGING IN AMERICA NEWS (Selections from independent site, AiANews):
*** “Closer to the Heart,” by Karen Fischer (heart disease in rural America); *** “ARCHANGELS Is Quantifying Caregiving” (40% of U.S. in caregivers; , 70% will have mental-health impact); *** “Closing the Longevity Gap,” by Mark Swartz, Editor Aging in America News.
4. GOOD SOURCES:
*** “America’s Retirement Curriculum Needs A Longevity Rewrite,” by Joseph Coughlin, Director, MIT’s AgeLab;
*** “Building the Workforce Behind Long-Term Care,” by Allison Cook and Erica Amarante, National Academy for Social Insurance;
*** “No Rescission for Old Age: What Lies Ahead for Late-Life Security in America?”, Journalists in Aging Fellowship Zoom recording, former U.S. Administration on Aging head, Fernando M. Torres-Gil, and Patricia M. “Trish” D’Antonio, VP of Policy and Professional Affairs, Gerontological Society of America.
5. REFRAMING AGING:
*** “Could smaller families ‘rewild’ the planet — and make humans happier?” by Brian Mann, NPR “Weekend Edition”;
*** “The Boomers Ruined Everything? Think Again,” by Ashton Applewhite, thischairrocks.com.
1. THE STORYBOARD
*** “Complaints about gaps in Medicare Advantage networks are common. Federal enforcement is rare,”by Susan Jaffe, KFF Heath News/CBS News (Nov. 20, 2025): “Government documents … show the agency overseeing Medicare Advantage does little to enforce long-standing rules intended to ensure about 35 million plan members can see doctors in the first place.”
*** “What’s New in Aging,” by Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue (Nov. 21, 2025): The Dek—”Insights and advice on retirement, family caregiving, AI, and living longer lives.”
The Lede –“Fascinating findings and tips on topics ranging from retirement to renewment. That’s exactly what transpired at the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) annual conference I just attended in Boston.” Here’s a sampler of what he found:
** Family Caregiving:
* “A huge rise in the number of family caregivers in America — Rita Choula, Senior Director of Caregiving for the AARP Public Policy Institute, said the recent AARP/National Alliance for Caregiving report, Caregiving in the US, found a 45% increase in caregiving since 2015. There are now 63 million family caregivers in the U.S., up from 43 million a decade ago.”
* Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) “caregivers have higher levels of stress than with any other form of dementia,” said Lauren Massimo, of the University of Pennsylvania. The survey of 956 spouses, partners, family members, caregivers and friends of people with FTD, researchers . . . found that 54% saw three or more doctors and spent more than two years seeking a diagnosis. … Pilot programs around the country are trying to help.”
** Artificial Intelligence: MIT’s AgeLab found, “AI can improve work/life balance and productivity by letting the chatbot handle administrative tasks. It can also help provide 24/7 answers to questions about an employer’s benefits and compensation policies. But . . . only 5% of employers are actively training employees in AI skills.”
** Government Support for Older Americans: Discussing fears about two types of Social Security benefits, Kevin Prindiville, Executive Director at Justice in Aging, said of rumored Trump administration changes, “The massive, proposed rule would change the definition of how to qualify as disabled. It would be the largest cut in Social Security Supplemental Security Income in history and a 20% reduction in people on Social Security disability insurance.
Eisenberg’s roundup reported that while “GSA speakers were discouraged by government policy and funding changes . . . , they also said it’s important to compare what the political leaders propose and what actually happens. Amy Gotwals, Chief of Public Policy and External Affairs at USAging (formerly National Association of Area Agencies on Aging), said President Trump’s 2026 budget called for the elimination of the AmeriCorps Seniors program and many Older Americans Act programs. ‘But the Senate and House didn’t follow.’”
*** “Dementia housing without locked wards? It’s a small but growing movement,” by Ashley Milne-Tyte, NPR Morning Edition Nov. 17, 2025: The Dek: “The number of memory care units for people with dementia in the U.S. has grown 62% over the past decade. In them, residents are often kept behind locked doors. A movement to make this kind of living less segregated is getting traction.”
*** “Trump pardons another long-term care convict; frees Schwartz, architect of Skyline chain collapse, $39M fraud,” by James M. Berkland, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News (Nov. 16., 2025):
The Lede: “President Trump granted a full and unconditional pardon to Joseph Schwartz on Friday [Nov. 14], making him the third upper-echelon nursing home executive convicted of multimillion dollar crimes he has set free. Schwartz was sentenced in April to three years in prison after admitting to defrauding the IRS of nearly $39 million in payroll tax funds.”
Best True-Crime Nut Graph of 2025: “A rabbi and former insurance salesman, Schwartz quickly grew his Skyline chain to 95 facilities in 11 states before being indicted in 2022. The Skyline debacle, orchestrated from a New Jersey office above a pizzeria, put an estimated 7,000 nursing home patients and 15,000 employees at risk.”
The Upshot: “It also forced a handful of states to assign emergency conservators for dozens of facilities. The collapse generated international attention and is credited with driving new ownership transparency requirements for federally funded nursing homes.”
Aw, Gee, Mom: “Trump also raised eyebrows in May of this year when he pardoned Florida nursing home owner Paul Walczak, who admitted to failing to pay more than $7 million in payroll taxes. The pardon was granted about a month after Walczak’s mother reportedly paid $1 million to attend a Trump fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago complex and Walczak himself had touted that his mother had contributed millions of dollars to Trump’s election campaign.”
But Wait, There’s More: “Philip Esformes was another disgraced former long-term care executive freed by Trump’s pardon pen. . . . The Justice Department had successfully prosecuted Esformes for a case it estimated as involving $1 billion in fraud, which it described as ‘the largest healthcare fraud scheme charged by the US Justice Department.’”
*** “Who Will Care for Me When I’m Old?” by Alexa Mikhail, TheFlowSpace.com (Nov. 5, 2025, Flow Space, focuses on women’s health and wellbeing, is a new one for GBONews’ editor guy, but not to Arianna Huffington. In her “On My Mind” LinkedIn newsletter, she quotes Mikhail’s article: ““We’ve equated independence with dignity, so this idea of needing care can sort of feel like a failure to people.”
The Stats: Mikhail, a Journalists in Aging Fellow, writes, “According to AARP’s newly released State of Caregiving Report, here are 63 million American caregivers, the majority of whom are women, which is a nearly 50% increase since 2015, according to the AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.”
And: :Even as science on aging well has underscored the lifestyle factors proven to help people live healthier for longer, there is still a gap between lifespan—how long we live—and health span—how long we live in good health. According to the newly released Longevity Preparedness Index from John Hancock and the MIT AgeLab, Americans are underprepared for the care they may need.”
2. EYES ON THE PRIZE
*** National Press Foundation Applications Due by Dec. 14, for NPF’s Widening the Pipeline Fellowship year-long training program for U.S.-based journalists of color. About 20 reporters will attend both virtual workshops and an in-person training in Washington, DC. NPF’s aim is to “support journalists of color staying in – and leading – the newsrooms of tomorrow.”
Their website states, “U.S. journalism has an ongoing diversity crisis. There simply are not enough reporters and editors of color to inform, engage and accurately reflect our society.” The program “welcomes U.S.-based journalists from any medium with seven years or less of professional newsroom experience to participate in this career-defining cohort.”
*** Entries by Jan. 12 Are Open for the National Center on Disability and Journalism’s (NCDJ) 2025 Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability. First-place winners in each of the large- and small-media categories receive $2,500 and an invitation to speak about their work at an awards ceremony at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Second-place winners receive $1,000, and third-place winners get $500.
The Schneider prize, devoted exclusively to disability coverage, is supported by a gift from Katherine Schneider, a retired clinical psychologist who has been blind since birth. According to the Center’s website, “Schneider wants to encourage journalists to improve their coverage of disability issues, moving beyond ‘inspirational’ stories that don’t accurately represent the lives of people with disabilities.
NCDJ is also accepting entries by Jan. 12, for the Gary Corcoran Student Prize, recognizing “the best work by college journalists on topics related to disabilities.” Named for the late disability rights Gary Corcoran, the prizes include $2,500 for first place, $1,500 for second place and $1,000 for third place. Entrants must have been enrolled as a student at the time of publication or broadcast, and the work must have been produced via a university-affiliated publication, class or program.
The entry form for the Schneider professional prize can be found at Schneider Prize Entry 2025 and for the Corcoran student prize at Corcoran Prize Entry 2025.
Part of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, NCJD says on its website, “U.S. journalism has an ongoing diversity crisis. There simply are not enough reporters and editors of color to inform, engage and accurately reflect our society.” The program “welcomes U.S.-based journalists from any medium with seven years or less of professional newsroom experience to participate in this career-defining cohort.”
*** Report for America (RFA) will accept applications for new reporter positions from Jan. 20 through Feb, 16, 2026. Their national service program places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. These full-time positions are for two-to-three years tenure with employment beginning the first week in July of 2026. RFA pays about half the salary with the remainder paid by the local news organization. RFA also assists participating news organizations with fundraising for their share. Selected reporters “get world class training, at the beginning of the term and throughout the service years.” Contact recruitment@reportforamerica.org. Report for Americais an initiative of The GroundTruth Project
3. AGING IN AMERICA NEWS
GBONews.org here continues highlighting selections from the independent site, Aging in America News. Check the site out and subscribe free, as well as their LinkedIn group.
*** “Closer to the Heart,” by Karen Fischer (Nov. 18, 2025): The Lede – “Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Americans, and with a rapidly aging population, access to cardiac care is becoming ever more critical. In 2024 about one in five Americans were covered by Medicare, and of them, 20% live in what’s classified as rural areas. That’s precisely why numerous early-career researchers focused on the impact of distance as a health deterrent this year at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.”
*** “ARCHANGELS Is Quantifying Caregiving” (Nov. 11.2025) — Who: “Alexandra Drane’s company helps organizations measure, match, and act on that data to reduce costs and increase wellbeing. The serial entrepreneur notes that more than 40% of adults across the country are in a caregiving role — and among them, 70% will experience at least one mental health impact such as anxiety, depression, stress, or suicidal ideation.”
Deadly Stats: “When Alex breaks down the numbers, the reality becomes even clearer: ‘If you divide the nation into four cohorts, the rate of active suicidal ideation in the last 30 days for people not in any caregiving role is 4.5%. If you’re caring for one or more children under 18, it doubles to 9%. For those caring for one or more adults over 18, it’s 10%. And for the sandwich generation — those caring for both — it’s 52%.’” (Emphasis added.)
*** “Closing the Longevity Gap,” by Mark Swartz, Editor Aging in America News (Nov. 2, 2025): The Lede – “Advances in medical research, preventive care, and age-related treatments promise to extend not just our lifespans, but our health spans—the years we live in good health and vitality. Yet as America’s multi-trillion dollar longevity market rapidly expands, we face a troubling reality: these innovations are becoming a luxury available only to those who can afford expensive treatments and cutting-edge interventions.”
The Upshot: “Just as universal healthcare (whether Medicare for All or another form) not only aids the disadvantaged but elevates everyone, just as universal basic income would, arguably, improve the overall economy, universal longevity would foster infrastructure, research, and economies of scale. ‘Framing longevity as a human right,’ says Arkadi Mazin, ‘is natural and intuitive.’”
4. GOOD SOURCES
*** “America’s Retirement Curriculum Needs A Longevity Rewrite,” by Joseph Coughlin, Forbes, (Oct. 20, 2025): Joe Coughlin, Founder and Director of MIT’s AgeLab, has long collaborated with corporations to improve their approach to the seniors’ market by addressing underlying factors in aging beyond merely weighing supply-and-demand capital concerns.
Working with the John Hancock Insurance Company, his MIT AgeLab developed the new Longevity Preparedness Index (LPI). This initial report is based on the AgeLab and insurer’s first annual LPI national consumer survey to gauge the nation’s retirement preparedness “across eight critical domains that research shows are fundamental to quality of life in older age: health, finance, care, home, daily activities, social connection, community, and life transitions.”
*** “Building the Workforce Behind Long-Term Care,” by Allison Cook, Founder, Better Aging and Policy Consulting, and Erica Amarante, Consultant, Better Aging and Policy Consulting, National Academy for Social Insurance (Nov. 12, 2025). This blog from NASI, Washington’s principal bipartisan association focused on policies related to programs such as Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, is the first part of a three-part series exploring “how states can strengthen long-term care for older adults, people with disabilities, and family caregivers.”
*** “No Rescission for Old Age: What Lies Ahead for Late-Life Security in America?”, Journalists in Aging Fellowship Zoom (YouTube recording, Oct. 29, 2025): This webinar link includes two authoritative analysts on the future of generational public policy, former U.S. Administration on Aging head, Fernando M. Torres-Gil, PhD, now of UCLA’s Center for Policy Research on Aging, and Patricia M. “Trish” D’Antonio, BSPharm, MS, VP of Policy and Professional Affairs for the Gerontological Society of America. The spoke to the Journalists in Aging Fellows at GSA’s November conference, cosp0nsored by GBONews publisher, the Journalists Network on Generations.
5. REFRAMING AGING
*** “Could smaller families ‘rewild’ the planet — and make humans happier?” by Brian Mann, NPR “Weekend Edition” (Nov. 1, 2025, 5 mins.): The Dek: “Families in the U.S. and around the world are having fewer children as people make profoundly different decisions about their lives. NPR’s series Population Shift: How Smaller Families Are Changing the World explores the causes and implications of this trend.”
The Lede: “On a late autumn day, John Davis hiked through what looks like wild forest in New York’s Champlain Valley … . This place is an example of what Davis calls ‘rewilding,’ which means … stepping back and letting nature unfold as it will,’ he said.”
Challenging Group-Think: “Populations in many countries are beginning to age rapidly and gradually decline, in large part due to individuals choosing to have fewer children. It’s a trend that alarms many experts, and politicians, who say the fabric of whole communities could unravel, but many activists, researchers and economists also see big upsides. Davis, who works for an organization called the Rewilding Institute, says the pivot toward fewer people is allowing landscapes like this one to heal.”
The Stats: “The global population has doubled to more than 8 billion since the 1970s. . . [Since then], family size dropped by more than half, from about five children per woman on average to roughly two, according to the latest United Nations data. . . . Without large-scale immigration, the U.S. will join the list of countries losing population in the coming decades.
Less Is More: “Marian Starkey works with a group called Population Connection that advocates in favor of policies that support this shift toward smaller families and gradual depopulation. According to Starkey, fewer people will mean a healthier environment, but she also thinks the trend is good news for humans.”
Happy Legacy: “Claudia Goldin, an economist at Harvard University, said fears about declining population are overblown. She says there’s evidence people are happier when free to decide for themselves if and when to have kids. ‘To have the number of children they want to have, and to have them at the right time in their lives, is certainly a benefit to couples,’ she said.”
*** “The Boomers Ruined Everything? Think Again,” by author and anti-ageism advocate Ashton Applewhite on her thischairrocks.com blog (Nov. 19, 2025): This blog by the ever-quotable Applewhite offers reporters a sources of sources on articles, incidents and materials about ageism.
Applewhite writes, “For a clear explanation of what happened to the more egalitarian social contract that followed World War II, and who benefited from its destruction, read No, the Boomers Did Not Take It All in The American Prospect, by journalist Robert Kuttner. Hint: ‘It wasn’t ‘boomers’….It was Ronald Reagan and the presidents who followed.” Including the Democrats. It’s not about political party or “gerontocracy.” It’s about class and power.’”
She continues, “Kuttner’s article is subtitled, ‘Why is the New York Times validating the generational myth, as opposed to taking a hard look at power and class?’” (Thanks to Applewhite for linking Kuttner here to my 2022 screed about the false construction of “gerontocracy.”
Applewhite stresses, “In 2023 the Pew Research Center stopped using generational labels to avoid contributing to generational conflict, and suggested that others follow suit. The more energy we waste on generational finger-pointing, the less likely we are to join forces to demand a society that works for all ages.”
She continues, “Blaming America’s ills on old people—or on immigrants or feminists or trans folks, for that matter—divides us and distracts us from what’s actually going on. The only winners in this blame game are the ultra-wealthy. Once again, it’s about class, not age.”
Her post also links to “An Open Letter to the New York Times” (Time to Grow Past Ageism), posted on the Creative Crones with Stella Fosse Substack (Nov. 8, 2025). It echoes much of GBONews’ criticism of the national reporters and columnists of the stalwart venerated as “The Gray Lady” of journalism, such as Michelle Goldberg, Michelle Cottle and David Brooks, would do well to read the Times’ “New Old Age” columnist Paula Span for her sensitive coverage of generational issues.–
The Journalists Network on Generations (JNG), founded in 1993, publishes Generations Beat Online News (GBONews.org). JNG provides information and networking opportunities for journalists covering generational issues, but not those representing services, products or lobbying agendas. Copyright 2025 Paul Kleyman. For more information contact GBO Editor Paul Kleyman.
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