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People aged over 75 may soon be allowed to pass through US airport security checkpoints without pat downs or taking their shoes off.

The US Department of Homeland Security’s Transport Security Administration (TSA) said it was testing the modified screening measures for older people after the federal agency late last year made similar changes at some airports for travellers aged 12 and younger.

National Seniors is urging the Federal Government to ensure the rights of consumers are fully recognised as the Future of Financial Advice reforms goes before parliament.

Earlier this month, Financial Services Minister Bill Shorten announced the introduction of the FOFA changes would be delayed until 1 July 2013.

Australians lost more than $85 million to scammers last year, up 35% on 2010, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

More than half the scams, or 52%, were carried out via unsolicited telephone calls, rather than via the internet and email, the ACCC said in its report Targeting Scams: Report of the ACCC on Scam Activity 2011.

Many of the phone scams originated in overseas call centres where criminal networks could access cheaper providers.

Money worries are the top concern when it comes to growing older, according to a new survey released this week.

National Seniors Australia surveyed 1,800 members and found their biggest concern about getting older was the value of their savings and investments not keeping up with inflation.

This was followed by being unable to receive proper care when they are no longer able to look after themselves and thirdly by not being able to maintain a reasonable standard of living for their rest of their lives.

A new study has shown that metal artificial hips fail more often than other types and wear down faster.

Researchers from the University of Bristol analysed more than 400,000 hip replacements and the findings were published in the Lancet medical journal.

Patients were followed for up to seven years after surgery and the researchers observed that failure rates were much higher for stemmed metal-on-metal implants than other devices.

National Seniors Australia has backed a new report which shows that more than a third of Human Resource (HR) practitioners (35%) believe their organisation is biased to some extent against the employment of older workers.

The study by the Australian Human Resources Institute is based on a survey of 1,212 HR practitioners and examines questions relating to retention of older workers on the payroll as well as recruitment issues.

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents (63%) reported that negative workplace perceptions of older workers prevent their employment.

A meeting of more than 100 seniors in Brisbane’s west has called on the major parties for help with the cost of living after the 24 March Queensland election.

The meeting, attended by party representatives, heard of older people struggling to make ends meet and of some living on crackers before pension day because they cannot afford proper meals.

Contrary to popular belief, getting older does not necessarily mean getting less sleep, US researchers say.

A study of nearly 156,000 Americans by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows insomnia may be a sign of underlying illness, not simply ageing.

The researchers found that poor general health and depression were linked to sleep disturbances and tiredness.

The GFC has hit Baby Boomers hard – particularly if they are older single women in poor health and on lower incomes.

New research out this week has shown such people are some of the worst off among the 5.5 million people born between 1946 and 1965, with many of the eldest already retired.

Baby Boomers' expectations were surveyed by National Seniors, through its Productive Ageing Centre.

Fifteen successful older Australians have been named as ‘ambassadors’ at the launch of the NSW Seniors Week, which this year runs from 18 - 25 March.

They are: Robina Beard, Professor Michael Besser, Paul Biscoe, Murray Cox, Bruce Elder, Aunty Millie Ingram, Irene ‘IJ’ Juergens, Tom McCammont , Brian McGuigan, Dr Sudha Natarajan, Merle Parrish, Kumar Pereira, Graham Ross, Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo and Pat Woodley.