As comfortable as Americans are with seeking a deal - witness the thousands of price comparison Web sites - there is one major purchase many still seem unwilling to comparison shop for, and it's a purchase everyone will eventually make.

By 2030, the number of Americans 80 and older is expected to rise from 9.3 million (in 2000) to 10.5 million. With this increased average life span, comes an increased demand on resources from health to social services. Volunteer-based organizations are stepping in to fill a growing need.

Baby boomers are increasingly finding answers to health questions online, and not necessarily just on medical Web sites. They're finding health information, personal stories and support on social networking sites where members engage directly with other members through private messages and online groups.

Whether you've noticed the signs of aging in family and friends, or acknowledged how it affects your own mind and body, getting older is an unavoidable part of life. And while Ponce de Leon never found the Fountain of Youth, daily preventative measures can be taken to help you age beautifully both inside and out.

As we age, the lenses of our eyes thicken and our pupils shrink. This causes eyes to adapt more slowly to changing light conditions and increases the need for light. According to the Center of Design For An Aging Society in Portland, Ore., older people need three to five times more light than younger people for vision and to maintain health.

Does your heart ever beat irregularly? Perhaps you get an occasional flutter, or your heart races or beats slow for a short amount of time. For most people, these occasional, irregular heartbeats are common and harmless. However, when these irregular heartbeats (or heart rhythms) are combined with a diagnosis of heart failure, a condition in which the heart doesn't pump blood through the body as well as it should, consider these irregular heartbeats a warning sign.

Early screening is an underutilized strategy in both identifying the substantial number of individuals living with undiagnosed Alzheimer's disease and providing them the necessary medical intervention.