Cold winter nights are just around the corner and many elderly on fixed incomes are worried about whether they'll be able to afford to stay warm. As fuel suppliers are asking for as much as 40% rate increases, community groups are scrambling to try to assist families.

Click here for a list of 2008 federal, utility, and charitable heating assistance programs.

New data shows that life expectancy is declining in parts of rural America – including several counties in West Virginia. Researchers blame obesity, diabetes and lung disease. People who live in these communities add other factors – including a spike in drug overdose deaths, a lack of health insurance and a lack of hope.

Next month, The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute in Morgantown is scheduled to open its new $30M state-of-the-art research facility. Since its founding by Sen. Jay Rockefeller in 1999, BRNI has conducted ground-breaking research in two laboratories – one at Johns Hopkins University in MD, and the other on the campus of West Virginia University. The new building at WVU will bring the entire research effort under one roof - that’s the work of about 20 scientists from around the world by the end of this year. Dr. James Stevenson, psychiatrist, professor and chair of the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry at WVU School of Medicine, will oversee the clinical trials of drugs produced at BRNI.

It's perhaps the toughest decision family members will need to make. How do you begin to choose a nursing home for a loved one? The West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification is the state agency charged with quality oversight. Program manager Deanna Kramer offers advice. Click here for a link to federal information.

As part of Morgantown’s Lifelong Learning Week, Harry Moody, Director of Academic Affairs for AARP, gave a lecture entitled "Creativity and Aging – The best is yet to come." Moody pointed out the latest science that shows several positive changes that take place in the brain as we age, including higher morale, higher practical intelligence, and greater creativity.