Q. My 72-year-old mother seems to be short on cash and I am concerned. Perhaps it’s my imagination that her Social Security check doesn’t go as far as it once did. As much as I would like to, I am not in a position to help. Mom is in good health and I think would like to work, but she’s a retiree. What could she do? She has a caring and compassionate heart and lots of energy.
Seniors have lost almost one-quarter of their buying power since 2000, according to the Annual Survey of Senior Costs, released recently by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a senior advocacy group. So your mother’s financial concerns may, in fact, be reality.
In most years, seniors receive a small increase in their Social Security checks, intended to help them keep up with the costs of inflation. But since 2000, the Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) has increased average benefits just 31 percent while typical senior expenses have jumped almost 63 percent, more than twice as fast, according to the TSCL.
What’s more, seniors are receiving no COLA this year for the first time since the automatic COLA’s introduction in 1975, and are forecast to receive no COLA again next year.
A senior with the average Social Security benefit in 2000 received $816 per month, a figure that rose to $1072.30 by 2010. However, that senior would require a Social Security benefit of $1,328.40 per month in 2010 just to maintain his or her 2000 lifestyle.
A majority of the 37 million Americans ages 65 and over who receive a Social Security check depend on it for at least 50 percent of their total income, and one in three beneficiaries rely on it for 90 percent or more of their total income, the TSCL reports.
If your mother does want to go back to work, Home Instead Senior Care® values and regularly hires older adults. Home Instead Senior Care likes to employ seniors because they relate so well to others their age. If your mother is a good fit, she would be fully trained by Home Instead Senior Care. Encourage her to check it out. Work schedules are part-time and flexible.
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Carroll County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627.1. For more about the survey, visit http://www.seniorsleague.org/images/press_release_2010_loss_buying_power.pdf.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Seniors Beware of Internet Magazine Sales
Q. My grandchildren have introduced me to the Internet in recent years and I have started doing more of my business online. But I am still very nervous. For instance, I subscribe to a number of magazines and have been thinking it would be much easier to order them online. What should I beware of and is there any way to help keep me safer from thieves?
It’s great that you are wary since thieves have found innovative ways to do their dirty deeds using the latest technology. The National Fraud Information Center, founded in 1992 by the National Consumers League to fight fraud, offers these tips:
• Get all the details before you decide to subscribe. The cost may be described as “pennies a month” but you need to know the length of the subscription commitment and the total cost. Legitimate companies will give you all the details upfront and never insist that you act immediately.
• Be cautious about unsolicited e-mails. They are often fraudulent. The best approach may be to not respond at all and simply delete the e-mail.
• Be wary of “free prizes.” They’re not free if you have to buy magazines to get them.
• Know the cancellation policy. Some subscription services don’t allow cancellations once they have placed the orders with the publishers.
• Watch out for imposters. Crooks may pretend to be acting on behalf of well-known magazine publishers when they have absolutely no connection with them at all and will simply pocket your money.
• Don’t give your credit card or bank account information unless you’re making a payment. There is no reason why the company would need that information for any other purpose.
Contact your Internet provider to help ensure that you are doing all you can to prevent spam e-mail from coming to you. If you’re looking for a second set of eyes to help keep you safe in your home, consider a professional caregiving company. Home Instead Senior Care® hires CAREGivers who are screened, bonded and insured, and well-trained to keep seniors safe in their homes.
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Carroll County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627.1. For more about the NFIC and other ways to protect against fraud, log on to http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/magazine.htm.
It’s great that you are wary since thieves have found innovative ways to do their dirty deeds using the latest technology. The National Fraud Information Center, founded in 1992 by the National Consumers League to fight fraud, offers these tips:
• Get all the details before you decide to subscribe. The cost may be described as “pennies a month” but you need to know the length of the subscription commitment and the total cost. Legitimate companies will give you all the details upfront and never insist that you act immediately.
• Be cautious about unsolicited e-mails. They are often fraudulent. The best approach may be to not respond at all and simply delete the e-mail.
• Be wary of “free prizes.” They’re not free if you have to buy magazines to get them.
• Know the cancellation policy. Some subscription services don’t allow cancellations once they have placed the orders with the publishers.
• Watch out for imposters. Crooks may pretend to be acting on behalf of well-known magazine publishers when they have absolutely no connection with them at all and will simply pocket your money.
• Don’t give your credit card or bank account information unless you’re making a payment. There is no reason why the company would need that information for any other purpose.
Contact your Internet provider to help ensure that you are doing all you can to prevent spam e-mail from coming to you. If you’re looking for a second set of eyes to help keep you safe in your home, consider a professional caregiving company. Home Instead Senior Care® hires CAREGivers who are screened, bonded and insured, and well-trained to keep seniors safe in their homes.
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Carroll County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627.1. For more about the NFIC and other ways to protect against fraud, log on to http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/magazine.htm.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Controlling Weight Key to Avoiding Diabetes
Q. As I approach 75, I’m worried about contracting diabetes like my parents did. What can I do to avoid going down the same path? Since my wife died it’s more difficult for me to eat balanced and healthy meals.
Diabetes has doubled in the U.S. in the last 15 years and is highest among older adults ages 65 to 79 so many other seniors face these issues and share your concerns. Start with your doctor, who may very well tell you what other studies have confirmed: weight control is one important way to keep type 2 diabetes away. In fact, yet another recent study addresses this very topic.
Researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, examined the relationship between measures of overall body fat, fat distribution, changes in these measures and diabetes risk among 4,193 men and women 65 and older.
They discovered that the Body Mass Index (BMI) at 50 years of age, weight, fat mass, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, and waist-height ratio were all strongly related to the risk of diabetes.
Compared with participants whose weight remained stable (plus or minus 4.4 pounds) over the time period, those who gained 20 pounds or more between the age of 50 years and entry into the study had an approximately three-fold greater risk of developing diabetes during follow-up, regardless of their BMI at 50 years of age.
Participants who were obese (BMI 30 or greater) at 50 years of age and who experienced the most weight gain (more than 20 pounds) between the age of 50 years and entry into the study had five times the risk of developing diabetes compared with weight-stable participants with normal BMI (less than 25) at 50 years of age.
Ask your doctor to recommend a good diet and exercise program. If you’re having trouble managing mealtimes, why not consider joining friends for lunch at a senior center or local coffee shop. Also consider seeking the support of a professional caregiving company. Shopping, meal preparation and mealtime companionship are among the most requested services provided by Home Instead Senior Care CAREGivers, who are screened, trained, bonded and insured.
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Carroll County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627.1. For more information about the diabetes study, log on to http://pubs.ama-assn.org/media/2010j/0622.dtl#3.
Diabetes has doubled in the U.S. in the last 15 years and is highest among older adults ages 65 to 79 so many other seniors face these issues and share your concerns. Start with your doctor, who may very well tell you what other studies have confirmed: weight control is one important way to keep type 2 diabetes away. In fact, yet another recent study addresses this very topic.
Researchers at the University of Washington, Seattle, examined the relationship between measures of overall body fat, fat distribution, changes in these measures and diabetes risk among 4,193 men and women 65 and older.
They discovered that the Body Mass Index (BMI) at 50 years of age, weight, fat mass, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, and waist-height ratio were all strongly related to the risk of diabetes.
Compared with participants whose weight remained stable (plus or minus 4.4 pounds) over the time period, those who gained 20 pounds or more between the age of 50 years and entry into the study had an approximately three-fold greater risk of developing diabetes during follow-up, regardless of their BMI at 50 years of age.
Participants who were obese (BMI 30 or greater) at 50 years of age and who experienced the most weight gain (more than 20 pounds) between the age of 50 years and entry into the study had five times the risk of developing diabetes compared with weight-stable participants with normal BMI (less than 25) at 50 years of age.
Ask your doctor to recommend a good diet and exercise program. If you’re having trouble managing mealtimes, why not consider joining friends for lunch at a senior center or local coffee shop. Also consider seeking the support of a professional caregiving company. Shopping, meal preparation and mealtime companionship are among the most requested services provided by Home Instead Senior Care CAREGivers, who are screened, trained, bonded and insured.
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Carroll County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627.1. For more information about the diabetes study, log on to http://pubs.ama-assn.org/media/2010j/0622.dtl#3.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Cataracts Are Not an Inevitable Part of Aging
Q. It seems as though all of my mom’s friends have cataracts. Is this an inevitable part of aging? My mom lives alone and needs cataract surgery, which is a concern for me as a long distance caregiver.
Cataracts, a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision, impacts more than half of all Americans by the age of 80, according to the National Eye Institute.
A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other. Common symptoms, according to the National Eye Institute, include:
● Blurry vision
● Colors that seem faded
● Glare
● Not being able to see well at night
● Double vision
● Frequent prescription changes in your eye wear
A study published in the June 2010 research Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, reports that cataracts could be less prevalent among aging women if they ate more foods rich in vitamins and minerals.
This study looked at the records of 1,808 women who participated in the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease study, residing in Iowa, Wisconsin and Oregon. Results from this study, conducted by researchers from the University of Wisconsin, revealed that healthy diets are more strongly related to the lower occurrence of nuclear cataracts than any other modifiable risk factor or protective factor studied in this sample of women. Nuclear cataracts are the most common in all people, forming through natural aging in the center of the lens – the nucleus.
The study further concluded that lifestyle improvements such as healthy diets, smoking cessation and avoiding obesity may substantively lower the need for and economic burden of cataract surgery in aging American women.
In most healthy adults, cataract surgery is not a difficult procedure, but your mother most likely would need help with transportation and other services for a time. Consider contacting Home Instead Senior Care® for assistance. CAREGivers provide companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, errands and shopping. A CAREGiver could give both you and your mother peace of mind following her surgery, especially if you can’t be there yourself.
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Carroll County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627.1. For additional information about cataracts, log on to http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-06/jaaj-hda061010.php.
Cataracts, a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision, impacts more than half of all Americans by the age of 80, according to the National Eye Institute.
A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other. Common symptoms, according to the National Eye Institute, include:
● Blurry vision
● Colors that seem faded
● Glare
● Not being able to see well at night
● Double vision
● Frequent prescription changes in your eye wear
A study published in the June 2010 research Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, reports that cataracts could be less prevalent among aging women if they ate more foods rich in vitamins and minerals.
This study looked at the records of 1,808 women who participated in the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease study, residing in Iowa, Wisconsin and Oregon. Results from this study, conducted by researchers from the University of Wisconsin, revealed that healthy diets are more strongly related to the lower occurrence of nuclear cataracts than any other modifiable risk factor or protective factor studied in this sample of women. Nuclear cataracts are the most common in all people, forming through natural aging in the center of the lens – the nucleus.
The study further concluded that lifestyle improvements such as healthy diets, smoking cessation and avoiding obesity may substantively lower the need for and economic burden of cataract surgery in aging American women.
In most healthy adults, cataract surgery is not a difficult procedure, but your mother most likely would need help with transportation and other services for a time. Consider contacting Home Instead Senior Care® for assistance. CAREGivers provide companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, errands and shopping. A CAREGiver could give both you and your mother peace of mind following her surgery, especially if you can’t be there yourself.
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Carroll County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627.1. For additional information about cataracts, log on to http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-06/jaaj-hda061010.php.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Clutter Control an Important Part of Home Safety
Q. My arthritis is worsening and I am having more trouble keeping newspapers and magazines from piling up in my house. In addition, it’s difficult parting with things that have meant so much to me through the years. Is this a common problem?
Yes it is, but there are solutions. While clutter is not a problem unique to seniors, conditions of aging including arthritis can lead to disorder and chaos.
Too much clutter is a safety risk such as slipping on loose papers, threat of fire or the health effects of mold and mildew. Clutter might also make you uncomfortable to have guests in your home.
We suggest a three-step plan using three bins -- one for the stuff you want to keep, one for donations and the other for trash. If you need a little help, why not enlist the assistance of a family member like a daughter or granddaughter. It could be a fun activity and an event that will help you share memories with your loved ones. Here are some other ideas:
• Save only a piece of a dress to make a quilt or display it in a shadow box. Scrapbooking and converting photos to DVDs are other ways to save treasured keepsakes without all the extra mess.
• Give unused gifts back to the giver or grandchildren.
• Buy a shredder to help you dispose of those unwanted papers. Recycle newspapers and magazines.
• Say “no” to free stuff and get off junk mail lists. (Go to http://www.dmachoice.org/, http://www.catalogchoice.org/, http://www.optoutprescreen.com/ for help getting off the lists.)
• If your family doesn’t want old photos, give them to museum, historical society, theater, library, church or synagogue.
Maybe what you really need is companionship. Make sure your stuff isn’t taking the place of people. Loneliness may also lead to depression, which also makes it difficult for seniors to get organized. Consider the services of a professional organizer and caregiver. CAREGiversSM from the locally owned Home Instead Senior Care® network would be happy to help you manage your home and keep you company.
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Carroll County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627.1. For more information visit http://www.cluttercreep.com/.
Yes it is, but there are solutions. While clutter is not a problem unique to seniors, conditions of aging including arthritis can lead to disorder and chaos.
Too much clutter is a safety risk such as slipping on loose papers, threat of fire or the health effects of mold and mildew. Clutter might also make you uncomfortable to have guests in your home.
We suggest a three-step plan using three bins -- one for the stuff you want to keep, one for donations and the other for trash. If you need a little help, why not enlist the assistance of a family member like a daughter or granddaughter. It could be a fun activity and an event that will help you share memories with your loved ones. Here are some other ideas:
• Save only a piece of a dress to make a quilt or display it in a shadow box. Scrapbooking and converting photos to DVDs are other ways to save treasured keepsakes without all the extra mess.
• Give unused gifts back to the giver or grandchildren.
• Buy a shredder to help you dispose of those unwanted papers. Recycle newspapers and magazines.
• Say “no” to free stuff and get off junk mail lists. (Go to http://www.dmachoice.org/, http://www.catalogchoice.org/, http://www.optoutprescreen.com/ for help getting off the lists.)
• If your family doesn’t want old photos, give them to museum, historical society, theater, library, church or synagogue.
Maybe what you really need is companionship. Make sure your stuff isn’t taking the place of people. Loneliness may also lead to depression, which also makes it difficult for seniors to get organized. Consider the services of a professional organizer and caregiver. CAREGiversSM from the locally owned Home Instead Senior Care® network would be happy to help you manage your home and keep you company.
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care of Carroll County, visit www.homeinstead.com/627.1. For more information visit http://www.cluttercreep.com/.
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