Looking for a Nursing Home?

A source of information and ratings on quality of care in the 17,000 Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing homes is the country can be found at http://www.medicare.gov/NursingHomeCompare.

Included are health inspection results and complaints with detailed and summary information about deficiencies found during the three most recent state inspections and recent complaint investigations.

Keep Hope Alive

As we travel the latter years of life, many of us become depressed, less optimistic and lose hope. Fight it!

Sure, it’s understandable to think that your “best years” are behind you, and you may be right. So what?

Your life is not over. Think of all that you can do. Volunteer. Visit old friends. Make new ones. Spend more time with family. Stop putting off doing things you’ve long wanted to do. Your life is still worth living.

That is what hope is all about.

And hope will keep you going in ways that seem surprising.

Not just your outlook will improve. Research shows hopeful people are physically better off than those who are not. You’ll be sick less often, have lower stress, and sleep better. And, perhaps most importantly, you’ll enjoy life more.

Calcium Pills May Not Help

As we reach 50 years or so, our bones can lose calcium and weaken as a result. Understandably, many people take calcium supplements in efforts to stymie, if not reverse, the process. Warning! Studies show no positive results. In fact, constipation, kidney stones and cardiac problems have been noted.

Hearing Loss May Foretell Dementia

The American Medical Association has reported a study that found that people suffering from hearing loss are more likely to suffer a decline of cognitive ability (dementia). The more serious the hearing deficit, the greater the mental impairment.

What does that mean? For baby boomers with parents who are showing signs of being “hard of hearing”, it means that procrastination in getting important legal documents prepared and signed must stop. You’ve been given a clear warning. Make sure your parents (and you, too) have wills or living trusts and powers of attorney for finances and health care. Don’t wait until they are no longer competent. You will have waited too long.

If I can help, please let me know.

Money Management & Old Age

As we age our sharpness for financial affairs dulls particularly if dementia is involved. Bills are paid late, if at all. Checks are written and not posted in the ledger. So overdrafts frequently occur. And we become more vulnerable to solicitations from suspect charities.

You can help a parent or other loved one I this predicament if you are willing to step in.

There are services available which will help seniors organize their financial affairs (sort of like “bookkeeper plus”). Costs are rather modest. You, of course, can directly help, too. You should have the person’s financial power of attorney.

I can help with all of these needs and concerns.

Reminder: Check Your Credit Report!

Please remember that it is essential for everyone to check their credit history on a regular basis to be sure that it’s accurate and does not contain false or fraudulent information. Security breaches are now a common occurrence.

FREE credit reports are available from each of the 3 major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. These three nationwide consumer reporting companies have a central website, a toll-free telephone number, and a mailing address through which you can order your free annual report.

Visit https://www.annualcreditreport.com, call 1-877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Be sure you are on the "official" www.annualcreditreport.com website. Go to http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports for more information and important warnings about “imposter” websites to avoid.

The law allows you to order one free copy of your report from each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies every 12 months so, if you stagger your requests to the companies, you can monitor your credit by requesting a report every 4 months.

Over 80% of the general public does not request credit reports. Don’t allow yourself to fall victim to credit fraud because you failed to regularly check your credit history. It's easy and it's FREE!

Exercise Can Ward Off Falls

As we age, our sense of balance deteriorates, making us more prone to falling. And falls can be serious. We have all heard of older people who fall and break their hips. Such injuries can have devastating effects in the future for such individuals even after surgical intervention.

Interestingly, there is some evidence (although much of it is anecdotal) that exercising can improve one’s balance and increase reaction time. (Many falls occur because a person loses his balance but is unable to move his body quickly enough to recover and, hence, falls). Apparently, a system of exercises from the Orient known as Tai Chi can help. It is particularly useful for older people because it does not involve strenuous activity. There is certainly no requirement that you sign up to lift weights at the local gym!

Tai Chi classes are conducted, for instance, at many senior centers.