This past year has has served as a glaring stoplight for many people who assessed their slim chances of ever working again. The truth is that the changes we have experienced — those due to COVID-19 and more — have opportunities embedded within their threats. As previously promised, here is a straightforward, basic planning model for future work.
Have you ever examined your bedtime routine? You probably take care of basic bodily needs like brushing your teeth, but what about the rest of you? Where does your mind go? What about the stress and tension you’ve carried all day?
Now that COVID-19 vaccination is in full swing along with economic relief packages from the federal government, scammers are using phishing emails and texts, bogus social media posts, robocalls, impostor schemes and more to prey on the public.
The overall mission for senior living communities is to provide socialization, wellness, a sense of community and independence. As the general manager for Roselani Place, my mission is to enrich the lives of our kūpuna and manifest my passion to enable them to live their lives to the fullest each and every day.
Feelings are important because they can tell us what we need to do. To deal with our feelings, we must name them, realize it’s ok to feel them and express them in a safe way. Then we can decide what to do to feel better. It’s ok to have negative feelings. But owning our feelings rather than blaming others for them is the key to a sustainable resolution.
Whether traveling interisland or out of the state, you will first need to set up your Safe Travels account at www.travel.hawaii.gov before your arrival to Hawai‘i. You will then need to get a PCR test (polymerase chain reaction) or NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test) from a State of Hawai‘i-approved testing site within 72 hours prior to your arrival. Most results take up to 48 hours, so you will want to take that into account when scheduling your test.
Two emotions are likely to strike those who are nearing retirement — excitement and fear. Leaving the world of alarm clocks and offices and having time to pursue your own passions on a daily basis is liberating — but the apprehension of entering a new life stage can easily creep in. Although work-related stress will disappear, the responsibility of filling each week in a satisfying way can be a challenge. Top that off with the ever-present concern about long-term financial security in retirement and the nerves can grow even greater.
In a sympathy scam, a con artist plays on the victims’ emotions in order to extract money from them. Typically, you see a lot of these scams stemming from a tragedy that is highly publicized.
I have noticed a troubling emerging trend in estate planning. More families are owning property with different generations. This could be because real estate in Hawai‘i is expensive to purchase and even harder to maintain and keep. It is further exacerbated in situations where there are multiple children beneficiaries and/or where the parents need to leverage the equity in the home for their care, and are unable to access the equity due to a lack of income.
Problems with your estate plan may not become apparent until it is too late to fix them. Here are some common pitfalls:
• Failing to plan for large expenses, such as long-term care. • Failing to update your estate plan, including beneficiary designations on bank accounts, investment accounts, retirement accounts and insurance policies. • Failing to take steps to avoid family strife. • Putting your kids on the title to your stuff during your lifetime.
If you have limited income and resources, you may qualify for help paying some healthcare and prescription drug costs. Fifty-two percent of seniors in Hawai‘i qualify for the Medicare Extra Help program.
Purpose Pals is a free, virtual intergenerational program led by Christy Nishita and Colby Takeda, in collaboration with Age-Friendly Honolulu, Blue Zones Project Hawaii, and the Hawaii Afterschool Alliance. Purpose Pals matches adults 50 and over with high school through college-age students, fostering regular communication using Big & Mini’s web-based video conferencing platform. The program provides themed conversation starters to ensure pals have enriching talk story sessions as often as they like.
During a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV), you and your doctor will focus on overall wellness, prevention and early disease detection. The AWV is designed to support you in taking an active role in managing your health and improving your well-being and quality of life. Doctors recommend the visit and encourage all Medicare patients to schedule one every year.
Do you plan to pay a cleaning person, cook, gardener, babysitter or other household worker at least $2,300 in 2021?
This amount includes any cash you pay for your household employee’s transportation, meals and housing. If you will pay at least $2,300 to one person, you have some additional financial responsibilities.
Many veterans don’t understand that the Veteran’s Administration (VA) offers a healthcare plan for veterans, reservists and members of the National Guard only. This healthcare plan is not available to all veterans, as eligibility and qualifications are required to receive these healthcare services. All medical treatment provided by the VA will be at VA facilities only; therefore, the veteran may have to travel long distances to access care.
Although a cure has still not been found, the nonprofit Hawai‘i Parkinson Association (HPA), was established in 1996 to assist Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and their family members live the best life possible by uniting people, organizations and resources to treat their symptoms.
Hearing aid wearers know the difficulty of getting the elastic bands of their protective face mask tangled up with their hearing aid. Hearing aids can fly out when removing a mask. I have seen many patients with lost and damaged hearing aids due to this problem. Here are seven tips that will help protect your hearing aids and stop you from losing them.
Chronic bad breath can be embarrassing, but it can also tell you what’s going on with your mouth or body, such as underlying medical conditions, stress, hormonal changes, dry mouth and poor oral hygiene. Bad breath can be caused by a few things: bacteria, decaying food, infected gums, smoking and even an empty stomach.
Beginning in March 2020, recreation therapists, activity directors and staff were faced with the daunting task of making their activities safe for their residents. Groups were cancelled; family members, volunteers and outside entertainment were no longer allowed inside of nursing homes. Much more time was devoted to cleaning and social distancing.
Home cleaning might be a simple activity for some of us. However, this could be the opposite to our elderly family members and friends. Even daily upkeep might require tremendous effort on their part. That is why, as ‘ohana, it is our duty to help and share the spirit of aloha. If you are involved in your elderly family’s home’s upkeep, these four tips could save you time, effort and money.
The decision to move to senior living involves a variety of factors based on several circumstances, including finances. Professionals across the country have different answers to the question of whether “to place or not to place” a loved one in senior living. Some feel that older adults should stay in their home with paid caregivers. Others think that older adults would receive enhanced care and retain a higher quality of life if they were with others their own age, with more activities and socialization.
What does it mean to be Chinese American? How are we reflected in the people we love and us in them? What obligation do we have to those who share our blood? How does a woman claim her life as her own? Where is my true home? Big Island bestselling novelist Darien Hsu Gee explores the answers to these questions through her poetic memoir and award-winning poetry, which debuted last fall in Allegiance and Other Small Histories.
When Douglas D.L. Chong thinks about celebrating Ching Ming as a child, he remembers waking up before dawn to the smells of home cooking. Sitting in traffic en route to the Mānoa Chinese Cemetery, a line of cars backs up all the way to University Avenue. Finally, around 7am, his family would reach their oldest ancestors’ grave sites, arriving there at the same time as about 40 other relatives.
If you feel some tension in your relationships, you are not alone. So do your part at home to protect loved ones’ feelings and emotions.
Former TV news reporter Angela Keen helps track down residents and visitors statewide who are not in compliance with the state’s COVID-19 quarantine rules and mask mandate through the Hawai‘i Quarantine Kapu Breakers, a volunteer, community action group on Facebook.
Pickleball is growing fast among fun-loving athletes and non-athletes alike. The paddle-and-ball game has become especially attractive to baby boomers and former tennis players. There is less acreage to cover for aging legs and the ball moves slower than in a typical tennis match.
Doug Matsuoka started working at Hawaii Meals on Wheels seven years ago as a part-time delivery driver. But his previous computer experience opened the door to his current job as the IT and digital media coordinator, and “YouTube guy.” He was an early adopter of computer technology, building his own microcomputer from a kit in the early 1980s. Doug learned his trade through various jobs.
When we all closed our doors, fluffed our couch pillows and settled in for what we thought was only going to be a two-week lockdown, no one could have imagined where we would be in 2021. We’re here now and life has a breeze of normalcy amid the chaos. Zoom family celebrations or business meetings are regularly scheduled in our calendars, delivery drivers know our routines and we’ve become more okay with staying in.
Our changing workplace dynamic at this stage of life requires a new set of rules to help us navigate our careers. The first rule of the “new game:” To remain financially secure, most of us (over 50 percent) will need to continue to work — in some capacity — much later than in past generations.
Have you ever observed how you wake up? Are you quick to rise or slow to get moving? Do you wake up happy or with a sense of dread, or is your mind already dealing with problems? If feeling better is important to you, consider starting your day more deliberately.
Stress is a part of life. And our ability to manage stress is part of the resilience needed to live a well-balanced life. Our ability to cope with stress determines the quality of our life. How we handle stress defines who we are. Here are nine very practical coping skills strategies to help us cope with our stressors…
The Hawai‘i Department of Health (HDOH) is moving forward with its implementation of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan. Points of dispensing (PODs) are open across the state for the initial phases of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
As Hawai‘i continues to receive more vaccine, dosages are being distributed to vaccination PODs throughout the islands as quickly as possible.
Whoever said you can’t teach an old Rotarian new tricks doesn’t know Hawai‘i Rotarians. For the first time in the 50-year history of the annual Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) in-person camps, the Rotary Clubs of District 5000 (Hawai‘i) facilitated an all-island virtual camp with 110 participants on Feb. 26 and 27 due to the ongoing pandemic.
When should decluttering begin?
People should always be thinking about decluttering. Clutter isn’t age-related. All of us can accumulate too many possessions. However, if you start to notice that you can’t find things or you can’t get into areas in your home, then that is definitely a time to start thinking about decluttering.
Kumu hula. Musician. Teacher. Cultural practitioner. Living treasure. True friend. These are some of the many ways that people have described Carolee Nishi. And hundreds (maybe even thousands) now her simply as Auntie Carolee. If you ask her, she’ll tell you she’s just a community volunteer. So don’t ask her, because everyone who knows Auntie Carolee will tell you that she’s much more than that.
Seniors are less likely to attend community fitness classes and participate in face-to-face networking due to social distancing mandates put in place for our safety during the pandemic.
Enter virtual training!
A frequent Las Vegas visitor from Hawai‘i turned her trip to the Fremont Hotel and Casino into a nearly $790,000 jackpot playing Aristocrat’s Buffalo Inferno™ slot game in September of last year. Louise (last name not released) usually stays and plays at the California Hotel and Casino, but decided to stop by the Fremont on that lucky Wednesday morning, hitting the $789,062 progressive jackpot at 8:37am.
Trust beneficiaries are sometimes left to wonder why a decedent instructed that a trust distribution be made in a particular way. The trust clearly identified who the beneficiaries were, what they were to receive and how they were to receive. But unfortunately, the trust was silent as to the “why” of the distribution — the underlying reason and purpose for creating the trust in the first place.
Recently, I received a call from a woman who wanted to report that her father had been the victim of theft. The culprit was her niece, who had taken over $100,000 over a three-year period. The caller had the evidence and her father now wanted to hold the niece accountable for what she had done. However, the only problem was that the crime was outside the statute of limitations.
Only about 25 percent of family businesses survive 15 years or more. Only about 25 percent of those will survive the transition to the founders’ descendants. Many factors contribute to these statistics. Here are two critical factors.
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the country, parents saw a wave of adult children move back home. Pew Research recently found that 52 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds now live in a parent’s house. Some children may have moved back simply due to safety during the virus response or because universities switched to e-learning. Others may have returned because of financial reasons.
Mental health is a serious concern in Hawai‘i. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 17 percent of the state’s adult population were struggling with some form of mental illness. Yet two out of three were receiving no treatment at all for this illness, which can contribute to chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, epilepsy and cancer, along with higher risks of adverse health outcomes.
You’ve seen hundreds of those ads on TV telling you to call a toll-free number to hear all about the new Medicare Advantage benefits. These commercials insinuate that all the extras are free and some suggest you might even be able to get money back. These ads are misleading, at best.
The powerful documentary Alive Inside, created by Music & Memory, became a call to action for Big Island resident Jen McGeehan. Music & Memory is a nonprofit organization that helps individuals with a wide range of cognitive and physical conditions to engage with the world, ease pain and reclaim their humanity through the use of personalized music. Jen looked for a similar program in Hawai‘i and found none, so she was moved to create her own nonprofit, Remember Thru Music.
Every year, Medicare provides two enrollment periods that run from Jan. 1 through March 31. During the General Enrollment Period, individuals can apply for Medicare if they missed their Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) or don’t qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Coverage begins July 1 of that year. If you missed your IEP when you turned 65, you may incur late enrollment penalties that will increase your premiums.
John “Longie” Dudoit returned to Moloka‘i in 1969 after a year in the infantry in Vietnam and married his high school sweetheart. “But something wasn’t right,” John recalls. “In our first years of marriage, Lorna stood by me but couldn’t understand what was happening.” Back then, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) wasn’t widely understood.
With aging comes new challenges; our eyesight is no exception. One in six Americans aged 65 and older has a vision impairment that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses alone. It’s important to see your ophthalmologist every one to two years in order to check for cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Early detection and treatment are imperative to prevent vision loss.
Over the past two decades, successful therapeutic cardiovascular disease strategies have focused primarily on lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) with statins, and reducing the risk of the blood clots that cause heart attacks or strokes with “blood thinners” such as aspirin. Blood pressure medications are also widely used. Despite these interventions, a significant number of patients experience recurrent events or disease progression.
Grandparents play an important role in raising children, especially in Hawai‘i, with changing family patterns and dual-worker households. And while it’s acceptable for grandparents to treat their grandchildren to sweets, they are also expected to show them the importance of good oral health and a healthy diet.
Two-time stroke survivor June struggled with her balance. She felt unsteady, even when holding onto something. She was very worried about falling… until she discovered specialized walking poles.
Kūpuna who are staying at home or limiting interaction with loved ones may start to experience loneliness. Integrating a variety of activities while caring for kūpuna — both personally and professionally — can provide enjoyment for everyone.
Transitioning from living at home to a community that offers independent living, assisted living or skilled nursing care can be challenging for both seniors and their families. Kūpuna may need special care, but may be hesitant to make the big move because they prefer the familiarity of their own home. Many Hawai‘i families also struggle with the change.
The senior living industry also has frontline workers who have come face to face with the pandemic. Working to protect our kūpuna has been challenging, to say the very least. All staff at community living facilities are frontline workers and they must work together to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.
Retirement was just around the corner when you receive the call. “Something happened to Mom.” Your world is turned upside down. Later, you realize Mom and Dad did not plan well for this possibility and you have to shoulder the work of caring, arranging for care and possibly financing care, as well.
More seniors and families looking into long-term care solutions have found that the cost can be quite shocking. In the early stages of planning for long-term care, there are two questions that must be considered. First, what long-term care options are available? Second, how will I pay?
When speaking with family caregivers, I often hear a common phrase: “I wish I had known…” They confide there is so much they didn’t know when they started their caregiving journey and had to muddle through on their own. These caregivers didn’t know where to begin, where to turn or even what to ask.
KTA Super Stores began and continues to operate by honoring the partnerships built by previous generations. These principles and values continue today from the founders as the basis of the development and growth of KTA’s business model and its relationships with its partners, customers, staff and each other.
Sadly, some families fight over real estate after their parents have passed away. Although a trust protects against probate, there are other issues that may arise. Problems can develop between siblings due to unanticipated decisions that must be made, causing differences of opinion.
Now that the holidays are over and we are settling in the new year, it’s is a good time to do a “Spring De-Cluttering.” Spring decluttering is similar to spring cleaning, but instead of dusting and cleaning the windows, you will instead do some quick removal of unnecessary items.
Sharon Young and Jim Nishimoto first met in 1989. They were in their 40s, working together at Group 70 International Inc., a local planning and architectural firm. Sharon was a single mom with three children. Jim was happily married to Gail and the father of two children. Sharon was widowed at the young age of 33 after caring for her husband at home for over two years.
Harold Tanouye started the beginnings of Green Point Nurseries in 1957, when Hilo’s economy had not yet recovered from the impacts of WWII. Residents were moving away due to lack of work. Harold wanted to live in his hometown, but needed employment. He recognized a demand for anthuriums, which military personnel and civilians were sending home during the war.
When the vaccine for COVID-19 is finally available, the decision to get inoculated will depend on where trust lies. When the doctor recommends a vaccine, will folks get it? The term “inoculation” was used as early as the year 1000 AD, when Chinese doctors were trying to eradicate smallpox. Their method involved grinding up smallpox scabs and blowing them into nostrils.
Hawai‘i is fortunate to have many people living well into their 90s and even 100s. Toyoko Nishiki, a 91-year-old woman, is one of the most active we have met.
Your body is always talking to you, and you, maybe without realizing it, are often talking to your body. For the most part, you usually respond to your body when you are hungry, sleepy or itchy… Sometimes you might get angry at it for not looking how you wish it would, or complain about the pain it’s holding. But how often do you communicate good feelings to your body?
Becoming a victim of credit card fraud is likely to happen to us all. We may lose our credit card (or debit card) and the finder may make unauthorized purchases. Or somehow, an online fraudster obtained our credit card information and has made unauthorized online purchases.
So what do you do when that happens?
As a mental health professional for 45 years, I am increasingly concerned about the welfare of our most vulnerable populations since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since it began in February, approximately 54 percent of older adults surveyed reported increased loneliness, and associated depression and anxiety.
I took a job as a business office manager at an assisted living community while I was in college. My major was accounting and I fully intended to become a CPA. But by the time I graduated, I knew I wanted to be an administrator at an assisted living community.
Those with hearing or visual challenges can find useful tools at the bottom, right-hand corner of every Generations Magazine website page. The Screen Reader control panel has three sets of tools to help make it easier to hear and read text.
Generations Magazine welcomes Rick Tabor as its community development director. Rick’s experience in the fields of mental health and senior home care perfectly complement the magazine’s mission as the resource in Hawai‘i for news and information about and for seniors.
They didn’t fight for fame or recognition, but because it was the right thing to do. Now in their 90s, events beyond their control are still shaping the lives of the Chinese American veterans of World War II. A global pandemic has now extended the delay of national and local ceremonies honoring their military service. But at long last, they will soon be recognized for their patriotism.
It’s natural to experience grief when we lose a loved one. While we often associate grief with the death of a loved one, we can also experience it when we get divorced or when ties with a friend become severed. Everyone experiences grief differently. Some are able to move on, while others are unable to process their loss.
When there are secrets within a family, it has been my experience that no good has ever come from them. Now, I am not talking about secrets that a family might keep from non-family members, such as, grandma is a witch and Uncle Joe has 12 toes, but secrets family members keep from each other.
A trust is created when a person transfers “stuff” to a trustee who will manage the stuff for the benefit of one or more beneficiaries. “Stuff” includes real property — such as land and buildings — and personal property — such as bank accounts, stocks and bonds, and personal effects. The person who transfers the stuff to the trustee is called the trustmaker.
Interest rates recently hit all-time lows as the Federal Reserve made cuts to mitigate the financial impacts of COVID-19. If you’re a homeowner with a monthly mortgage payment, you might be wondering if now is a good time to refinance. While a lower interest rate may yield a more affordable monthly payment, there are other factors to consider. Here are seven questions to ask yourself before making the decision to refinance…
Social Security (SS) has released a new, standardized Benefit Verification letter.
People receiving SS or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits can obtain their letter by using their personal my Social Security account. You can use the letter as proof of income for loans and housing assistance verification purposes.
Not all elderly in Hawai‘i have ‘ohana nearby to look out for them during the deadliest global pandemic of the century. In response to COVID-19, Gabe Amey established Our Kūpuna in March to connect Hawai‘i’s seniors with community members who volunteer to provide free food, supply and medication pickup and deliver services on O‘ahu, Maui, Hawaii Island, Kaua‘i and Moloka‘i.
I Ola Lāhui (IOL) was developed over a decade ago in response to the urgent needs of Native Hawaiian and rural, underserved communities for behavioral health services. I ola lāhui means “So that the people will live and thrive.” The IOL mission is to provide culturally-minded, evidence-based behavioral healthcare.
Working from home may include the added pressures of home schooling grandchildren, pets running in and out, and a multitude of other issues that makes them feel as if they are losing control. Stress can have such a horrendous impact on all of us no matter what the cause or what age we are. If you or someone you know just can’t handle life anymore, the National Alliance on Mental Illness Hawaii (NAMI) asks you to consider the following when reaching out for help.
To sustain a vibrant kūpuna community, younger generations must take action. Our state needs an adequately trained workforce to care for and support our older population. In response to the need to support kūpuna and family caregivers, and expand workforce opportunities for youth, an eldercare curriculum was developed and implemented at Kahuku High School’s Health Academy on O‘ahu.
The onset of COVID-19 in early March sparked a drastic need for meals across our islands. Seniors, in particular, continue to be the highest risk group and many are afraid to leave their homes, even for food items. Lanakila Pacific’s Meals on Wheels program was able to respond quickly due to its strong network of partnerships and community support. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Lanakila Meals on Wheels has provided more than 370,000 meals for O‘ahu seniors, including an additional 1,000 for kūpuna. The number continues to grow.
Nowadays, in-home physical therapy is more important than ever. Seniors must find creative ways in their own home area to continue exercising for mobility and strength. Walking is still a popular and convenient way to exercise. To add intensity, you can walk briskly for one minute followed by one minute at a regular pace, then repeat for 10 minutes or more. Using a kitchen counter or back of a chair, you can do a number of standing leg exercises for 10 minutes each, repeated twice:
When should you get tested for COVID-19? Which of the three main types of tests for COVID-19 will you be given?
Sarcopenia is age-related loss in muscle mass. Although muscle mass declines 1 to 2 percent per year after age 50, exercise can reduce this loss. Resistance training using bodyweight, machines or weights is the most effective way of building muscle. Sarcopenia makes exercising more difficult, which unfortunately, makes you want to exercise less, contributing even less stimulation of your muscles, leading to more muscle loss.
Lewy body disease includes two types of dementia — Lewy body dementia (LBD) and Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD). Parkinson’s starts with an abnormal accumulation of alpha synuclein protein that is found mainly at the tips of neurons in specialized structures called “presynaptic terminals” in different parts of the brain. LBD precedes a Parkinson’s diagnosis, while PDD develops after the changes of Parkinson’s have occurred. Currently, 1.4 million people in the US are coping with LBD.
Making healthy dietary choices can help you feel your best and stay active. It can also help you lower your risk of developing some health conditions that are common among older adults. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a tool to help you make informed food choices that can have positive effects on your health and wellness. It is called the Nutrition Facts label and you can find it on packaged foods and beverages.
Holidays are a time of fellowship and unity with family and friends. Yet, the holidays can be difficult for families when a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Caregivers may feel overwhelmed with balancing care and managing holiday traditions.
My wife, May, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 at age 39. In 2015, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she underwent a Whipple procedure, whereby some of her pancreas, small intestine, stomach and other parts were removed.
Amid all the COVID-19 restrictions, there is a bright spot — the opportunity for families to celebrate the holidays together by engaging creatively in a way that’s enjoyable and safe for everyone.
While younger members of the family are on the go and ready to run around the house, seniors (especially those with dementia) will prefer quieter, more structured activities.
In life, we have sunshine and rainbows and clouds and storms,” says Liane K. Chong on her website. It is a apt introduction to her inspirational autobiography, Hope Inspires Strength: How One Woman Overcame Insurmountable Odds. She tells readers how she faced challenges with courage, the right mindset and by finding hope where none seemed to exist. It’s a moving, powerful story about strength, focus, perseverance and determination.
As we mature, our bodies may no longer work the way they once did — our eyes and ears are not quite as sharp; our hands not quite as steady. We may find ourselves straining to see the TV; we may no longer be able to read our favorite publications; we may need to ask people to speak up or repeat themselves. Fortunately, technology can help us regain what was lost due to aging.
When I was a newlywed, I was given this very special recipe from Aunty Matsue (Inouye) Omori, Sen. Daniel Inouye’s aunt. Aunty is remembered for her special recipes and her dedication as a third grade teacher at Pu‘unēnē School.
How did I get to be 65 and retired? And what happens now? Those were two questions I was asking myself this past April as my birthday and retirement occurred without much fanfare due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, I had been planning this for over five years. So, let’s go back a few years…
Fried rice has long been a comfort food throughout the islands. Not only is this recipe a savvy way to repurpose leftover rice, it’s easy to dress up with vegetables and fresh pineapple. Serve it alongside meat or a hunk of grilled fish caught by one of our local fishermen, and you’ve got a Hawaiian Regional classic. Here’s the recipe.
Six cultures around the world seem to have uncovered the secrets of longevity. For more than a decade, Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones Solution, worked to identify these hot spots of long life. Dan found places that not only had high concentrations of individuals over 100 years old, but also clusters of people who had grown old without health problems like obesity, cancer and diabetes.
What happens when you pass away or there’s an emergency that leaves you incapacitated, and family members need to access your mobile devices, computers, emails and social media accounts? Have you documented this important information? Here are some tips:
As we get older, more than a few seniors have seen their body change into a shape they had hoped it never would. I was hoping mine would actually shrink, but of course that didn’t happen. After working a high stress job, gaining 25 pounds and losing lots of sleep, I decided to get off that roller coaster. I’m now semi-retired. Fortunately for me, I am rarely sick and do not take any medication. So, I’m healthy despite weighing more than I should.
As you look back on 2020, take a moment and ask yourself some important questions: “How much of my focus was spent being affected by news, events, personal problems and situations around me? How did that make me feel?” And most importantly, “Do I want to spend the next year feeling the same way or do I want to feel better?”
Social isolation and loneliness are toxic to everyone’s health, but especially older adults. Given COVID-19 mandates to limit face-to-face contact for the foreseeable future, these feelings are certain to increase, accompanied by threats to health and well-being.
It’s about time for some good news: Social Security (SS) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for approximately 70 million Americans will increase 1.3 percent in 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced health systems to rethink how to effectively manage preventive care and chronic diseases when regular in-person visits are challenging, and patients are apprehensive of conducting telehealth visits. With many adults across the county delaying preventive care, and with six in 10 having at least one chronic condition, regular health management is a matter of life and death, with added COVID-19 risks.
