Category: December – January 2012

  • Message from the Editor

    Message from the Editor by Percy Ihara, Editor / Publisher from the December-January 2012 issue of Generations Magazine, Hawai‘i’s Resource for Life

  • Uplifting Choices

    For many people end-of-year tax planning is a regular part of their lives. Given the com-plications that our tax system can engender, it is no wonder that taxes often impact personal goals and desires, especially during the holiday season when families are focused on relationships and gift giving. However, it is possible to use tax-favored…

  • The Blessings of Having a Church Family!

    My mother Sue (Sumiko) Higa died in July of 2010. She was 84 years old and for nearly half of her life she suffered with rheumatoid arthritis. Mom came to live with us in our Ma¯noa home for the last two years of her life. What was Mom’s greatest joy during the latter years of…

  • Stay Uplifted Amid Economic Downturns

    Investors are being forced to cope with what many perceive as unprecedented circumstances in the economic and political environment. At the same time that the U.S. economic recovery appears to be slowing, Standard & Poor downgrades the U.S. credit rating on debt issued by the U.S. Treasury. Confidence that government policymakers can do anything significant…

  • What’s Special in 2012 with Medicare

    The holidays quickly came and went, along with December 7th, which is the end of Medicare’s annual enrollment period. Some folks missed their opportunity to add, change or drop their Medicare plan, and they want to know if they have any options now that the annual enrollment period is over. There are several opportunities to…

  • Time to Scoot!

    Thanks in part to convincing commercials on TV, many people are sold on the benefits of scooters and powerchairs before they even enter a showroom. The problem is that they don’t know much about the products themselves or what’s involved in getting a power mobility device covered by insurance companies. Before you get revved up…

  • Charity Scams Target Seniors Heavily During the Holiday’s

    Donating money to charity is one of the most selfless things a person can do. Unfortunately, criminals can easily prey on these selfless acts, using a person’s desire to help the less fortunate for their own 
personal gain. Seniors should be especially mindful of fraud schemes during the holidays. The FBI notes that seniors are…

  • Governor Abercrombie: a New Day for Hawai‘i’s Seniors

    Governor Abercrombie: a New Day for Hawai‘i’s Seniors

    “We need to face our challenges together, and build a Hawai‘i for all ages.” As Neil Abercrombie marched into the governorship of Hawai‘i, he carried with him a manifesto — A New Day In Hawai‘i. One of the plan’s key points was to enhance the quality of life for older adults — even to ambitiously turn age into an…

  • Elderhood Project

    My mother just completed her annual visit here to the Islands. She doesn’t stay at our house … she likes her own space. I won’t tell you how old she is. That would just be plain rude. But she is in good health and going strong. She finally got a cell phone (thanks to my…

  • 80 Years of Valuable Service

    The Hawai‘i Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH) is part of the Hawai‘i State Public Library System (HSPLS) and the Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). In 1931, the Trustees of the Library of Hawai‘i made a request through Gov. Judd to have the Library for…