Category: Sept – Oct 2025
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A Life by Design: Momi Cazimero
To Elevate Hawai‘i While working as a graphic designer, Momi’s mission was to “elevate the images and icons of Hawai‘i and Hawaiians,” a feat she achieved through her years of dedication. “It began when I became conscious of the fact that the only thing that had a Hawaiian face on it was the Hawai‘i Visitors…
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Documenting Your Hopes & Values
Parents have their own unique perspective on how to raise their children, and what values and lessons to instill. They also have personal beliefs about how their children should manage money. Most parents would prefer that an inheritance serve to enrich and support their child’s life rather than replace the need to work or find…
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Will a Will Do What You Think It Will?
Most people think of a last will and testament as the cornerstone of an estate plan. For most of us, however, it’s a lousy cornerstone. Your will is often simply a safety net that helps make sure your overall estate plan is going to work as it was designed. Your will is like the spare…
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Medicare Coverage for Surgery
Medicare covers many medically necessary services for both inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures, but the cost may vary depending on many factors. For outpatient surgery, the costs of ambulatory surgical center and hospital outpatient surgery may be different. Ambulatory centers usually have lower overhead costs than hospital-based outpatient surgery. For inpatient services, Medicare covers 80%…
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Kupuna in the Classroom
In classrooms across the State of Hawai‘i, a quiet yet powerful force is shaping the academic and emotional well-being of students: senior volunteers. Kupuna in the Classroom volunteers are stepping up to provide essential services that help bridge educational and emotional gaps many students face. They provide the kind of one-on-one attention and support that…
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Am I Doing This Right? Where Do I Turn?
These questions are asked by every caregiver everywhere! Family caregivers frequently begin their journey with no experience and little or no training, which, understandably, leaves the caregiver feeling overwhelmed by their new responsibilities. There are 60,000 family caregivers caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s, so they bear the brunt of the disease in Hawai‘i. Caregivers…
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Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP). Part of the Executive Office on Aging, an ombudsman is primarily an advocate for residents living in a nursing home, assisted living facility, community care foster family home, or an adult or expanded adult residential care home. Having an advocate is…
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Key Roles in Long-Term Care Planning
Long-term care events can happen without warning—and in an instant, everything changes. Having long-term care insurance is important, but what truly matters is having the right people by your side. Without them, even the best policy benefits can be delayed or go unused. Here are some of your key team players: ◆ CARE ADVOCATE This…
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Prostate Cancer in Hawai‘i
It is estimated that there will be 1,160 new cases and 190 deaths from prostate cancer in Hawai‘i in 2025. If it is diagnosed at an advanced (metastatic) stage, the five-year survival rate is just 37%. If diagnosed at an early stage, the five-year survival rate is more than 99%. Early-stage prostate cancer often does…
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Healthy Teeth and Gums at Every Age
September is National Gum Care Month—a great reminder for kūpuna to care for their oral health and protect their smiles. As we age, maintaining healthy gums becomes even more important to overall well-being. One common concern is gum disease, also called periodontal disease, which affects nearly 60% of adults over age 65. Often caused by…