Sunday, February 28, 2010
The AARP Helps Seniors with their Tax Returns !!
Senior Solutions presents Tax Aide a free, volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service. It is available to taxpayers with low and moderate incomes and gives special attention to people age 60 and older. Trained in cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service, volunteers help more than 2.6 million taxpayers file federal, state and local tax returns each year. The program is offered nationwide in senior centers, libraries, community centers and other convenient locations.
Volunteers are trained to assist with filing the 1040 Form and standard schedules, including Schedules A and B. Taxpayers with complex tax returns are advised to seek paid tax assistance. Electronic filing (e-filing) is offered at most sites, with no charge to the taxpayer. E-filing ensures more accurate tax returns and faster processing of tax refunds.
Tax Aide also allows taxpayers to pose questions online, year-round, 24 hours a day, seven days aweek, from the comfort of home. To learn more, just click HERE or visit the general AARP site HERE
For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Senior Solutions addresses Stress, Diabetes, and High Blood Pressure in the elderly and has links to free downloadable booklets
Will Rogers
To help provide easy access to important health information Senior Solutions is providing our readers via the Will Rogers Institute links to free downloadable health booklets.
To get a free downloadable booklet just click
Available Online Titles:
•A Guide to Managing Stress
•Adding Activity to Your Life
•Controlling Cholesterol
•Diabetes
•Healthy Eating: Getting Back to Basics
•Managing High Blood Pressure
For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524
Friday, February 26, 2010
I am 88 years old. Am I too old to have new pet?
From the Will Rogers Institute.
It's important to consider the pros and cons of adopting another companion pet. Just giving a a wonderful home and excellent care may not be enough. Your concern about outliving a new pet also tells me you are very wise about the lifetime commitment an adoption may require - more than 15 years for most pets according to the Humane Society.
I suggest you contact 2nd Chance 4 Pets, or (408) 871-1133, to learn more about lifetime care planning for companion pets. This is the process of documenting instructions for the care of a companion pet, formally identifying guardians and setting aside funds for the care of a companion pet. Arranging for a trusted guardian and caregiver may relieve your worries. The information provided by 2nd Chance 4 Pets is free, but it is not a substitution for legal advice, especially if you are considering setting aside funds for a companion pet's care.
Your local Humane Society is another free source for information and advice. Their counselors may help you assess your ability to care for a companion pet by asking:
•Do you have time for a pet?
•Can you afford a pet?
•Are you prepared to deal with special problems that a pet can cause?
•Is it a good time for you to adopt a pet?
•Is your home suitable for the pet you have in mind?
•Do you have a caregiver if you are away?
•Are you prepared to care for your pet for his or her entire lifetime?
I also suggest you discuss your concerns about pet adoption with your children, doctor and/or veterinarian. They are likely to be aware of your emotional and physical needs as well as your ability to care for a companion pet.
For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524
Thursday, February 25, 2010
If I Delay Retirement - Do I Get More Money????
From the Will Rogers Institute
The Social Security system entitles you to an increased amount in benefits for each year you wait to claim your benefits- up until age 70. It also reduces your benefits if you retire early. If you'd started claiming benefits at any time between age 62 and your full retirement age (65, 66, or 67, depending on your year of birth), the amount would have been permanently reduced a fraction of a percent for each month before your full retirement age.
But you've already passed that point, and are entitled to full benefits - but still not as much as they'd be had you waited longer. You can get a graphic depiction of your potential benefit amounts directly from the Social Security Administration.
Contact the SSA at (800) 772-1213 or go to its website at www.socialsecurity.gov to request your Social Security Statement.
You'll get a complete record of your lifetime earnings-along with an estimate of the monthly benefits you will receive at various retirement ages.
Even though you'll receive more money per month the longer you wait, it's not always better to delay. For example, you may want to claim benefits earlier if you need money to cover your basic living expenses, or if you have a medical condition that makes it likely that you won't live past age 75.
You can use the Senior Solutions Calculator to see what retirement age makes most financial sense for you.
Just Click HERE and enter your current earnings information without a planned retirement date.
The Senior Solutions Calculator will give you your benefit estimates for three different retirement ages, just like your Social Security Statement. But unlike your statement, if you click on "break-even age," the calculator will tell you how long you must live to make delaying benefits worthwhile.
For instance, if a person could collect $900 per month when turning 62, but would get $1,700 per month by waiting until age 70, the calculator will show that he or she would have to live at least until age 80.5 to break even. That means that if the person lived beyond age 80 and a half years, it would be worth delaying retirement to age 70. But if the person were to die before age 80, collecting benefits earlier would have been better. Now we just need a calculator to tell us how long we'll live. (But would we really want to look?)
For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Getting Started: Retirement Planning Tips
From A Will Rogers Institute Newsletter:
I am pleased you heard about Retirement Planning: Getting Started, the newest addition to our Life Planning Series. You will be happy to know there is no charge to view this collection of online articles at our Web site, www.wrpioneers.org. You may also print the articles from our website as often as you like without any charge.
As you begin your retirement planning, you may find it helpful to explore and consider your personal goals for each of the six areas introduced in Retirement Planning: Getting Started:
•Estate Planning
•Financial Planning
•Insurance
•Social Security
•Staying Healthy & Enjoying Life
•Supportive Services & Housing
The short articles listed under each of these six areas will give you a basic understanding of important retirement planning issues and the resources to help you begin planning. The articles are written by knowledgeable lawyers and are regularly revised to keep current with changes in the law. I think you will find the articles concise and easy to understand.
I suggest you request The 4 Steps of Long Term Care Planning, a free booklet that is also available through our Life Planning Series. This booklet focuses on long term care planning, but it offers a wide range of resources and strategies that can also be applied to retirement planning.
Setting aside time now to plan for a successful retirement is usually a challenge for people as young as you. Ask yourself each year when you complete your income tax return, what you did the past year to plan for your retirement. Always set goals for the coming year, even if it is just to explore and understand another aspect of retirement planning.
For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind - Tony
The generations that came out of the tough times during 1920's and 1930's are nearly gone now. Senior folks who were young adults at the start of WWII are passing away at an alarming rate. These people were the backbone of America. They formed the fabric of our lives and the country we live in.
The "baby boomers" and the "sandwich generations" (my kids included) have had it much easier. There has been no cauldron to temper their resolve. No proving ground to test their life skills. It's all been handed to them, they're entitled. The stories we've been reading and hearing have been about greed and instant gratification. But no more. That gravy train left the station. Right now, times are really tough and we're going to find out what this generation is capable of doing.
Individually, their stories are timeless and most interesting. You can learn more about the American family dynamic from reading these stories than you can from any textbook on geriatrics.
I wish you could have known these incredible people.
TONY
Tony was referred to me by his broker. Tony was 91 years old at the time. He was living alone.
He was becoming forgetful and his mobility was impaired. I made an appointment to visit him in his penthouse apartment. He refused to let me in. Three months later the same scenario happened again. Three months after that, he fell and was hospitalized. I went to his hospital room and Tony and the nurse were having.an argument.
Tony wanted a pizza delivered and the nurse refused by saying "It's not good for you".
I said sweetly to the nurse: "Why not get him a pizza, he's 91 years old...do you think it will shorten his life?".
She reluctantly ordered it and I paid for it. Not exactly Bogie and Bacall, but it was the start of a wonderful friendship. From that point on, in Tony's eyes I could do no wrong.
Upon his hospital discharge, I arranged for a full time live-in aide for Tony. I arranged an alternative to his "cheap" HMO and got Tony back onto Medicare. I changed his doctors. I supervised his diet. With the broker's assistance I set up a monthly budget and then had my company pay his regular bills. I interacted with his adopted son and I encouraged Tony to show his abundant love for his granddaughter.
Each of my stories has some little morsel that readers of this blog should try and remember.
Here's today's lesson grasshopper:
You can't barge into someone's life. Change is a scary thing for seniors. They are very aware when they begin to fail and they fear the loss of their independence. They hide their infirmities from loved ones. It's difficult, but you have to let them fail on their own and then hope they'll accept some form of assistance.
Ronnee
Monday, February 15, 2010
Your guide to selecting the right nursing home
By Susan Salisbury
Palm Beach Post
Even health care experts advise us to avoid putting a loved one in a nursing home if possible.
"People do so much better at home than in a skilled nursing facility," said Richard Hart, director of planning and customer services at the Area Agency on Aging Palm Beach/Treasure Coast in West Palm Beach.
But when services such as home health care, adult day care and home-delivered meals aren't enough and skilled nursing care is needed, families sometimes decide the time has come. A skilled nursing facility is for people who do not need the care provided by hospitals but cannot be taken care of at home.
Even in a crisis when a decision must be made quickly, there's no need to go it alone. Expert help is available to find the right place. But unless they hire a geriatric care manager, family members have to do their homework.
For starters, if your loved one is a Medicare patient and is in a hospital that doesn't give you sufficient time to find a nursing home, tell the hospital administration you want to appeal the discharge. That will give you two additional days.
After all, you're choosing where your loved one will live, it will be his or her new home, possibly for a long time.
Molly McKinstry, chief of long-term care at the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration in Tallahassee, said the agency regulates, inspects and rates the state's 670 nursing homes. Each nursing home is inspected, unannounced, about once a year. There are 255 areas of possible violations covering everything from visitation rights to meals and staffing.
"The ratings are one piece of information you need to consider in concert with visiting, talking to health care practitioners and other members of the community and looking at the needs of the individual. We encourage people to use it as a part of the information they are gathering," McKinstry said.
Nursing homes are required to post their ratings and inspection reports, which can also be viewed online. If you see a violation listed, ask the nursing home about it and what they have done to correct it, McKinstry said.
Visiting the facilities more than once is a must, and don't be afraid to ask questions, Hart said. If the loved one who will be living in the nursing home can go along, that's even better. Get the patient's input.
"It's being a wise shopper. If you do not have a good feeling about it, go with it," Hart said.
The Area Agency on Aging will help guide people through the process. Its Elder Helpline can connect them with such resources as counseling for caregivers and help answering Medicare questions.
Brunner advises just popping in to the facility you are interested in. Start out by sitting in the lobby and observing. How friendly is the staff? Do they greet you?
"If you smell a nasty smell, leave the place. Get out of there quick. They are not doing their job. A nursing home is the resident's home. You want to look for cleanliness," Brunner said.
Look at the activities and recreation room and see if the activity on the calendar is actually taking place, Brunner said. Ask if there is a residents' council.
Ask if any of the bed-bound patients have bedsores and what the facility does to prevent bedsores, Brunner said.
Judy Uzzi, clinical director and care manager at Joseph L. Morse Geriatric Center in West Palm Beach, also advises checking out the nursing home at different times in the morning, afternoon and evening and during meals.
"See how the residents are doing. Are they involved in the activities? How the staff is relating to the residents? What about the cleanliness? All those issues are very, very important," Uzzi said.
Find out if your doctor has privileges at the facility, or what doctors see patients there.
"It's the comfort level of the family. There are multiple, multiple issues," Uzzi said.
Once your loved one is in the nursing home, it's important to remain vigilant and visit often. Complaints can be made to the state's Long-term Care Ombudsman Program.
In 2007-08, ombudsmen across the state completed a total of 7,758 complaint investigations. The top three complaints from nursing home residents pertained to improper discharges; medication administration; and personal hygiene.
"Too often we see that residents are discharged for inappropriate reasons," said Brian Lee, state long-term care ombudsman at the Department of Elder Affairs. "People are dumped and put into psychiatric facilities then not accepted back into the facility."
A discharge can be appealed and a resident can stay in the facility for up to 90 days pending the outcome, Lee said.
"Families have a right to complain. If a resident complains about the food, he cannot be discharged for that. Our goal is to ensure the resident has his or her rights protected," Lee said.
Choosing a nursing home
The basic steps the Agency for Health Care Administration and Medicare and other experts recommend are:
1) Evaluate your needs. Make a list of what you are looking for as far as location, special services, atmosphere, etc. Ask your doctor, friends, family, neighbors, clergy and others for recommendations.
2) Refer to the nursing home guides at www.floridahealthfinder.gov and www.medicare.gov
Nursing homes are listed by county, along with phone numbers and addresses. Identify the facilities that best fit your needs. Check ratings and read the inspection reports online. Compare the quality. Select a few that sound promising. Call during business hours to speak to someone who can answer your questions, such as the administrator, admissions coordinator or social service director. Find out about costs and whether there is a bed available. How will you pay for the nursing home? What forms of payment do they accept?
Pay attention to how you are treated on the phone. Does this sound like a place where you would like to live? Make a list of those you want to visit.
3) Make appointments to tour the nursing homes you have selected. Ask to meet such key staff as the administrator, the director of nursing, the dietitian, activity director and any specialists. Make a list of your questions. During the visit, be observant and take notes. Check out the food and ask to see the kitchen. Have a meal. Make note of the following:
Is there hot water in the bathrooms?
Do the residents appear happy, comfortable and at home?
Is the facility clean, odor-free and well-staffed?
Are residents being taken care of in a timely manner?
Are the rooms decorated with personal furnishings and belongings?
Do residents get to select their rooms?
Do the residents have adequate privacy?
Is staffing adequate, and does the staff seem to care?
If you liked what you saw during the first visit, make a second unannounced visit. Visit on the weekend, in the evening or at a different time of day than the first visit.
4) After evaluating the results of your research, talk about your selection with your loved one, family, friends and your doctor.
For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Empathy is the Best Policy
Empathy is the capacity to understand another person's experience from within that person's frame of reference.
Appropriate use of empathy as an enhanced communication/ diagnostic tool facilitates the efficiency of gathering information, promotes therapeutic effectiveness - which leads to better health outcomes, while still (and most importantly) honoring the client.
Of all the elements involved in effective communication, empathy seems to be the most powerful component, but oftentimes is the most under utilized.
Don't confuse empathy with sympathy or pity !
Pity describes a relationship which separates social worker from the cliient. Pity is condescending and may entail feelings of contempt or rejection.
Sympathy is when the social worker experiences feelings if he or she were the sufferer. Sympathy is shared suffering.
Empathy is the feeling relationship in which the social worker understands the patient's plight as if the social worker were the patient.
For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524
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