Germany Increases Payment to Holocaust Survivors

BERLIN - Germany will pay $77 million in subsidies this year to aid needy Holocaust survivors worldwide. The decision is the end result of annual negotiations held in Berlin between the German government and the Claims Conference.

According to the terms of the deal, half of the money will be sent to survivors living in Israel who are in need of home nursing, medicine and food.

The sum of $77 million is an 85 percent increase over last year's budget the German government set aside for impoverished survivors.

The bulk of the funds are earmarked for those who escaped Nazi persecution in the former Soviet Union. These individuals were not officially recognized as Holocaust survivors by the German government since they were not directly under German rule during World War II.

Since the mid-1990s, the Claims Conference has supported their efforts to wrest reparations from Berlin. According to organization chairman Reuven Merhav, the Claims Conference coffers are expected to empty within a few years, necessitating increased financial aid from Germany.

The Claims Conference has long sought to reach agreements with Germany on the establishment of a foundation devoted to the matter of helping needy Holocaust survivors, thus negating the need for annual negotiations.

"It was only in recent years that the Germans began to recognize their responsibility and moral debt toward emigrants from the former Soviet Union who were persecuted by the Nazis," Merhav told Haaretz yesterday. "This understanding lies beyond the bounds of any political argument in Germany, and it is being championed by Chancellor Angela Merkel out of a sense that this is the last chapter in negotiations in which we are engaging with Germany over compensation to the victims of the Nazis and to Holocaust survivors."

Outside of yesterday's agreement, Germany allocates 400 million euros annually to Holocaust survivors worldwide through various aid programs.

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Diabetes & Depression: Dangerous Combination

Diabetic adults who suffer from depression more than double the risk of dementia, according to a new study.

A progressive decline of thinking and reasoning abilities, dementia results in loss of memory, difficulty with basic math, wandering, living in the past, personality changes, and not recognizing familiar people.

Dr. Wayne Katon, University of Washington (UW) Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences says diabetes alone has shown itself to be a risk factor for dementia, as has major depression.

Various other population studies have also indicated that the risk of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and other dementia types is 40% to 100% higher in diabetics, compared to non-diabetics.

A history of depression has been seen to more than double subsequent risk of Alzheimer's disease, including other forms of dementia.

The study which found patients with both diabetes and major depression are more likely to be female, single, smokers, physically inactive and taking insulin treatment, also had more diabetes complications and a higher body mass index, has been published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind - Frankie

Frankie was a retired New York City Police Officer. He was a tough guy through and through. His wife had died and the light in his eyes simply went out. Frankie also was a packrat of the highest order. His three bedroom home was filled floor to ceiling with "junque". His attic was full, and his garage was piled high with more. There were pathways amongst the mountainous clutter which you had to navigate through, but if you needed to get a wheelchair into the house, there was no way.

Getting a packrat to get rid of some of his "junque" is one of the more unique and bizarre negotiations I have ever been involved with. If you will let me clean out 1/3of the garage, I'll let you keep the pile in the second bedroom. This went on and on.

Pulling teeth is an apt description!

I can only thank the Lord above that Frankie did not live in the days of the Home Shoppong Network. Had he been alive at that time, I'd still be getting rid of the stuff.

Frankie was suspicious of everyone and everything. Getting him to go to the doctor involved taking inventory before and after. Frankie was one of the strangest cases I've ever handled. Where he got his stuff no one knows, but I was convinced a lot of it had "fallen off a truck."

Newspapers, magazines, toaster ovens, old t.v.'s, boxes and boxes of linens, tools, hardware and on and on. What a pile of crapola.

The good stuff was actually in the attic, but we couldn't open the door or lower the ladder. But after his death when we were in the process of cleaning out the interior of the home, someone (who obviously knew) broke in and cleaned out the attic. To this date we have no idea what was up there.

Ronnee

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Reverse Mortgages ~ Are They for You?

Those who qualify for a reverse mortgage may be able to reap more benefits from doing so than refinancing their home loan for a lower mortgage rate or mortgage payment. If you have equity in your home and are over the age of 62 you are able to get a reverse mortgage loan. However, it will depend on your personal situation as to whether it is in your best interest to do so or not.

A reverse mortgage basically gives you money based on your home’s value, your age, and how much, if any, you owe on your home, among other things. A reverse mortgage can be valuable if you owe little or no money on your home because the money from a reverse mortgage must first go toward your mortgage. If you qualify for a $200,000 reverse mortgage and owe $50,000 on your home, you only keep $150,000. Obviously, this is going to be helpful, as you have paid off your mortgage balance and have money left over.

In some cases, a reverse mortgage is going to be equal to or less than what you owe on your home, and can be helpful in this case as well. If a reverse mortgage goes toward what you owe on your home and still leaves money owed, depending on if the difference is affordable, you may be able to get rid of your mortgage payment. For instance, if the reverse mortgage pays off everything but $5,000 or $10,000 on your mortgage and you have that much saved, you can pay the rest on your mortgage and you no longer have a mortgage payment.

Keep in mind; even though a reverse mortgage can be very beneficial, it is debt. The homeowner doesn’t have to repay the reverse mortgage unless they move or the money isn’t owed as long as they are alive, but the debt could eat into the estate of the homeowner. If you are looking for money from you home later in life, do some research on reverse mortgages and look at your personal situation to see if a reverse mortgage is right for you.

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Denver Holocaust Survivor Speaks Out

DENVER - Eighty-eight-year-old Fanny Starr has a story to tell. She wants people to know about her horrifying experiences at the Auschwitz concentration camp so something like that never happens again.

"I just want people to listen to the truth," Starr, a Denver resident, said.

But, Starr does not want people to just read about how she and some members of her family survived the holocaust. Starr believes people should hear these stories before it is too late.

"My generation is slowly passing on," Starr said.

That's why her daughter, Helen Starr, has set up live Webcasts through a virtual world known as a Second Life. It's a place where avatars of real people interact with each other.

"I believe it's the future of preserving history," Helen Starr said. "To be able to hit a wide range of people in one sitting is amazing."

The computer version of the 88-year-old woman recounts the last time she saw her mother and younger brother while on the train to Auschwitz. She remembers how people were tortured, how little children were murdered and their bodies piled up like trash.

"It's such a heinous crime in such a heinous way," Fanny Starr told listeners in New York, Scotland and Israel during a Webcast on Thursday. "I begged to God, 'That's enough. Take me.'"

Helen Starr says you cannot ask a book a question. You cannot feel the pain of a survivor's voice by reading their words.

"Once my mom's generation is gone, who's going to talk about this?" Helen Starr asked. "Who's going to tell the story of our heritage?"

Fanny Starr just wants younger generations to know about the atrocities so they do not happen again like they have in Rwanda and Darfur.

"I would like to live another 20 (years) and tell people what we went through," Fanny Starr said. "It's horrid."

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Unusual Daytime Sleeping Linked to Alzheimer's

Staring into space, disorganized or illogical thinking, and unusual daytime sleepiness suggest a greater risk for Alzheimer's in older people, a new study reveals. 


Investigators examined data from 511 men and women, aged 51 to 101 years, who were enrolled in a longitudinal study of memory and aging. Testing assessed cognitive fluctuations (mental lapses), which are spontaneous alterations in cognition, attention, and arousal. Cognitive fluctuations are a core feature of Lewy body dementia—thought to be the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's—but the impact of these lapses were unknown when this study began.


Study participants and knowledgeable sources (usually a spouse or adult child) were asked whether the subject experienced any of the following: (1) Drowsiness and lethargy all the time or several times a day despite having gotten enough sleep the night before (daytime somnolence); (2) daytime sleep of two or more hours before 7 p.m.; (3) episodes in which the person's flow of ideas seemed disorganized, unclear, or illogical; and (4) episodes of staring into space for long periods.


A positive response to at least three items suggests cognitive fluctuations. 


Fluctuations were present in 12% of the participants with Alzheimer's disease. Of the 295 individuals with no dementia, only two had mental lapses. Among the remaining 216, who had very mild or mild dementia, 25 had mental lapses. Overall, those with mental lapses were 4.6 times more likely to have dementia than those without. Those who had disorganized, illogical thinking had more than a sevenfold increased risk of being rated as cognitively impaired. 


The authors conclude that clinicians evaluating a patient for problems with thinking and memory should consider also assessing them for these mental lapses. "The inclusion of fluctuation scales such as the Mayo Fluctuation Questionnaire [used in this study] in the assessment of older adults for cognitive disorders may capture these clinically important events."


Another study indicated that otherwise healthy older persons (mean age: 67.2 years) with subjective cognitive impairment were 4.5 times more likely to progress to mild cognitive impairment or dementia over a seven-year period than were persons without these symptoms (Alzheimers Dement. 2010;6:11-24). Subjective cognitive impairment is marked by situations such as when people recognize their declining ability to recall a name or remember where they placed an important object.


For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Seniors Taking Vacations

The day Jack Marshall turned 73, he did something he'd been meaning to do for 50 years -- stand on the steps of Nashville's country music mecca, the Grand Ole Opry.

It's one of several trips the former TransCanada PipeLines worker has enjoyed in recent years as he -- like many others in their 60s, 70s and older -- takes advantage of retirement to enjoy some travelling.

Marshall has fond memories of a cross-Canada tour he took through Anderson Vacations. He went through parts of the country he'd previously only seen while on the job.

"I'd been in a lot of those smaller communities and back roads, but I never saw them as a tourist," he says.

Many older travellers are looking for something different from the standard beach-and-sun vacations they might have enjoyed when they were younger, says Lucy Nidzgorski, branch manager for Senior Tours Canada, Inc.

"They're no longer into lying on the beach or partying all night, and they don't have kids to keep amused," she says.

"Many are following their hobbies and interests. Some may want to investigate their ancestry."

Companies like Senior Tours Canada and Anderson Vacations offer escorted package tours ranging from explorations of some of Canada's nooks and crannies, to trip-of-a-lifetime destinations like Italy and Egypt.

"Egypt is a big hit for us," says Nidzgorski. "Greece and Turkey are other biggies."

Mature travellers in the 55-plus age range have become more conservative with their spending during the economic downturn, but they're still travelling, says Corey Marshall, president and CEO of Anderson Vacations -- which, like Senior Tours, offers Canadian and international travel packages.

"You talk about 55-year-old travellers, they don't necessarily want hand-held escorted vacations, so we've developed fully independent travel (options)," he says.

"We have fully escorted travel lines. Our guides are there to give them interpretive knowledge and expertise, so they don't just go away with a fantastic holiday, but they get to know the region."

Elizabeth Muir, one of several volunteers who staff the travel desk at the Confederation Park 55-Plus Activity Centre, helps members arrange getaways and daytrips.

But she has also had a chance to enjoy some of these excursions herself. One of these was a wine tour to B.C.

"We got a beautiful tour at the Mission Hill winery and it wasn't a tour that most people get if they just stop by," she says. "They know you're coming and they set people aside for you."

She also recalls taking a trip to Mesquite, Nev., for an off-season festival of performers from the stage-show mecca of Branson, Mo.

Not all 55-plus travellers are interested in taking long excursions, either because of age or interest level, says Jacquelene Slater, another Confederation travel desk volunteer and a veteran of a 15-day escorted trip from Calgary to Branson.

"It's come to the point where daytrips are what a lot of people want to do now, like out to Kananaskis or someplace like that," she says.

Popular destinations from Confederation have included casinos in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, dinner theatre in Rosebud, Alta., and seeing singer Daniel O'Donnell perform in Edmonton, she says.

"We also took a Hutterite trip. They picked us up here and took us out to near Beiseker, where there's a small colony that allows the buses to go in," says Slater. "They took us into their houses, their church -- it was very interesting."

Needing new people "and seeing new things you've not seen before" are reasons why Donna LePard enjoys the escorted trips she takes through Confederation Park -- whether following the Oregon and California coast to San Francisco, or taking a short drive to Olds, Alta., to tour Olds College and take in a fashion show.

"The drivers look after everybody so well," she says.

"Down the Oregon coast, there was beautiful scenery and I'd never driven down before. I went to Vegas four years ago. We walked our legs off."

The Kerby Centre has its own travel program, Globe Trotters, which helps arrange excursions to destinations ranging from Waterton and Alaska to Britain.

For older travellers who aren't interested in arranging a fully independent trip, package tours are the best option, says Muir -- both for providing company and for making sure all arrangements are taken care of.

"(On my own), I'm paying for the trip, the plane, everything I'm doing in each port -- and I'm left with the hassle if there's a problem," she says.

"If you go with a package deal, you don't have to worry about it. If the plane is delayed, someone else deals with the problem."


For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Seniors & Getting Money Out of Their 401K

Getting money out of your IRA before you turn age 59 1/2 is a lot easier than getting money out of your employer's plan. With an IRA, there is nothing to prevent you from taking the money out whenever you want. But when you do take the money, you pay income tax. And if you happen to be younger than 59 1/2, you will also pay a 10 percent early distribution penalty, unless you qualify for one of the exceptions to the penalty - for example, if you die or become disabled.

Getting money out of your 401(k) plan before you reach age 59 1/2 is trickier. Most company plans will not allow you to take money out while you are still on the job.

The two big exceptions are hardship distributions and loans. To take a hardship distribution, you must satisfy the plan's definition of hardship. If you qualify, you will still have to pay income tax and an early distribution penalty on any money that comes out of the plan. The best alternative is a loan, if the plan allows one. But even if you are permitted to borrow from the plan, you must pay the money back with interest within five years, usually in installments. The 403(b) plan rules are similar. And your best option with a 403(b) plan is also a loan.

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind - Philippe

We used to work for (HMO) insurance companies. They would fax us cases to handle. When we received a fax, it meant that the insurance company was paying out "too much" money and they wanted something done about their problem ASAP.

Philippe had been transported to the E.R. six times in the last 3 months and he had been hospitalized for a total of 7 days. The HMO has to pay the ambulance company and the hospital costs. They were not happy campers.

Most seniors don't realize that when they join an HMO they give up their Medicare. Most seniors don't realize that HMO's are insurance companies that get paid to take care of them. The HMO bets it can provide complete healthcare for the senior at a cheaper rate than, so that then the US Government reimburses the HMO. Now you can figure out why it sometimes takes so long to get a referral to a specialist.

I visited Phiippe at his condominium. Upon entering there was a pathway from the door to the kitchen, and then to his favorite chair in the living room. On either side of the pathway was 3" of dust.

I'm not kidding.

By the chair in the living room, pill bottles were strewn all over the floor. The sheets on the bed were black. There were two months of dirty clothing lying on a bedroom chair and the clothing was equally black. Cockroaches were all over the condo. There was a container of milk, one package of donuts, and one package of hot dogs in the refrigerator.

Philippe had a girl friend, but she never entered the apartment. They always went out to eat.
He had family in Detroit, but they were estranged. Philippe had his monday night card buddies, but he stopped playing with them because he hated losing all the time. His girlfriend bought him the food in the fridge. Philippe had a car, but he could no longer see ahd he wouldn't get behind the wheel. His card buddies called every once in a while to check on him.

Remember I told you that there were social work solutions to clinical problems?

This is a prime example. Not only couldn't Philippe remember if he took his pills, if he dropped the pills, he couldn't find them. He had lost 90% of his vision and he could barely read the names or the instructions. He had no one to help, and he was afraid to ask anyone for fear he would lose his independence. The HMO was not at fault. They were treating him properly. He was just physically unable to comply.

It took as little as four telephone calls to arrange for Philippe to continue to live safely in his own condo. It only takes nominal funding and a Care Manager to make the arrangements. I can't tell you what became of Philippe. I made him safe. I brought him back into compliance with the HMO's directives and I was done.

Ronnee

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind - Molly

When you're in this business as long as I have, you develop referral sources. As I've said countless times, my company, Senior Solutions provides social work based solutions to seemingly clinical problems. We do not provide clinical solutions. So one day about 25 years ago, one of those sources, a local geriatric psychiatrist sent me over to the 3rd floor at Mt. Sinai Hospital to see if I could be of any help to one of his patients who was going home in a couple of days.

Her name was Molly. I sat and talked with Molly for over 3 hours. She had led an unbelievable life. She had marched with Dr. King and she had been on the front lines with Caeser Chavez. This lady was an activist pure and simple. She was a little confused by the present and she had eyesight issues, but if half of the things she was telling me were true; my goodness what a woman!

The stories kept bubbling out of her. She had done this and she had been there. On and on and on. She wasn't bragging. she was reliving those events. I don't think she had had anyone who listened to her for the last 15 years since her husband died. I could see why someone might have put her in the psych ward, but there were too many facts mixed in with these incredible stories.

I agreed to take her home from the hospital and get her settled in and to watch over her for the readjustment process. When we arrived at her modest 2 bedroom apartment, there was an Aide living there. She was very brusque and insisted that she had been and would continue to care for Molly and no help was needed, ....thank you very much!
Goodbye!.... and please don't come back!

For me that's the proverbial red flag. Something was going on here. Dynamics were at play beneath the surface. I stayed and asked Molly for her banking information. Together she and I went to the bank. It didn't take long to discover that the Aide waa taking advantage of Molly. I won't say she was stealing, but she was earning way too much money in relation to what she was actually doing for Molly. In short, Molly had millions of dollars. Her last name matched one of the pre-eminent Jewish brokerage/ investment houses on Wall Street.

It was a second marriage, so she was Aunt Molly to a ton of cousins and other family members. They were sort of too busy (and she was quite a handful) to keep up with their "crazy" aunt by marriage. So Molly langished in Florida. She might hear from a couple of them every so often, but for the most part, she did not.

I listened to fabulous stories for another ten years. People like Molly are not a renewable resource. She was amazing and unique. I don't think we'll see her kind ever again.

Ronnee

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Retirement:The anxiety of moving to a smaller home

Excerpted from the Will Rogers Institute:

Moving to a new and smaller retirement home is certainly a big task, but fortunately professional senior move managers can make it easier and less stressful. Consider hiring a senior move manager company that is a member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM), a non-profit, trade association dedicated to assisting seniors and their families with the physical and emotional demands of home modification or relocation.

All members of the NASMM must carry liability insurance and directly provide at least four of the following services:

~Customized floor plans
~Sorting services
~Move planning and move management oversight
~Arranging shipments and storage
~Professional packing services
~Unpacking and setting up the new home
~Disposal of remaining items

To find local senior move manager companies, visit the NASMM Web site at or call 877- 606-2766.

Above all, don’t be discouraged! You have maintained a home and developed skills that will help you get through this and move.

We suggest you read “Don’t Toss My Memories in the Trash,” by Vickie Dellaquila,

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Interval Training for Seniors

There’s some bad news for those who are known to shy away from their workouts on the pretext of lack of time. For there’s a new concept that we have that can cut exercise time drastically. Nothing that is radically new though. Its just exercise sessions so intense that they can be enough to compensate for an entire week’s exercise routine. Also called ‘interval training’, it was Olympic athletes for whom it was originally meant for and was considered a bit too strenuous for normal people.

But new studies conducted among older people proved otherwise. Even those with health problem have shown positive results. In fact, if this turns out to be true, it can well bring in revolutionary changes in the way people are advised to exercise and save a lot of time that otherwise would have been spent in a gym.

What interval training is all about is that it involves working out at an intense pace for a few minutes with rest periods in between. As per experts, a four set series of four minutes each would be enough, with three minutes of recovery time after each set. It should leave you a little out of breath, but never exhausted.

Their efficacy has been found to be twice as much as normal exercise regimes. So its like you now have a pill that is twice as effective and you throw the old ones out. Research findings have been published in sports magazines and have largely targeted those either running or biking though its believed other sports like rowing or swimming should also work.

However, ordinary citizens are cautioned from substituting their regular workout with interval training just yet or, they should only perform under the aegis of an expert in this field.

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Are Medicare Cuts in OUR Best Interest?

The California Medical Association said Friday it’s calling on Congress to “act immediately” to prevent deep Medicare cuts that are slated to take effect Monday, saying the 21 percent cuts to doctors’ reimbursement in the federal program “would hamper senior citizens’ access to care and force physicians to contemplate turning away patients or dropping out of the program altogether.”

However, Congress has adjourned for the weekend, so an immediate reprieve is unlikely. (The House of Representatives has passed a bill blocking the Medicare pay cut for doctors, but the U.S. Senate has not.)

The dance involving Medicare cuts and national and state medical associations’ anguished concerns over them is one that takes place every year in Washington, D.C. But this year, the debate over President Obama’s health reform package and Thursday’s Health Care Summit resulted in the issue getting shunted aside, at least for the moment.

The Sacramento-based CMA said the looming 21 percent cuts to doctors’ Medicare reimbursement -- meant to keep the overall system solvent over the long term -- are “unconscionable.” It joined the American Medical Association, AARP and other groups representing seniors and physicians to attack the pending cuts, and is encouraging its 35,000 physician members in the Golden State to contact U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and their congressional representatives about the issue.

“It’s unconscionable that Congress has not intervened to prevent this coming train wreck,” said Dr. Brennan Cassidy, the state medical association’s president. “Sadly, if these cuts take effect, senior citizens will have a tougher time getting access to a doctor because many physicians will not be able to afford to deliver care under Medicare.”

Proponents of the cuts argue that unless programs like Medicare and Medicaid are limited, they will consume ever-greater portions of the federal budget, threatening its overall solvency.


For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind - Sarah

One day I received a call from a small rental building in Bal Harbor, FL. It seems that they were worried about one of their tenants. The tenant just stopped going out. There was no one to bring her food. She had no relatives and no friends. They were convinced she was starving to death because she had no money. Actually they didn't really know what was going on at all, so they called me.

The first thing I did was stop at Burger King for food to bring with me. As I knocked hesitantly on her door I held up the food so she could see and and more importantly smell it. This is no ploy, it invariably works better than any key and within 30 seconds I was invited inside the apartment.

Inside was clean and bare. There was not one luxury item in evidence. Everything was old and functional. There was no art, no beautiful objects, no nice clothes or shoes or anything like that. There was only Sarah. Sarah was barely five feet tall and she weighed no more than 95 pounds soaking wet. There wasn't enough food in the apartment to feed a good sized ant. She was timid but not afraid. She was not very communicative, but she was very smart and very aware. She spoke with a mild European accent.

After about 90 minutes I suddenly stood up and said:

"Come on Sarah, I'm going to take you food shopping."

She brightened noticeably and went to get her money. She returned dragging a suitcase with her.

"No Sarah honey, we're just going to the market, you don't need your suitcase."

Actually she did need her suitcase, because it was full of 5's, 10's and 20's.

My eyes must have been as big as saucers. I'll never forget, it was 4:30 in the afternoon.
In panic mode, I called my friend at HSBC bank and begged:

"Pleae don't close - I'm coming down with a suitcase full of cash"

They promised to stay open for me, but we weren't through. Sarah dragged another suitcase out of her closet and I called the local police department and asked for an escort to drive us both to the bank.

In those days they didn't have those fancy cash counting machines. So it wasn't until 9:30pm that the count and recount was completed by the bank. It totalled just a tad over $600,000. Sarah was quite specific and lucid as to the reason she had so much cash on hand; the last time the Germans came she was unprepared and couldn't flee. If they ever came back, she would be prepared this second time. Sarah and I just made it to Burger King for dinner before they closed.

I kept Sarah as a client for about ten years until her death. Every time I saw her she would kiss my hand in greeting. She was a gentle soul. She never wanted to move. She never wanted the trappings of money. She lived a simple life. She told me heart wrenching, harrowing stories of the Holocaust. She had no living relatives, but there was one friend of hers she was still in contact with in New York. When she passed, he received the balance of her estate.

You never know, you just never know......................

Ronnee

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Doctors turning away Medicare patients

By Michelle Langowski
NewsChannel 10,Amarillo, TX

As the health care debate continues across America, the panhandle is seeing a growing problem.Fewer and fewer doctors in our area are accepting patients with medicare, forcing senior citizens to possibly go without.

And this is forcing many seniors to go door to door to find a physician.
The High Plains Clinic sees an average of 15 patients a day with medicare insurance...and for many, it is a sigh of relief to come across a doctor who accepts this form of health insurance.

"I see a lot of fear in some of those patients eyes, they know they have health problems and yet it is so frustrating to not find a physician and that's got to be terrifying at 65 70 and 80 years old, knowing that you have things you need taken care of medically and you can't find help," said High Plains physician Dr. John Turner.

He says he is one of the only clinics in our area treating our geriatric population.

Many physicians shy away from medicare because of the lack of money attached.

Medicare recipient Patricia Sue Cunningham Hand has had medicare for years and says, "I look at some other people sometimes and wonder if they're taken care of. It hits me right here, that there are some people who don't get taken care of." The Amarillo Senior Citizens Association says they fear if elderly patients continue to struggle with finding a doctor that will treat them, many will forgo going to the doctor all together.

"The issue is that medicare has not been run properly in the best fashion. So doctors are being very cautious getting into that medicare loop and then not being able to get the return on the patients they're seeing."

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

What about High Blood Pressure?

Excerpted from the Will Rogers Institute

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of your arteries. It is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and is recorded as two numbers: systolic pressure (as the heart beats) and “over” diastolic pressure (as the heart relaxes between beats).

Blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day, but when it stays high over time it is called high blood pressure. Usually a blood pressure level higher than 140/90 mmHg is considered hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure. Blood pressure between 120/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg is considered prehypertension.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), one out of three American adults has high blood pressure. Since there are usually no warning signs of this condition, it is very important you have your blood pressure checked regularly. If not controlled, high blood pressure can lead to heart and kidney disease, stroke and blindness. Ask your doctor what you can do to help lower or prevent high blood pressure. The NHLBI reports that high blood pressure can be prevented and lowered by:

Maintaining a healthy weight
Being physically active
Following a healthy eating plan
Reducing sodium in your diet
Drinking alcohol in moderation
Taking prescribed drugs as directed
Quitting smoking

Senior Solutions encourage you to learn more about high blood pressure.

Request the Will Rogers Institute’s free brochure, “Controlling High Blood Pressure,” by clicking HERE or (877) 957-7575.

Read the NHLBI’s free brochure, “Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure,” available at or (301) 592-8573.

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Modifying your home for the necessities of Senior Living

Today, most home doorways are 32 inches wide, but the opened door and its hinges reduce the actual opening to 30 inches. I don’t know how narrow your doorway is, but assuming the door has standard hinges, it might be possible to inexpensively increase your husband’s access to the full width of the doorway by using offset door hinges, also known as swing clear hinges to retrofit the door.

These Z shaped door hinges can swing the door clearly out of its frame, placing it flush against the wall. These hinges are often used in older commercial buildings to meet the Standards of Accessible Design set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Perhaps an extra 2 inches will help your husband avoid bumping his elbows when he walks through the doorway. A pair of offset hinges can be purchased online for less than $15 at www.allegromedical.com or www.activeforever.com and are usually installed by using the existing screw holes.

If you should need to widen the doorway, you might consider the benefits of discussing the plan with a building contractor who is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). This certification indicates the completion of additional training in the needs of older adults and home modifications to allow aging-in-place. The National Association of Home Builders provides a web-based directory, which lists Certified Aging-in- Place Specialists.

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

What is Peripheral Arterial Disease? PAD?

Excerpted from the Will Rogers Institute

Today, many Americans are discovering they have PAD, thanks to a national PAD awareness campaign. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a sponsor of the campaign, points out that PAD awareness is very important because one in every 20 Americans over the age of 50 has PAD.

PAD develops when plaque (extra cholesterol and other fats) builds up in the walls of the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the legs, arms, head, kidneys and stomach. Just like narrowed arteries in the heart, narrowed arteries in the legs increase a person’s risk for having a heart attack or stroke. PAD may also limit a person’s mobility and in some cases lead to amputation.

Most people with PAD do not experience symptoms, but those who do report some of the following signs:

~Pain, fatigue, heaviness, tiredness cramping in legs that occurs during activity
~Pain in the legs and/or feet that disturbs sleep
~A lower temperature in one leg
~Sores or wounds on toes, feet or legs that heal slowly, poorly or not at all
~Paleness or blueness in the color of feet
~Poor nail and hair growth

There are other factors that may be preludes to PAD. You may have two of the following risk factors associated with PAD:

50 years of age or older
Smoker or former smoker
Diabetes
High blood pressure
High blood cholesterol
History of vascular disease, heart attack or stroke
African American

I suggest you see your doctor and discuss your risks for developing PAD. Also, learn more about PAD by clicking any of these hyperlinks

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

Senior Solutions directs you to "Extra Help" Medicare Program Reduces Drug Costs

"Extra Help" is a low-income subsidy program for Medicare recipients. It helps with prescription drug premiums, deductibles and co-payments. If you are single with an annual income less than $16,245 and resources less than $12,510, or if you are married with a combined annual income less than $21,855 and combined resources less than $25,010, you might qualify for this benefit.

Unfortunately, the "Extra Help" program will not assist with benzodiazepine costs or many of the higher priced drugs because this program only helps with drugs covered by a Medicare recipient's drug plan. Benzodiazepines are one of several drugs Medicare doesn't require drug plans to cover. Drug plans that cover benzodiazepines will often charge higher annual premiums because they provide this extra benefit.

However, it might still save you money by helping you with premiums, deductibles and other drug co-pays should you qualify for the program. Ask your doctor if there is another drug covered by your plan that might help you sleep instead of benzodiazepines, which are covered by only a few Medicare drug plans.

You can apply for "Extra Help" by calling the Social Security Administration at (800)772-1213. Don't assume your resources will disqualify you for this benefit. A number of assets, such as the home you live in, are not considered resources when determining your eligibility for "Extra Help."

Sources: Your Guide to Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage, a free publication of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.



For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

How long do I Have to Keep My Tax Records?

Question: My file cabinet is bursting at its seams because I have receipts and records from the last ten years! I need to toss all old records but the essentials. How long are you required to maintain personal records in the event of an audit? I was told three years. Is this correct?

Answer: Most people find it annoying to hang onto reams of paper over the years in case of an audit or tax question. But there is something frightening about throwing these old records away.

What to do? Three years is the minimum period of time to hold records after you file a tax return. Six years is even better because, in certain cases, the IRS has that long to audit you.
And, for some types of records - primarily long held assets like real estate or stocks - the records should be kept from the date of acquisition until three or six years after the date of disposition of the item, which could mean a decade or longer

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524

How safe is it for me to make my own legal will online?

Most people with moderate estates can make a will online. In some ways, making a will online is very similar to estate planning with the help of a lawyer. You simply answer interview questions tailored to your situation, get answers to your legal concerns, and in the end receive a legal document tailored to the laws of your state - just like you would with a lawyer. Your main task will then be to sign the document and have it witnessed. Of course, an online will costs a lot less and takes much less time than going to a lawyer, and you don't have to leave your home or office to do it.

Is it safe to make a will without a lawyer?

Yes.

Making a will rarely involves complicated legal rules, and most people with simple estates won't need a lawyer to make a will.
However, there are certainly some situations that warrant hiring a lawyer. When you make your will online, if a situation arises in which you may benefit from the advice of a lawyer or other expert, the computer program will let you know.

Is your information safe when you make a will online?

Yes.
Security issues are the highest priority so do take every precaution

Can you assign a guardian for your child in your will?

Yes.

A will is the right place to name someone to care for your children if you are unable to.

For more information contact Senior Solutions at (954) 456-8984 or toll free at 1-800-213-3524