Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~

RETURNS IN THE FALL ~

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~ Lola

Whatever Lola wanted, Lola got, and that specifically included liquor and men. Lola is an incredible octegenarian, a world traveler, bon vivant, who has lived in several countries and had a fabulous life with her husband who died about 20 years ago. Her family hired me to try and break those two habits previously mentioned.

Her 50 year old boyfriend took one look at me and took off with everything nhe could get his hands on. I had him tracked down by private investigators working with the police and we eventually got some of the monies back and had the satisfaction of sending him to jail for criminal elder abuse (financial) and fraud. If he were to show up on Lola's doorstep tomorrow, she'd invite him in.

The next steps were extremely hard for Lola because we forced her into the toughest alcohol rehab we could find and forced her to claw her way out of it. She made it to subsequently easier rehab stints and finally today she is alcohol free. She has 24/7 live in help and we all keep our eye on her looking for signs of recidivism.

Although Lola freely credits me with saving her life, in truth it was her daughter who faced up to the harsh reality and saw through her Mom's nonsense and made it all happen. Wherever Lola goes and she goes to quite a few places (even 7 day cruises) she remains the life of the party. She's everybody's favorite and if you're down in the dumps, she'll cheer you up. She may tell you the same story every 6 minutes, but I can guarantee it'll be a charming one.

I'm really pleased with my Lola (a work in progress). She's living a wonderful life. Opera, Theatre, Luncheons, Dinners, Movies. Short term memory loss (resulting from alcohol) doesn't stop her. She's great and likes her life as it is today.

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~ HMO's

One of the first things I try to do for new clients in to disenroll them from their HMO and get them back on Medicare. I really don't care how much money is being saved, HMO's are for people who are not sick and who can guarantee that they won't ever get sick. If you can't make that guarantee, stay on, or go back to Medicare.

Actually, the advertising today is so skilled and clever that many people who are on HMO's believe they're still on Medicare. Anyway, here's how it works. HMO's are insurance companies. the government knows how much it spent on averge last year to care for all the 76 year old women in Dade County. Let's say for argument sake it's $1000. The government offers the HMO $900 to provide a year's worth of health care for any 76 year-old women in Dade County who join the HMO. Every penny that HMO doesn't spend on you is their profit. Enough said???

If you only take away one tip from the many on my blog and/or my website, let it be this one............Stay on Medicare.

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~ Pearl

Have you ever been in a situation where everything pointed toward one conclusion or a specific series of events, but then it doesn't add up to what you expect. Stuff like that drives me crazy and I can't really rest until I solve the mystery.

In the late 1970's, I took on a new client. Pearl lived in a million dollar apartment. She dressed beautifully. Her clothes, her shoes were amazing. Her hair was always done just right. Her car was new and expensive. She had stocks, bonds, investments, real estate, insurance, an accountant. She had a safety deposit box with plenty of cash. She had people fawning all over her. She was a very rich lady. She was also totally out of it, with no grasp of reality.

But what was missing from the picture and made the puzzle intriguing was that other than her engagement and wedding rings and watch, she didn't have one piece of jewelry; not one. It wasn't in her safe deposit box at the bank, it wasn't in her drawers, it wasn't in some clever hiding place in the fridge, it wasn't anywhere. For a woman this well put together, this was unthinkable. Perhaps it would have taken a man a week to figure out something was missing, but it took me 3 seconds.

It took me almost an entire week to search her four bedroom home, but in the end I was proved right. I tripped over one of her shoes in the big closet, fell slightly and banged into the opposite wall - which proceeded to open and reveal a floor-to-chest-high set of drawers full of jewelry. OK, some of it was costume, but enough of it was so expensive that I had to call in her bank people to catalogue it and take possession of it. Oh well.....

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~ Fay

Fay was one of the first non-seniors I had for a client. She was mentally challenged and was a ward of the Court. Although her family had set money aside for her, it was being admninistered by an attorney/guardian and he was a cheapskate. She was living in a Medicaid housing unit where the cost for room and board was $575 a month. This was 1993 so that was not a lot.

Eventually I got her back her rights. I got her back her money, which together we placed in the hands of a trust bank here in Florida. I got her own apartment adjacent to the area that became South Beach and she got her own boyfriend and her very own set of problems living on her own. We were fashionable and trendy and didn't even know it at the time. I got her a job and I taught her how to function. Although she began to chafe under even my soft guidelines, we managed to stay in close contact as she was forced to mature from 15 to 25 years old in 9 months.

Enter Hurricane Andrew. I don't know if you can possibly imagine the logistics and resultant stress from trying to coordinate the whereabouts of 100 different clients, but that's what we have to do when a hurricane comes to visit, and we have to stay in touch with their families. We had plenty of warning but Fay didn't want to leave the beach or her apartment. Three times I sent a car service to pick her up and three times she (stubbornly) refused to go.

Finally when she was willing, the car services weren't operating and even for $100 cash money, cab drivers were not interested. I couldn't sleep that night worrying what I was going to tell her guardian and how was I going to find out what happened to her, as her level of functioning was not up to dealing with emergencies. Cell phones did not exist then and Miami Beach was going to be a disaster.

We spent the night in an 80 year-old home with 4 feet thick walls that withstood the winds. When the electricity inexplicably came back on the next day, a shout from my husband brought me running in to see my Fay being interviewed on T.V. as she explained to the crew how she was marooned and simply went to the nearest shelter.

If she was standing in front of me, I don't know if I would have hugged her or killed her, but for sure, I was greatly relieved.

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

Extraordinary People of the Senior Kind ~ Jack

Jack was referred to me by his building's management. He had been acting out and they were concerned for his welfare. He used to sit on his balcony, look out across the man-made lake to the buildings on the other side and scream at them and brandish his fist. He insisted that his wife was having an affair with a younger man in one of those buildings. So, every night he would be screaming for her to return home.

In researching his situation and finding many many unpaid bills, I did discover the death certificate for his wife dated about 4 years previous to that time. As it unfolded, it was a love story for the ages and he was unable to cope with her loss.
Sadly, it was easier to believe she was having an affair than to come to the realization that he would never see her again.

Jack had moved to Florida from Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. He had left before the first wave of Russian emigres even heard of Brighton Beach. Jack had plenty of money, but earlier tax returns revealed that he was getting interest from CD's from Brooklyn based banks. But he had failed to report such income in the last 3 years.
(In case you're wondering this was way before the internet existed. You couldn't go online and find missing money like you can today.)

So, I packed Jack and his caregiver up and we all went on a trip to Brighton Beach.
I knew his old address. I knew which banks HAD had his money from his income tax returns and all three of us made the rounds. I reasoned that the banks would be closest to his home, or on the way to either a supermarket or the subway. In those days, bankers knew you by sight and Jack was greetly warmly in many banks. Well, I won't guarantee that I found it all, but I did find about 15 different CD's; each one worth $10,000. Don't forget this was real money in the late 1980's.

Jack also went along on one of the most memorable dates I ever had with my boyfriend (now hubby), as Jack's full set of false teeth popped right out into the Chicken Chow Mein. Jack smiled wanly and slipped them right back in. If you could have seen Bob's face, you'd still be laughing.

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