Free and Unbiased Information Blog Focused on Helping The Aging

Whether it is done independently or with the help of trusted advisors, seniors must organize their finances in the case of a crisis, but more importantly, before a crisis happens. The dreaded “health crisis” – a situation where a senior suddenly suffers injury or illness that requires treatment in a hospital – is usually what spurs families to organize the senior’s finances, health coverage, further treatment, and living arrangements. The drawn-out task of reorganizing a senior’s life after a health crisis is painstaking and sensitive to error; which can happen easily if done in a hurry. With financial planning done ahead of time, families can react with poise not only to health crises, but to accidents, housing issues, unexpected expenses and  scams targeting seniors as well . Senior citizens are at higher risk of health problems than younger, healthier adults. Long-term care necessitated by senior health problems can amount to the largest financial burden seniors and thei...

Mental health is always an important part of overall being, and at all ages. In the world we live in today, it is more important than ever, given the pandemic, changing family structures and other factors. This period has especially been difficult on the elderly as the world around them changed in a flash – and in addition to being limited indoors they are now grasping with technology that is evolving everyday and figuring out how to stay in touch with their loved ones. Staying home, limiting outdoor activities and socialisation is bound to have an impact on the mental health of the elderly . It has been especially difficult for the seniors who are staying by themselves as they have very little interaction with others and also face challenges while doing everyday tasks like grocery shopping, bank visits and more. Given the current circumstances, mental health for the elderly now also includes taking their mental well-being into account, in these times of social distancing and isolatio...

Happy diminishing returns? Largely tongue-in-cheek, the expression typically applies to money—meaning it can only buy a fixed level of happiness before the joy of accumulating starts to wane. But what about stuff: the objects we collect throughout our lifetime that we just can’t seem to get rid of? What happens when we acquire too much stuff? If you’re a senior, or are looking out for an aging loved one, stuff may make us happy for a time, but as we age what we accumulate can present challenges throughout our living environment. Clutter resulting from stacks of mail, paperwork, packages, magazines and the like on surfaces, for example, can contribute to feelings of confusion and overwhelm, something an older adult with cognitive issues needs less, not more, of. Statistics also tell us that each year 36 million Americans, or one in four adults over age 65, experience a fall . That number increases every five years. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports fall...

Mental health issues can crop up at any point in someone’s life. The increased awareness and conversations about mental health have made current generations sensitive to the issue. However, when it comes to the elderly, there is very little awareness and sensitivity to their issues – this is because of multiple factors. Their generation is not as well-versed with mental health issues and can brush this under the carpet. Moreover, the symptoms of mental health illnesses are not as pronounced as that of physical ailments, thus making it very difficult to diagnose. Unfortunately, the effects of mental health issues are far-reaching and can even impact the elderly’s physical well-being. Thus, all these factors make it even more imperative to check on the elderly’s mental health and see a specialist to get an expert opinion. While signs of mental health illnesses are elusive, there are some ways to check in on the well-being of your loved ones. Any changes in behaviour including memory l...

I got the call from Mom after 11 at night. She wasn’t feeling right. She had woken up after falling asleep on the recliner while watching TV. When she got up, she was dizzy. Mom said the room seemed to tilt and she had to grab onto furniture to slowly navigate to the phone. She said she felt an intense pressure inside her head. If my mom had ignored how she was feeling and just gone to bed to sleep it off, she probably would have suffered some level of paralysis. Or she might have died as actor Bob Saget did on January 9 when he lay down and fell asleep not knowing his brain was bleeding. It’s been reported the brain hemorrhage Saget experienced likely was the result of blunt head trauma. Perhaps the actor had banged his head on a door frame or he had taken a tumble – what medical professionals and care providers call an “unwitnessed fall.” Likely he brushed it off as many of us would do and perhaps take aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen if we felt a headache come on. A Reminder ...

Today is a good day to “be in the red.” That’s because it’s National Wear Red Day®, an initiative by the American Heart Association to raise awareness on the importance of heart health. AHA also promotes American Heart Month as a reminder for everyone – especially older Americans and seniors – to have their blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly , and to make any necessary lifestyle changes that guard against heart disease and stroke. Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death for both men and women in the U.S. Researchers point to cardiovascular disease (the catch-all phrase for all diseases of the heart and blood vessels) as the underlying cause of death in 1 out of 3 people. It’s easy to forget just how much our hearts are asked to do. According to Harvard Health, the heart beats about 2.5 billion times over an average lifespan . The flow of blood through the body carries not only oxygen and fuel, but also hormones and essential cells, and takes away the waste p...