Senior Caregiving Often Means “Financial Caregiving”

Senior-care game plans aren’t easy to put together. The medical considerations alone are burdensome. Coordinating doctors, appointments, medications, and treatment therapies requires more time and thought than most people realize. View image | gettyimages.com Even more onerous, though, are the financial considerations. In fact, a recent article at WealthManagement.com suggests that most of what we call “senior caregiving” is actually …

There Is No Manual for Being the Child of Aging Parents

First-time parents often lament the challenges of rearing a child. “Being a parent doesn’t come with an instruction manual,” we often hear. How true that is. Eventually, though, it’s the kids who find themselves looking for manuals of their own — navigating adolescence, landing a job, finding love, and all of life’s other dilemmas. Eventually, the quest for instructions comes …

Old Age Isn’t What We Still Think It Is

Wake up, world! Old age isn’t “old age” anymore! AARP News recently issued a rather pointed editorial that we think makes a great argument: society’s perception of old age hasn’t kept pace with science. View image | gettyimages.com “Most people turning 50 today can expect to live another 30-plus years, most of it in relatively good health,” says AARP, pointing …

Do You Need a Living Will?

  Many of us have shared the same nightmare. We are slowly dying in a hospital bed, tubes going in and out of your body, being kept alive by machines. Even worse, we are unable to communicate our wishes to our caregivers and loved ones gathered around. No one knows what we want. The way to prevent this nightmare from …

Google Says It’s Possible to Live to Be 500 Years Old

Life keeps getting longer. We routinely hear that the next generation can expect to see more than a century’s worth of life. But that’s not enough for Google. They want to get in a good five centuries’ worth, at least. That’s not just a pipe dream, Bill Maris says. It’s reality. Maris is the president and managing partner of Google …

Convenience Accounts vs. Joint Checking Accounts

It’s a common scenario: an elderly person needs some assistance with managing finances and paying bills. The easiest way to accomplish that is to add someone with greater stability to their bank accounts, usually a younger family member or close friend. View image | gettyimages.com The problem with that, though, is that the joint account holder has full access to …

Will Crowdfunding Pay Your Long Term Care Costs?

  We all know that the cost of medical care and long term care can be expensive. And at current rates, there isn’t likely to be a decrease in price any time soon. There has been an increase in people gaining medical coverage with the help of Obama’s Affordable Care Act. However, this does not mean that these people or …

Helen Mirren Sends a Message About the New Face of Old Age

Actress Helen Mirren will turn seventy years old this summer, but she is nobody’s idea of “old.” Contrary to expectations, she’s gracing magazine covers, winning awards, and landing “beauty roles” in Hollywood’s biggest films. View image | gettyimages.com At the same time, she’s making movies like RED — a comedy-action franchise inspired by the Retired and Extremely Dangerous comic book …

Dementia Is Now Our Biggest Fear

What do stroke, cancer, and heart disease have in common? They’re all less frightening than dementia. View image | gettyimages.com A new survey finds that more people consider dementia to be their biggest fear, surpassing any other disease — including stroke, heart disease, and cancer — even though those conditions have a much higher rate of death. A full third of …

Dehydration: A Hidden Danger for Seniors

Dehydration might seem like it belongs on the less serious end of the senior illness spectrum, but the condition actually affects everything from energy levels to organ health. Some medications for the elderly depend on adequate hydration levels to prevent toxicity. View image | gettyimages.com Unfortunately, seniors are at higher risk for dehydration than any other age group. To make …