This guest blog post is contributed by Boomerater, a free online resource for Baby Boomers helping you find everything from a Los Angeles financial advisor to great trips with your grandkids. Seniors for Living contributes its senior housing properties to Boomerater’s local directories including New Jersey independent living communities, Texas Assisted Living and more.

A new Q&A discussion from Boomerater’s forums appears here each Friday. In this week’s post, members share their experiences about how to find a good doctor.

Boomerater Question:
I have recently changed insurance providers and the new company does not include some of my doctors. It is upsetting in that I really like and trust my current doctors and am worried about making a bad decision. What is the best way to find a competent and caring doctor?

Responses from Boomerater members:
When I went from United Health Care to Aetna I learned my doctor’s office would not take Aetna. I was upset that I had to leave my doctor, but I asked if she would refer me to another doctor in our area that took Aetna. She was very understanding and referred me to three doctors. I followed her advice and am happy with the choice. I have recommended friends to both my current and past doctors and everyone has been very pleased with the care they receive.

• While online sites with doctor listings may give you a snapshot about a potential doctor’s credentials, I would be wary of trusting the reviews on these sites. They are not necessarily legitimate.  I went to a highly rated dentist and had a dreadful experience.  Also, some doctors are forcing patients to sign waivers that forbid them from posting negative reviews on online sites.  I would not trust a doctor that made me sign a waiver.
• Make sure any doctor you go to will take Medicare or you could end up switching again. If you go to Internet Health Pilot you can check your doctor through your state medical board. They give information on what plans they take including whether they participate in Medicare. They also tell if there was any disciplinary action against them. The site has other helpful links for other concerns.
• If you go to a new doctor and are diagnosed with a serious illness, or one that could require extensive treatment, get a second opinion from a doctor who is not associated with your doctor’s practice.  This is also important if there are different treatments for your condition and you need to decide upon one course of action.

To read more responses from Boomerater members and to share your own experiences, go to the Boomerater post: Finding a new doctor.

Health reform is one of the hottest topics on the federal docket right now, and as to be expected, the range of opinions and proposals on how to do it right further intensifies the debate. And who could forget the $1 trillion price tag from the Congressional Budget Office?

The cost is spread out over 10 years, but in our present economic state, it’s not easy to think about spending $1 trillion dollars, even for the best of causes.

According to a special edition update from NCOA (National Council on Aging), “lawmakers are working to draft and pass bills in both the House and Senate before the House adjourns on July 31 and the Senate adjourns on August 7 for the August recess.”  A tall order, given the aforementioned range of opinions and proposals, but there seems to be overwhelming support from President Obama for at least taking a step forward. Fiscal crisis or not, the continual sharp increases in health care costs – both for providers and patients – will slowly (or maybe not so slowly) erode any economic stability we acquire.

NCOA’s update gives a thorough and extensive analysis of the legislative process that the numerous bills must go through, along with the provisions that their organization is most focused on as the process moves forward. Of note:

“The Affordable Health Choices Act includes provisions from Senator Ted Kennedy’s CLASS Act (S. 697), which would create a new, voluntary national insurance program with a cash benefit to help individuals remain in their communities if the time comes when they need assistance with activities of daily living (see NCOA’s summary).

S. 434, the Empowered at Home Act, introduced by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Grassley, to improve the State plan amendment option for providing home and community-based services under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes.

Project 2020 (S. 1257), introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI),would provide funding through Medicare and Medicaid savings for aging network initiatives on evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention, single-point-of-entry information and referral for long-term services and supports, and nursing home diversion programs.

Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and a coalition of groups are working to include provisions from the Senator’s bill, the Medicare Financial Stability for Beneficiaries Act (S. 1185).  The bill would significantly improve both the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) and Medicare Savings Programs (MSP).”

I understand the need to “do something” about our health care system. I agree that it’s a complicated and expensive undertaking, no matter how you do it. I know that there are many, many pieces to this puzzle, and just as many players. But here’s my beef: Why isn’t there more discussion around managing Medicare fraud? The headline from an MSNBC.com article in 2007 (almost ancient history at this point) shouted “Blatant Medicare Fraud Costs Taxpayers Billions” and there have been a plethora of stories in recent months of fraud rings exposed in Houston, Detroit, and Miami.

A Washington Post article published on June 25^th indicates that the Justice Department, the FBI, and the Department of Health & Human Services are taking this issue seriously.

According to the article, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said, “We will strike back against those whose fraudulent schemes not only undermine a program upon which 45 million aged and disabled Americans depend, but which also contribute directly to rising health-care costs.”

I would think we could shave a nice chunk off that $1 trillion price tag if we weren’t losing billions of dollars to fraudulent providers preying on vulnerable elders… and regardless of the cost savings, it is the right thing to do.

What are your thoughts about the health care reform debate? What issue(s) do you think are absolutely crucial to making reform a reality?

- Michelle Seitzer

Summertime is vacation time for many, which is why this latest edition of Seniors & Boomers: News You Can Use is a bit leaner than usual. Yet still, there is an abundance of resourceful blogs here that focus on baby boomer trends, caregiving, senior living, and more — perfect for summer downtime reading.

Senior Caregiving
It may be summer, but for many caregivers, there’s no such thing as vacation time. In fact, more and more caregivers are forgoing “me” time altogether as a sacrifice to their loved one. However, there is such a thing as “caregiver burnout,” which our SeniorsforLiving.com blogger, Michelle Seitzer, writes about in Respite Care: A Caregiver’s Best Friend.

For their continued commitment, sacrifices, and enduring love, caregivers should be heralded, says Ruth Ferris in Honoring Caregivers. Her post at Bridging Memories – Mother, Do You Remember Me? I’m Your Daughter highlights the U.S. Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee’s consideration of a stamp commemorating the role of the caregiver. Find out how you can lend your support.

For our family, the biggest challenge with learning to deal with my grandmother’s dementia is figuring out how to best communicate with her. We know that in her mind, she is making sense, expressing her opinions and lending advice in her own way – the hurdle is making her feel understood, even when we really don’t. Thanks to Patricia Grace’s article at Examiner.com, Four Ways To Communicate with a Person With Dementia, I now have some extremely helpful insight and tips to help us in this quest. If you know or love someone with dementia, this is an article to bookmark.

Senior Care
Across the board, safety is of utmost importance, but especially when it comes to our aging loved ones. Kaye Swain presents Senior Home Care Safety Tips at SandwichINK.com, filled with ways to help elderly parents in that area. “Safety needs to be an important issue in senior home care, whether our aging parents live with us, in their own home close by, or at a distance.”

When elderly loved ones are at a distance, keeping in touch can be difficult. However, Dale Carter has found a way to bridge the technology gaps with seniors, which she recounts in New Software Enabled Elderly Mother to Send First Email. This timely post at Transition Aging Parents highlights an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use product to get your aging parent online. “As I told my mother after she sent her first email, ‘Mom, welcome to the digital age.’ I’ll never forget the smile on her face!”

Boomer Fun
For SandwichINK.com’s Kaye, a trip down memory lane proved quite musical and inspiring for play time with her grandchildren. “As a member of the Baby Boomer Generation, I grew up listening to and loving the Monkees, especially Davy Jones. Imagine my pleasure in discovering he has recorded the most adorable song about penguins — perfect for myself and my grandkids to enjoy! And that’s not all!” Find out why she’s singing the song’s praises in Blue Moo for The Sandwich Generation.

Financial Issues
For a variety of reasons, more and more boomers are raising their grandchildren, which is why Hal LaPray’s post at Disability Information & Resources is so useful. Raising Children While On Social Security discusses the eligibility requirements for such benefit payments in an easy-to-understand manner.

Health & Wellness?
If you appreciate doctors who take time to discuss topics with you, you’ll want to read 200+ Health and Medical Accounts Worth Following on Twitter. Broken down into four groups: Health Media, Doctors, Medical and Corporate Institutions, and Nurses and Healthcare Professionals, this post from Medical Future provides a gateway to all the medical insight you can muster in 140 characters or less. (Speaking of Twitter, be sure to follow us there at Seniors4Living.)

Preventative care starts with a suitable diet for the particular illness or chronic disease one is trying to avoid or reverse, and most everything can be avoided or reversed with fresh, raw fruits and veggies added to one’s daily diet, explains Wenchypoo’s Health Care Proposal. This post is just one of many nuggets of insight that make perfect sense at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

Happy summer!

Bloggers: Submit your blog article to the next edition of Boomers & Seniors – News You Can Use using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on “What’s a Blog Carnival?” page.  

Assisted Living communities face big challenges — and potential lawsuits — when it comes to taking care of their residents. The May/June issue of Assisted Living Executive, a stellar publication from the Assisted Living Federation of America (http://www.alfa.org/), featured a fascinating article on clinical care documentation in the “Compliance Corner” section. Attorney Robert J. Lightfoot (who is also a registered nurse) shared with readers the extreme importance of detailed record-keeping on the part of AL (assisted living) providers (specifically in terms of service delivery) to prevent “litigious situations” that can easily occur in the ever-changing world of assisted living.

This constantly shifting landscape has two main drivers: regulatory changes and rising acuity levels. Prospective and current assisted living dwellers have more complex needs: on the menu, co-morbidities, chronic diseases, and behavioral challenges, to name a few. And, according to Lightfoot, the previously accepted “social model” has evolved into a model whereassisted living communities are called upon to provide higher levels of care to meet the diverse array of clinical needs presented, both pre- and post-admission.

Regulations notwithstanding (and in each state, they may be restrictive, relaxed, or even non-existent), Lightfoot boils it down to two clinical issues that are most deserving of assisted living providers’ attention: fall prevention and medication management. When it comes to minimizing those “litigious situations,” these are the two to watch. No matter what their diagnoses may be, almost everyassisted living resident is at risk of falling at some point during their stay (and for any number of health or environmental reasons), and most (if not all) residents are on some type of medication upon admission. Therefore, thorough assessments and proactive, resident-focused care plans (all of which must be kept in the books with meticulous, yet germane details) are a surefire way to “combat negative resident outcomes associated with [these] common adverse clinical events,” says Lightfoot.

Lightfoot highlights another “emerging care issue” in the newassisted living world: nurse delegation, wherein communities need to be concerned about medication administration, treatment recommendations, and the clear allocation/subsequent monitoring and supervision of care giving tasks to various staff members — all of which require that meticulous documentation mentioned earlier.

The moral of the story: Assisted living providers, keep all your ducks in a row when it comes to policies, procedures, training, and regulatory compliance. And hope that those “litigious situations” never cross the threshold of your assisted living community.

-Michelle Seitzer

This guest blog post is contributed by Boomerater, a free online resource for Baby Boomers helping you find everything from a New York financial advisor to great products for around the house. Seniors for Living contributes its senior housing properties to Boomerater’s local directories including Arizona retirement living communities, Boston Alzheimer’s care and more.

A new Q&A discussion from Boomerater’s forums appears here each Friday. In this week’s post, members share their experiences about living in a multi-generation household.

Boomerater Question: Recession belt-tightening is boosting multi-generation households as families look for ways to cut costs. Are you part of such a household or considering one, and what’s your advice to others who may be thinking about it?

Responses from Boomerater members:

• After my daughter’s divorce she and her young son moved in with me. It worked well for all of us. Then she met the man she would marry. Shortly before the wedding, her fiancé learned he was being transferred to Cincinnati, Ohio. I couldn’t imagine living across the country from my only child and grandchild. I was delighted when my daughter and son-in-law asked if I would like to live with them.

  I sold my home and chipped in on the cost of their new house so they could get something a little bigger, with a separate “suite” for me. It has worked out very well. With the money I saved on my house, I am helping pay household expenses, property taxes, and starting a college fund for my grandson. I pitch in every way I can. I pick my grandson up at school and watch him while my daughter’s at work. I also am his soccer coach. I used to play cards with my grandparents whenever they visited, and we’ve followed the same tradition.

  I know it doesn’t work out this well for all families. You have to have a clear understanding up front and be willing to be flexible.

• My mom moved in recently (her property taxes were raised, and her investments tanked). Initially there were some issues because we only had room for her on the second floor, so we had to buy her a stair lift. That was fine but it’s been a challenge for the family to adjust. Mom is pretty outspoken regarding how we raise our teenage daughter. It’s great that my wife and mom get along OK, and that my daughter is pretty resilient.

  So my only concern is what happens when Mom has health issues that make it hard for us to care for her?

To read more responses from Boomerater members and to share your own experiences, go to the Boomerater post: Living in a multi-generation household

The old adage says that “Alzheimer’s isn’t losing your keys, but it’s forgetting what they are for,” is meant to make us feel better about general forgetfulness. But, at some point in our lives, many of us will stop and think when we or a loved one forgets something, “Is it dementia, or did they really just forget?”

I confess to this when I found some notes in my 76-year-old father’s kitchen that read, “Get up, leave the house, return home,” etc. Since he lives alone, I immediately went into panic mode, wondering what I was going to do since he’d seemingly been relying on these notes to get through the day.

It turns out he had a digital thermostat installed on his HVAC unit and was creating a schedule for the thermostat to automatically adjust the heating and cooling at certain times of the day. Talk about jumping to conclusions!

While there are certainly more reliable tests for dementia than the example above, it’s good to note that there’s a promising new test out called, “Test Your Memory,” (TYM) developed by British researchers that appears to be faster and more accurate than current tests in detecting early dementia:

…researchers gave the TYM exam to 540 people, 18 to 95 years old, who had no history of neurological disease, memory problems or brain injury. They also gave the exam to 139 people who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment.

For the TYM, people are asked to complete 10 tasks that test their ability to copy a sentence, to determine word meanings and to do calculations as well testing verbal fluency and recall. The ability to do the test is also scored. Each task can earn the test-taker a maximum of 50 points.

It took people who had no history of mental problems about five minutes to complete the test. Their average score was 47. However, people with Alzheimer’s took longer to finish the test and earned an average score of 33. People with mild cognitive impairment had an average score of 45, the researchers found.

The TYM identified 93 percent of those with Alzheimer’s.

The TYM takes about 5 minutes and is comprised of 10 simple tasks. While the TYM isn’t diagnostic and the results must be interpreted by a medical professional, it is a test you can give yourself and may become a valuable screening tool.

Take the TYM questionnaire and check it over using scoring sheet for yourself.

How did you do? Let us know

-Elizabeth Thielke

Before my mother died, I remember her saying,  “I don’t feel like I’m 70.”  Even when she was very ill, she still felt like she was maybe 16 or 17. I thought this was very interesting since I had never felt my age either, and I was waiting for the day where I’d wake up feeling all those years.

Despite the fact that I have this pesky arthritis in my knee and I sometimes feel like I’m 80, in my head I’ve decided that I feel like I’m around 25. There’s not a real reason, it’s just how I think of myself.

Apparently I’m not alone, though.  A study appearing in Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Science found that older people feel about 13 years younger than their chronological age:

“People generally felt quite a bit younger than they actually were, and they also showed relatively high levels of satisfaction with aging over the time period studied,” said researcher Jacqui Smith, a psychologist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

Interestingly, participants in this study also thought they looked about 10 years younger than their chronological age. I can relate to that as well. While I don’t think I’m going to set any records about being the youngest-looking 44 year old in the world, or anything, I was once under the impression that I might look a bit younger than I am.

That impression was cut short the day I turned 40, as not one person said, “Wow, there’s no way you could be 40!” Instead, most people just inferred, “Yeah, 40 is about right.”

The study goes on to say that people who feel younger than their age have a higher level of satisfaction with aging, so there does seem to be some psychological benefit to this bit of self-deception. There may even be some physical benefits as well, since some research has found that optimists may live longer than their pessimistic counterparts.

So, if you’re only as old as you feel, how old are you?

-Elizabeth Thielke

With many state governments in fiscal crisis mode, seniors and their advocates are also in a state of panic. Funding cuts across the board could significantly impact vital programs and services for seniors. Often among the cuts are senior centers — for many, that means losing their “lifeline.” As a hub of senior services in the local community, seniors, particularly those isolated and alone, rely on these centers for nutritious meals, exercise, flu shots, activities and social contact.

Tami Luhby, a senior writer for CNN Money.com, explores the impact that slashed government funding would have on the seniors who come to the Fox Point Senior Center in Providence, Rhode Island. She states that Rhode Island isn’t alone: at least 45 states are projecting budget deficits for the current and future fiscal years, and are forced to cut funding for many programs and services that seniors and other vulnerable populations need desperately.

Senior center directors across Rhode Island are “scrambling to maintain services in the face of funding cuts,” and they are doing so in a number of ways (i.e. reducing hours, eliminating activities, letting go of staff). This “doing more with less” is not the ideal way of managing the centers, but Corinne Calise Russo, director of the state Department of Elderly Affairs, affirmed the necessity of these difficult cuts: they had to be done to maintain other critical services such as adult day care and home care. Russo says, “No seniors will be left without meals or assistance.” Enter the big “but”: they might have to seek those services elsewhere. Russo maintains, “There was no other place to go for this funding. There were no other options.”

While some centers may be able to go on with limited services, some may have to shut their doors altogether. This worries Lori Silvia, Fox Point’s executive director. “People become isolated when they don’t have services like this,” Silvia said. “They just sit in their apartments. We don’t want to see that happen.”

Senior centers are indeed a vital part of every local community, and not just for the seniors who frequent them. Lawmakers and other elected officials need to know just how vital these centers are, despite the daunting financial challenges presented in their ledgers. Reach out to your local state representatives and senators and let them know what the senior center means to you and your community. No matter what happens, they need to hear from their constituents. And you never know: your voice could make the difference.

What’s happening in your state/community?  Are senior centers nearby in danger of closing? Reducing services?  How has it impacted your community?

- Michelle Seitzer

This guest blog post is contributed by Boomerater, a free online resource for Baby Boomers helping you find everything from a financial planner to great trip ideas. Seniors for Living contributes its senior housing properties to Boomerater’s local directories including New York independent living communities, Atlanta Alzheimer’s care and more.

A new Q&A discussion from Boomerater’s forums appears here each Friday. In this week’s post, members share tips for soon-to-be-grandparents. 

Boomerater Question:  We’re about to become first-time grandparents and would like to hear tips from others to make this the best experience for our new grandbaby and our son and daughter-in-law. We have a good relationship with the kids and live close by. I want to be supportive and helpful, but don’t want to overstep boundaries in my role as mother-in-law.

Responses from Boomerater members:

• The fact that you are concerned about overstepping shows you are sensitive to the possibility. Don’t make the mistake my daughter’s in-laws made. They were way too involved, dropping in all of the time, telling them how to do every little thing. In a time that should have been joyous for all, they ended up alienating the kids through their controlling, nitpicking behavior. Remember what it was to be a new mother, and support their decisions and privacy.
• On the day the baby is born buy a New York Times and take the baby’s picture with the front page. Do this each year and you will have a historic chronicle that shows how the child has grown year to year. Use the pictures to make a scrapbook for a perfect high school graduation present the child will treasure forever.
• As they get accustomed to becoming new parents, respect their need for lots of alone time. Ask how you can help, and follow their wishes. Doing errands for them (shopping etc.) is a great way to give them more time to enjoy the baby. You’ll have plenty of time to babysit later.
• Have they chosen names yet? They may want to check babynamewizard.com. It is a great resource for meanings, popularity trends, etc.   But whatever their choice, even it it’s a name that holds unpleasant memories for you, remember it is their decision, not yours. Supporting their choice (even if you have to be fantastic actors) is a great way to start off on the right foot as grandparents
• Things have changed since you had your babies:  (1) They MUST be in a car seat.  (2) If they are breastfeeding the baby, go with their decision and DO NOT heat breast milk in the microwave, it destroys the immunity benefits. (3) You were told to put your babies on their stomachs to sleep, but don’t argue with the advice they are getting now about the greater safety of back sleeping (4) If they are told babies should learn to walk BEFORE they get their first pair of shoes, don’t criticize and don’t offer to buy some shoes for junior before he learns to walk. (5) Don’t read parenting magazines and then give them to your children.

To read more responses from Boomerater members and to share your own tips, go to the Boomerater post: Tips For New Grandparents

We all know on a basic level what smoking does to your lungs. It’s practically ingrained in us from birth via a number of TV, print or web-based educational campaigns. However, a new study reveals that smokers are four times more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration, a condition that affects more than 10 million Americans and is the leading cause of blindness for people over age 65 in this country.

According to CNN.com’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, macular degeneration is process that “gradually destroys the sharp central vision you need for seeing objects clearly for things like reading, driving, and even recognizing faces.”

Getting older, he says, is the biggest risk factor for developing this disease. In fact, I can remember a sizable majority of the residents I worked with during my senior living years having the diagnosis. But smoking is also a confirmed risk factor, and increases your chances fourfold.

Those who kicked the habit years/decades/months ago get the benefit of a decreased risk: they are only three times as likely to contract age-related macular degeneration.

Although reasons for this dramatically increased risk are yet unclear, the takeaway message is clear as day: says Gupta, “If you smoke, quit, and get regular eye exams.”

So, whether you acquire macular degeneration as a result of smoking or just via the good ol’ aging process, know that there is help and support. Many of the people that I knew who suffered from macular degeneration had their own unique ways of dealing with the challenges linked with impaired vision. Some had “talking watches” so they knew what time it was (and even what day) without having to look at a calendar, others had a cane or walker to help them more safely navigate the hallways. They learned to live with it, and I was often quite amazed at how much they could “see” without “seeing.”

To educate yourself further about macular degeneration, check out these Web resources:

• http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/armd_facts.asp
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/macular-degeneration/DS00284
• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/maculardegeneration.html

Know someone with macular degeneration?  How have they learned to cope?

-Michelle Seitzer