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Smiling senior lady choosing travel tour with manager
Estate Planning

Will My Advance Directive Work In Another State?

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

Making sure your end-of-life wishes are followed no matter where you happen to be is important. If you move to a different state or split your time between one or more states, you should make sure your advance directive is valid in all the states you frequent.

An advance directive gives instructions on the kind of medical care you would like to receive should you become unable to express your wishes yourself. It often designates someone to make medical decisions for you. Each state has its own laws setting forth requirements for valid advance directives and health care proxies. For example, some states require two witnesses, other states require one witness, and some states do not require a witness at all.

Most states have provisions accepting an advance care directive that was created in another state. But some states only accept advance care directives from states that have similar requirements while other states say nothing about out-of-state directives. States can also differ on what the terms in an advance directive mean. For example, some states may require specific authorization for certain life-sustaining procedures such as feeding tubes while other states may allow blanket authorization for all procedures.

To find out if your Advance Directive document will work in all the states where you live, consult with an Elder Law Attorney. To find an Elder Law Attorney near you, go to:
https://eldercarematters.com/elder-law-attorneys/.

Christopher J. Leddy, Jr.

Article provided by Christopher J. Leddy, Jr., Managing Partner of the Heritage Law firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Attorney Leddy is a Member of the National ElderCare Matters Alliance, and he and his firm have a Featured Listing on ElderCareMatters.com – America’s National Directory of Elder Care / Senior Care Resources to help families plan for and deal with the issues of Aging.

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Making the Move to Senior Living Easy for Mom
Housing Tips

Making the Move to Senior Living Easy for Mom

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

Don’t wait until the weekend before the move! Follow these 6 tips for a smooth transition:

  1. Set aside a weekend: Moving takes time. Set aside a weekend to do it right.
  2. Get the family involved: Get as many family members as possible to help with the move. Aside from helping the move go more quickly, it’ll help remind your Mom that she has a support system.
  3. Identify the true junk: Walk with your Mom through her house or apartment identifying items that all agree can be donated, recycled, or trashed. Remember: just because Mom owns it, doesn’t mean she has to move it!
  4. Set aside items moving with the senior: Identify what will be moved to the new senior living apartment. Make sure you are mindful of the senior living apartment’s floor plan and size constraints so that you do not attempt to bring more than will fit.
  5. Identify remaining items with sentimental value: After removing all known junk and all items that will be moving with the senior, you are left with items whose futures are up in the air. The most important of the remaining items are things with sentimental value. As a family, discuss the future of these items, attempting to honor your older loved ones wishes as much as possible. Find safe places for these items, ideally with family members who will appreciate them, so that your loved one is confident these items are being respected and treasured. Let your loved one know that she can have the items back anytime if she is to leave senior living, but in the meantime they will be kept safe.
  6. Take care of the rest: With obvious junk gone, items being moved gone, and objects with sentimental value gone, you should be left with objects with some value or use but that do not have sentimental value. These items could be sold to help fund the move, or donated to a good cause.

Moving is never easy, at any age, but I hope these tips will help you organize your Mom’s move to senior living and take a little pain out of the process. Ma

king the Move to Senior Living Easy for Mom
Author: Jeff Anderson

The Piggy Bank

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Health Tips

What to Know About Health By 50, 60, 70

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

Essential skills to master by age and stage

Staying healthy through your 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond requires special attention after age 50. Here’s what you should know at each age to stay healthy: What to Know About Health By 50, 60, 70

What to Know By:

Age 50

By age 50, it’s good to be aware of health problems that may slow you down and to be settling into a fitness routine you can sustain through your 50s.

  1. Take preventative tests. Soon after you turn 50, there are a few preventative tests you should take if you haven’t already. These include a colonoscopy, a bone density test and, for women, a Pap smear and mammogram. Men should discuss prostate-cancer screening with their doctor, but routine prostate exams are no longer done on symptom-free men. Click on the links in this sentence for a complete list of recommended screenings for men and women ages 40 to 65 from the National Institutes of Health.
  2. Know your health risks. These include high blood pressure, diabetes and ovarian cancer for women. Know how to prevent and treat these illnesses. If you haven’t already, it’s time to quit sitting too much, drinking too much and smoking.
  3. Step up your fitness. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says all adults age 18 to 64 need 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week. Here are some ways to increase the intensity of your workouts.

Age 60

At age 60, you’ll want to pay special attention to your sexual health, your heart and your mental well-being. Fitness is still essential, though you may find you want to adapt your routine to your current fitness level to avoid injuries.

  1. Mind your sexual health. Maintaining an active and satisfying sex life is part libido, part mindset and part health. If things are not as you would like in the bedroom, see your doctor. It may be that prostate problems for men or symptoms associated with menopause for women are slowing you down.
  2. Maintain your fitness. Try these Do it Yourself baseline tests to see where you stand, and follow the tips for improving your strength, flexibility and endurance based on the results.
  3. Recognize and treat depression. Depression is common in older adults. Untreated, it can lead to a loss of quality of life and even suicide. Know the signs of depression and see a mental health professional if you need help. Depression is treatable and you don’t have to live with it.

Age 70

By the time you are 70, the focus is on continued fitness, nutrition and falls prevention. Mental health is also important. And good news — you don’t need so many health screenings.

  1. Keep exercising. You may need to alter your routine, but maintaining regular aerobic activity and weight training are especially important as you near your 70s. If you have fallen out of the habit, it’s not too late to start. Just follow these guidelines.
  2. Eat well. While there is a tendency to gain weight from your 30s to 50s, weight loss is more typical after 60. Some of this is due to loss of muscle (see weight training above) and some to poor nutrition. Research shows the better you eat, the longer you live.
  3. Avoid falls. A fall and broken hip can lead to a precipitous decline in health. Take steps to avoid falls and prevent injury.
  4. Care for your mental health. Binge drinking and depression are both risks among those 70 and older. But research also shows this can be a time of renewed happiness compared to the 40s and 50s, a progression called the U-Curve. Take a page from Ashton Applewhite, the woman in her 80s who is challenging ageism and showing how to live with gusto at any age.
By Liza Kaufman Hogan from NextAvenue
What to Know About Health By 50, 60, 70 What to Know About Health By 50, 60, 70 What to Know About Health By 50, 60, 70 What to Know About Health By 50, 60, 70

What to Know About Health By 50, 60, 70

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Senior woman in kitchen at home, looking at camera
Diet & Nutrition

New Research on Probiotics and Bone Health

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

I have good news for anyone who enjoys probiotic foods…

Your bones may be stronger for it!

As you may know, probiotics are helpful bacteria that boost your immune system, guard your gut against harmful invaders, and more. You can find them in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir (fermented milk), and even pickles.

And new research reveals a certain probiotic strain may help protect against bone loss.

Swedish scientists reported their surprising findings in the Journal of Internal Medicine. It was the first-ever human study of this particular probiotic’s effects on bone density…

A First-Of-Its-Kind Investigation

The scientists followed 70 osteopenic women, who were on average 76 years old, for an entire year. Half the women received lactobacillus reuteri 6475 (l. reuteri 6475), a special probiotic strain. The other half received a placebo.

The women taking l. reuteri 6475 mixed it into a drink and consumed it twice a day. Note that there were no significant differences in the baseline bone densities and other health readings between the two groups. And none of the participants took any bone loss medications.

The scientists measured changes in bone mineral density in each woman’s tibia (shin bone) after 12 months — and the results shocked them!

While both groups lost bone density, the placebo group lost nearly twice as much as the l. reuteri 6475 group.

This unique probiotic was the only difference between the two groups, and neither scientists nor the participants knew who was taking what — a gold-standard, double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial!

So even though this study was relatively small, the strength of the study design lends weight to its findings.

The Takeaway

Researchers already knew volumes about the amazing health benefits of probiotics, but could they also be a key ingredient for bone health? This new study suggests l. reuteri 6475, at the very least, could be!

Interestingly enough, the researchers couldn’t pinpoint the mechanism for why the probiotic bacteria reduced bone loss. So further research is needed…

But in the meantime, consider including some probiotics in your diet. Your bones may see a small benefit — and your digestion and immune health may benefit too!

Author bio: Lara Pizzorno, MDIV, MA, LMT

Lara is the best-selling author of “Your Bones: How You Can Prevent Osteoporosis and Have Strong Bones for Life – Naturally”. She’s also a member of the American Medical Writers Association with 30+ years of experience and the Resident Bone Health Expert at AlgaeCal.

 

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Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles
Healthy Living

Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger
The world’s first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace, refers to imagination as a “discovering faculty,” one that “penetrates into the unseen worlds around us.” That power to see beyond what is immediately available is echoed by Dave Evans, Stanford professor. “There are lots of you,” he reminds us. “There are lots of right answers.” Things are so much more than they seem, especially for those with a fertile imagination. If your interested in keeping your brain sharp, we recommend exploring ways to enhance your creative powers. Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles

Seeing multiple possibilities, believe it or not, was what led Italian artist Alessandro Sanna to create the beloved Pinocchio character. Idly staring out the window during a train ride, he imagined that the tree branches he saw resembled a child he knew in a pediatric hospital, a fragile, delicate human being, whose body—in his imagination—was being cradled by an older person who loved him. He began sketching and soon, the wooden puppet with the growing nose was born. Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles

EINSTEIN’S WORDS:

The inspiration “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
If we take Einstein at his words, we can multiply the importance of imagination. Here are five ways for doing that. We cam examine the behaviors commonly associated with imaginative people, those who optimize their creative talents. As you read them, consider your own behaviors in light of them.

1. Is not thrown by chaos

If you really want to test your ability to tolerate confusion, try this. Find three other people: one person is the listener. The second person whispers non-stop in the listener’s ear, while the third person delivers a “speech” (e.g., views on a controversial topic, such as a Presidential election). The fourth person takes notes on the speech. Then ask the listener what he or she remembered. Compare what the speaker said and what the observer noted.

2. Likes to explore, to experiment

List a number of What If questions. Start with whimsical questions, such as this: what if women ruled the world? (One answer might be that toilet seats would always be down.) These “iffy” questions will help you keep an open mind and will help you remain receptive to the possibilities that abound in the world around you.

3. Welcomes new thoughts

There are places that do their hiring via a group project. To illustrate, they might gather a group of candidates, have them form teams, and then issue a challenge like this: “You have exactly five minutes to complete this task. List 25 ways to improve a stove.” To develop your own imaginative powers and even those of a group of friends, contemplate a challenge that requires speculation. Get those cerebral juices pumping with a question that demands new thoughts.

4. Can see what isn’t visible

An excellent way to “see the invisible” is to find new uses for old things. Example: What can be done with leftover flowers from a bouquet you’ve received, other than making potpourri? List 15 ways to use the flowers. Or, take another object and come up with 15 new ways to use it.

5. Sees value in problems

List the most serious problems you’ve had in the last ten years. What benefits or opportunities resulted from those difficulties? Ask your friends to share their insights as well. Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER’S WORDS:

This scientist is best known for his many uses of peanuts. Carver went from being a slave to being an internationally respected botanist in one lifetime. He observed that “when you can do a common thing in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” You may not be interested in commanding the world’s attention, but you probably are interested in commanding your thoughts and keeping your mental powers sharp. Work on the five recommendations listed here and keep notes on your progress. After all, you are an uncommon senior citizen!
By Marlene Caroselli
This article is excerpted from Applying Mr. Einstein: 365+ Einstein-Inspired Brain Boosts. Her 62ndbook, Applying Mr. Einsteinwill be released by HRD Press later this year. You can reach the author at msmccpd@gmail.com.
Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles

Five Ways to Flex Your Creative Muscles

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Seniors & Covid

Isolated? Try this new FREE Senior Website to Connect to Loved Ones

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

With seniors around the country facing isolation during COVID-19 lockdowns, the Birdsong Tablet, a senior focused tablet, is available in a FREE WEB VERSION accessible with only a web browser helping keep seniors connected to family and engaged during the pandemic.

Birdsong features include:
  • No-phone-needed video chat helping seniors connect with loved ones visually
  • Senior-friendly TV, movie and music ranging from Jack Benny, Milton Berle and Beverly Hillbillies episodes to songbooks to Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby greatest hits
  • Word games such as Boggle, Hangman and crosswords as well as card games, number games, memory games, puzzles and trivia
  • Travelogues, virtual museum tours, TED Talks and other educational content
  • Spirituality resources for the major world religions

Both the tablet and web version are designed for those with limited technology experience and/or physical or cognitive limitations, including large picture-based icons and large font sizes.

To access this FREE WEB VERSION:

  1. Log on to www.BirdsongTablet.com
  2. Click Create an Account
  3. Enter your email address and a password to create a Birdsong account

This COVID pandemic could be around awhile and it’s important that you stay connected to friends and family. We wish you good health and fun entertainment using Birdsong’s free web version.

 

 

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Happy seniors walking with trekking poles
Exercise & Fitness

Nordic Walking For Seniors

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

Such a sport as Nordic walking (with walking poles) quickly gained popularity all over the world. And it’s no wonder – exercise minimizes and eliminates a wide range of health problems and serves as a prophylactic for heart disease.

However, such training requires appropriate conditions:

  • A pleasant view outside;
  • A convenient path;
  • Quality equipment.

 

What are the benefits of the exercise?

This sport has a simple technique and does not require special training. Among other things, it is recommended for people over the age of 60 and pregnant women. However, the effect that Nordic walking has on the whole body is great. As a result, 90 percent of the muscles in the entire body are engaged during the exercises, and the load on the knees and shins is significantly reduced.

Exercise is recommended for problems such as:

  • Excess weight;
  • Disturbed metabolism;
  • Parkinsonism;
  • Scoliosis;
  • Vegetovascular dystonia;
  • Respiratory diseases;
  • Cardiovascular diseases.

 

Let’s dwell on the last point in more detail. Heart problems are often caused by the narrowing of the walls of blood vessels. This can happen for a number of reasons, but the result is the same – fewer nutrients enter the body, and its work is disrupted. Many hours of activity cause the heart to consume more oxygen and restores the intensity of the entire system.

Periodic walks with walking poles:

  • Keep the muscles toned;
  • Improve the function of the musculoskeletal system;
  • Correct the posture;
  • Raise the spirits;
  • Stimulate blood circulation.

 

Also, exercise is useful for depressive conditions, insomnia, and loss of energy. Useful activity along with a walk in the fresh air lifts your spirits. This is very important for the elderly, who often suffer from a lack of movement. It is also important that this sport reduces the pain of spinal diseases.

Are there any contraindications?

You can’t do this sport if you have:

  • Joint diseases;
  • Infections;
  • Heart failure;
  • Inflammatory processes in the pelvic area;
  • High temperature.

 

If there are no contraindications, then Nordic walking is useful for the elderly (harm can only be in the case of improper technique).

Nordic walking techniques

The Nordic Walking method with walking poles is based on strict adherence to the rules:

  1. Before walking, you should do exercises with walking poles: bending, squatting, and turning.
  2. You must step like this: a smooth roll from heel to toe.
  3. The posture must be straight throughout the exercise.
  4. It is important to observe smooth and even breathing: inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth.
  5. At the end of the training, it is necessary to do stretching.

 

What is the importance of stretching? If you perform it at a relaxed pace and without sudden movements, it will help to restore breathing and consolidate the effect of the workout.

The speed of walking and frequency of exercise is determined strictly by the age, health, and well-being of the person after walking.

Take into account the rules and features of Nordic walking with poles for the elderly and do not forget about contraindications! Then this activity will give a cheerful mood, keep the body in good shape, reduce pain in the spine and improve health.

Bio

Helen Wilson is a professional content writer at Write Any Papers. Her main spheres of specialization are Physical Health, but she also provides help on how to write a cause and effect essay.

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Understanding Financial Powers of Attorney – Are They a “License to Steal”?
Estate Planning

Understanding Financial Powers of Attorney – Are They a “License to Steal”?

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

A financial power of attorney is a valuable legal document that ensures that your financial matters will continue to be handled – should you become incapacitated and unable to do so yourself. However, placed into the wrong hands, these documents can become a license to steal. Understanding Financial Powers of Attorney – Are They a “License to Steal”?
In your power of attorney, you’re called the “principal” and the person you select to have authority over your finances is called the “agent” (or “attorney-in-fact”).

A general power of attorney allows your selected agent to do everything that you could do with your assets. They can sell your home, execute a new deed and transfer title, take out a loan, and access your bank accounts. It’s a very broad and powerful document.

A special power of attorney limits your agent’s authority. You might choose to grant them the ability to access only one of your bank accounts, or to sign specific real estate documents while you’re out of the country.

Your agent’s authority becomes effective either immediately or only when you become incapacitated. Granting immediate authority is generally not advisable (except in the limited capacity of a special power of attorney). Why give someone the authority to access and control your finances when you’re perfectly capable of doing it yourself?

A “springing power” gives your agent financial authority only if you become incapacitated. The test to determine “incapacity” should generally require that two medical doctors state, in writing and under penalty of perjury, that they have examined you and concluded that you are unable to make sound financial decisions. Your agent’s authority then “springs into being”. Your agent can then literally staple the two doctors’ declarations to the back of your power of attorney, and have full authority to handle all financial matters.

You can see where this could lead if the agent you selected turns out to be a crook.

A typical scenario is a widowed mom who is becoming more and more forgetful and is developing signs of dementia. Years earlier, she signed a financial power of attorney and named her son as her agent. At the time, all was fine because son was financially stable and trustworthy. However, he’s now lost his job, his house is about to go into foreclosure, and his wife is pressuring him to use the power of attorney to access “just a little” of mom’s money to get them through this hard time.

Of course, once the son and his wife enjoy this newly found cash cow, it gets easier and easier to continue to take money. Mom has no clue what’s going on.

It can get worse. When the checking and savings are gone, there’s still a lot of equity in mom’s home. “We’ll just take out a small loan”, says the son. Not much later, he and his wife need to take out a second loan to use that money to make the monthly mortgage payments. Before long, mom’s house is being foreclosed on.
Perhaps 9 out of 10 financial elder abuse cases involve a family member as the perpetrator – usually a son or daughter. And in many such cases, a financial power of attorney was the vehicle used to accomplish the rip-off.

These documents are important and can be very useful. Many a conservatorship (or guardianship) can be avoided if valid financial powers of attorney are in place.

Obviously, the key point is to make absolutely certain that the selected agent is honest and trustworthy. Placed into the wrong hands, these documents can become a license to steal.

George F. Dickerman is a Riverside, California elder law attorney. His practice focuses on advocating for, and protecting, the elderly and their loved ones. For more information, please visit: elder-law-advocate.com.

Understanding Financial Powers of Attorney – Are They a “License to Steal”?

Understanding Financial Powers of Attorney – Are They a “License to Steal”?

Understanding Financial Powers of Attorney – Are They a “License to Steal”? Understanding Financial Powers of Attorney – Are They a “License to Steal”? Understanding Financial Powers of Attorney – Are They a “License to Steal”?

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Caregiving

5 Technological Advancements for People with Dementia

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

Dementia is a frightening condition that no one can wish to have. The primary symptom is declining memory loss and the overall inability to perform simple problem-solving tasks. It also impacts a person’s ability to think critically and at the same time, affect the language patterns. It is a common occurrence among the elderly in society. Still, the condition is slowly creeping to younger people due to different causes, chief among them being mental illness issues.

Though advancements in science and technology haven’t come up with a cure, several useful innovations will offer some form of reprieve to family members and caregivers as well. These innovations help in reducing anxiety and stress, while at the same time enable in the mobility of the affected person.

That said, here is a list of the top 5 technological innovations for people with dementia.

  • Special Digital clocks

The major problem that faces patients with dementia is time-lapse. They may not differentiate between night and day. These unique clocks help them interpret the time of day and helps them keep to set routine and schedule. It may not be much, but any assistance on dementia patients is a huge deal and helps them lead normal lives. You might also consider using Reminder Rosie, a clock that allows a loved one to record a message to play at set times. This is helpful for medication reminders and other important prompts.

  • GPS location and tracking devices

It is a common occurrence for a person who has dementia to forget the way back home. It might seem simple to others, but for these patients, it is a lifesaver. Concerned family members would previously not let a relative with the condition go for groceries without company. Thanks to this innovation, caregivers and family members can track their movement and act in time if they notice wandering patterns.

These devices can be worn on the arm like a bracelet ensuring that the patient’s movement can be monitored at all times. If your loved one is not compliant with bracelets, GPS monitors can also can be worn in a shoe like these GPS SmartSoles.

  • Home care robots

Robots have come in handy for dementia patients. They act as special reminders for tasks that need to be done. Furthermore, they can be great assistants that help reduce the workload around the house. They can clean the home and keep it clean for the entire day. Being robots, they follow set scheduled fed into their computer programs, meaning no medication or food will be skipped.

Moreover, they automatically themselves and therefore you need not worry even when away.

  • CCTV in the home

CCTV is not for nannies only. Home cameras can now be fitted and monitored even from a smartphone. Therefore, you can check on the patient even when away attending to other assignments. You can remind them about taking medication or food through a phone call because you will have seen that they didn’t.

  • Supervision of electrical appliances

If the patient is left home alone and has to cook for him/herself, then caregivers and family members need not worry. Electrical appliances can now be supervised remotely and alert those closest when anything goes wrong. If the microwave is one for more than half an hour, the caregiver will know immediately.

Many other innovations are being rolled out continuously in the market that helps dementia patients have normal lives. But these five are essential and accessible by all. They are not so expensive and will go a long way in making easing the burden not only on the patient but family members as well.

Author Bio:

Holly Clark is a freelance health writer and a career carer. Her writing mainly focuses on elder care and well-being. Right now, she is currently working as a consultant for SureSafe.

 

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