Category Archives: Life Planning

What Is a Long-Term Care Ombudsman?

Have you ever heard of a long-term care ombudsman? If you have any loved ones living in care facilities, including nursing homes, it’s a good idea to learn more about what a long-term care ombudsman does and how they help to provide better care. Under the federal Older American Act, long-term care ombudsman programs help…

10 Ways to Get Your Home Ready After Joint Replacement Surgery

As we get older, the life left in our joints—including hips and knees—may run out. When someone reaches that point where those joints just don’t work anymore, they may need a joint replacement surgery. There are more than 400,000 total hip replacement surgeries done each year in the U.S., according to the American Academy of…

5 Ways to Help Someone With Dementia Stay Physically Active

We’ve all heard about the benefits of staying physical active. Regular physical activity can improve mood, keep us physically fit, and reduce our chance of developing diseases like heart disease and diabetes. It also can help prevent cognitive decline. If someone you care for has a cognitive impairment such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, exercise is…

Study: Money Management Problems Found Years Before Dementia Diagnosis

Researchers regularly look for early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. One early sign that you don’t hear about as often is problems with money management. A February study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias were associated with adverse financial events years before clinical diagnosis. The study was the…

It’s Medicare Enrollment Season: Take Advantage of Potential Savings

It’s Medicare enrollment season—have you reviewed your Medicare plan to make sure you have the best-priced plan? Every year from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has what’s called an open enrollment period for Medicare. During this time, you can change your Medicare health plan and prescription drug coverage…

What Is a Health Care Surrogate and a Living Will—and Do I Need Them?

You may have heard about a health care surrogate and a living will, but you’re still confused about what they are—and whether you actually need them. These are actually important documents in case you were to get ill and not able to speak up for yourself. Let’s clear up some of the confusion you may…

Securing Aging Now Offers Estate Management Services

When someone dies, one challenge is managing what to do with the things that the person owned, including a home, car, other belongings, and investments. Even if the details on who gets what is specified in a will, there still needs to be a person or people to perform certain tasks leading up to and…