I have been on the phone with my sister for the last few days. She has some big decisions to make about her Medicare coverage, and it can be a confusing process. My sister turns 65 in October. Because she is currently receiving Social Security benefits, she will automatically be enrolled in Medicare Part [...]
As I sit down to write this column, I’m looking forward to my book club meeting tonight. I love books. While as a group, we may only read four to five books a year, I read about 40. This year, I am on track to read 50. Ten years ago, I purchased an e-reader, [...]
At age 91, my mother finally got hearing aids.It wasn’t the well-reasoned arguments that my sisters and I espoused, such as: Hearing loss is strongly linked to dementia and cognitive decline, and that hearing aids may help slow this by keeping the brain engaged.Or that hearing aids can help maintain relationships and support active participation in [...]
I recently received a letter from a reader concerned about a problem some of her friends are facing. Either they—or their spouse—have been released from the hospital but remain weak and in need of care. These are couples in their 80s or 90s, and she wonders if any type of medical support is available after [...]
Have you ever encountered a circumstance that totally alters your view of yourself, challenges your existing beliefs, and causes you to reevaluate your understanding of yourself and your place in the world? It happened to me a few weeks ago, not once, but twice. The first incident occurred at a fast-casual restaurant. I was [...]
For many of us, uncertainty is at an all-time high. Well, at least for me. Whether one is feeling the unpredictability of politics, economic instability, global tensions, or situations affecting us in our own backyard, I sense an overarching tension as I talk to others. In fact, I just felt tense writing this paragraph. [...]
Recently, I attended the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting. My coworker Julie and I were honored to accept a proclamation celebrating Senior Concerns’ 50 years of service to seniors and family caregivers in our community. Janice Parvin, Chair of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, noted that many of the public comments and [...]
That role may include physical assistance, emotional support, advocacy and care coordination, health monitoring, and long-term care planning. For many of us who have assumed the role of family caregiver (or had it thrust upon us), this crucial role in a loved one’s life in some ways defines us, yet at the same time, [...]
Whose responsibility is it to remind older adult patients of their next programmed appointment? Let’s say a patient is supposed to have an in-office procedure every six months. For whatever reason, that appointment was not booked in advance. In a perfect world, both the physician’s office and the patient would share responsibility for ensuring [...]
Every so often, I think of topics that are not deep enough to be the subject of an entire column but may be noteworthy. I call these tidbits because they are small and interesting items of information. Sharing my recent tidbits with you today. Hotel Stay Recently, my husband and I took a trip [...]
