Mature Lifestyles -103113

MATURE

Lifestyles October, 2013

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2 - Mature Lifestyles - October, 2013 - TheIntelligencer.com

Boomers have redesigned aging (BPT) - America’s baby boomers first came on the scene in 1946. They’ve been turning the world on its head ever since.

Known as the country’s greatest generation for leading change, baby boomers make up roughly 26 percent of the United States’ total population - at about 78 million people.

Over the years they’ve reinvented almost everything about the way America lives - from the music we listen to, to the cars we drive, to the technology we rely upon, to the way we age.

The oldest baby boomers have already begun crossing the threshold into their golden years - and as expected, they’re redesigning what’s on the other side.

Never known as an understated generation, baby boomers have already made it clear that they won’t be fading quietly into retirement. On the contrary, they’re all about staying active and engaged. Chronologically they may be aging, but their spirits aren’t. So whether it’s finding a new career, rockclimbing, volunteering, adventure travel or online dating, baby boomers are embracing life’s second act with gusto.

More than any generation before them, baby boomers have adopted lifestyles that help them stay healthy and fit. And they’re embracing modern technologies that enable them to stay connected to the world around them and involved in it.

An important way in which active baby boomers are keeping up their youthful pace is by taking care of their hearing.

This generation understands that in order to fully enjoy the experiences of life, you need to stay connected to it. So rather

than deny a hearing loss and suffer the negative social, cognitive and professional consequences that inevitably result from leaving it unaddressed, baby boomers are increasingly dealing with hearing loss head on.

Boomers in their 40s, 50s and 60s are getting their hearing tested. And they’re benefitting from the technological revolution taking place in the hearing aid marketplace.

America’s baby boomers have been shaking the place up for decades. It’s no wonder, then, that they’re now redesigning the golden years. For more information on hearing loss, visit the Better Hearing Institute at www.betterhearing.org.

Trending facts about today’s hearing aids: 1. They’re virtually invisible. Many of today’s hearing aids sit discreetly and comfortably inside the ear canal, providing both natural sound quality, and discreet and easy use.

2. They automatically adjust to all kinds of soundscapes.

Recent technological advances with directional microphones have made hearing aids far more versatile than ever before - and in a broad range of sound environments.

3. You can enjoy water sports and sweat while wearing them.

Waterproof digital hearing aids have arrived. This feature is built into some newly designed hearing aids for those concerned about water, humidity and dust. This feature suits the active lifestyles of swimmers, skiers, snowboarders, intensive sports enthusiasts and anyone working in dusty, demanding environments.

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TheIntelligencer.com - October, 2013 - Mature Lifestyles - 3

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4 - Mature Lifestyles - October, 2013 - TheIntelligencer.com

Rising Alzheimer’s cases puts strain on caregivers WASHINGTON (AP) — David Hilfiker knows what’s coming. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s so early that he’s had time to tell his family what he wants to happen once forgetfulness turns incapacitating.

“When it’s time to put me in an institution, don’t have me at home and destroy your own life,” said the retired physician, who is still well enough that he blogs about the insidious progress of the disease. “Watching the Lights Go Out,” it’s titled.

Nearly half of all seniors who need some form of long-term care — from help at home to full-time care in a facility — have dementia, the World Alzheimer Report said Thursday. It’s a staggering problem as the global population ages, placing enormous strain on families who provide the bulk of that care at least early on, and on national economies alike.

Indeed, cognitive impairment is the strongest predictor of who will move into a care facility within the next two years, 7.5 times more likely than people with cancer, heart disease or other chronic ailments of older adults, the report found.

“It’s astonishing,” said Marc Wortmann, executive director of Alzheimer’s Disease International, which commissioned the report and focused on the problems of caregiving.

“What many countries try to do is keep people away from care homes because they say that’s cheaper. Yes it’s cheaper for the government or the health system, but it’s not always the best solution.”

And dropping birth rates mean there are fewer children in families to take care of aging parents, too, said Michael Hodin of the Global Coalition on Aging.

“Very shortly there will be more of us over 60 than under 15,” he noted.

Today, more than 35 million people worldwide, including 5 million in the U.S., are estimated to have Alzheimer’s.

Barring a medical breakthrough, those numbers are expected to more than double by 2050.

This week, the U.S. National Institutes

Associated Press

Retired physician David Hilfiker, of Washington, talks about his life with Alzheimer's at the National Press Club in Washington, Sept. 19. Hilfiker, was diagnosed in September 2012, and has been writing about the experience of losing his mental capacity in his blog "Watching the Lights Go Out." of Health announced $45 million in new Alzheimer’s research, with most of the money focused on finding ways to prevent or at least delay the devastating disease. The Obama administration had hoped to invest $100 million in new Alzheimer’s research this year, a move blocked by the budget cuts known as the sequester. Overall, the nation has been investing about $400 million a year in Alzheimer’s research.

But the disease’s financial toll is $200 billion a year in the U.S. alone, a tab expected to pass $1 trillion by 2050 in medical and nursing home expenditures — not counting unpaid family caregiving. The world report puts the global cost at $604 billion.

Thursday, families affected by Alzheimer’s and aging advocates said it’s time for a global push to end the brain disease, just like the world’s governments and researchers came together to turn the AIDS virus from a death sen-

tence into a chronic disease.

“We need a war on Alzheimer’s,” said Sandy Halperin, 63, of Tallahassee, Fla., who was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s three years ago. He now finds himself stumbling for words, but still visits lawmakers to urge more funding.

Meanwhile, the world report focuses on caregiving, stressing how the needs of people with dementia are so different than those of other ailments of aging, such as cancer and heart disease. People with dementia begin needing some help to get through the day early on, to make sure they don’t leave the stove on or get lost, for example. Eventually, patients lose the ability to do the simplest activities of daily life, and can survive that way for a decade or more. Often family members quit their jobs so they can provide round-the-clock care, and the stress can harm their own health.

Continued on Page 18

TheIntelligencer.com - October, 2013 - Mature Lifestyles - 5

Study seeks super agers’ secrets to brain health CHICAGO (AP) — They’re called “super agers” — men and women who are in their 80s and 90s, but with brains and memories that seem far younger.

Researchers are looking at this rare group in the hope that they may find ways to help protect others from memory loss. And they’ve had some tantalizing findings: Imaging tests have found unusually low amounts of age-related plaques along with more brain mass related to attention and memory in these elite seniors.

“We’re living long but we’re not necessarily living well in our older years and so we hope that the SuperAging study can find factors that are modifiable and that we’ll be able to use those to help people live long and live well,” said study leader Emily Rogalski, a neuroscientist at Northwestern University’s cognitive neurology and Alzheimer’s disease center in Chicago.

The study is still seeking volunteers, but chances are you don’t qualify: Fewer than 10 percent of would-be participants have met study criteria.

“We’ve screened over 400 people at this point and only about 35 of them have been eligible for this study, so it really represents a rare portion of the population,” Rogalski said.

They include an octogenarian attorney, a 96-year-old retired neuroscientist, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor and an 81-year-old pack-a-day smoker who drinks a nightly martini.

To qualify, would-be participants have to undergo a battery of mental tests.

Once enrolled, they undergo periodic imaging scans and other medical tests.

They also must be willing to donate their brains after death.

The memory tests include lists of about 15 words. “Super agers can remember at least nine of them 30 minutes later, which is really impressive because often older adults in their 80s can only remember just a couple,” Rogalski said.

Special MRI scans have yielded other remarkable clues, Rogalski said. They show that in super agers, the brain’s cortex, or outer layer, responsible for many mental functions including memory, is

thicker than in typical 80- and 90-yearolds. And deep within the brain, a small region called the anterior cingulate, important for attention, is bigger than even in many 50- and 60-year-olds.

The super agers aren’t just different on the inside; they have more energy than most people their age and share a positive, inquisitive outlook. Rogalski said the researchers are looking into whether those traits contribute to brain health.

Other research has linked a positive attitude with overall health. And some studies have suggested that people who are “cognitively active and socially engaged” have a reduced chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease, but which comes first — a healthy brain or a great attitude — isn’t known, said Heather Snyder, director of medical and scientific operations for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Snyder said the SuperAging study is an important effort that may help provide some answers.

Edith Stern is among the super agers. The petite woman looks far younger than her 92 years, and is a vibrant presence at her Chicago retirement home, where she acts as a sort of room mother, volunteering in the gift shop, helping residents settle in and making sure their needs are met.

Stern lost most of her family in the Holocaust and takes her work seriously.

“What I couldn’t do for my parents, I try to do for the residents in the home,” she said, her voice still thick with the accent of her native Czechoslovakia.

Stern acknowledges she’s different from most people at the home, even many younger residents.

“I am young — inside. And I think that’s the difference,” she said.

“I grasp fast,” she adds. “If people say something, they don’t have to tell me twice. I don’t forget it.”

She’s different in other ways, too.

“When you get old, people are mainly interested in themselves. They talk about the doctor, what hurts,” she said.

“You are not so important that you just

concentrate on yourself. You have to think about other people.”

Study participant Don Tenbrunsel has a similar mindset. The 85-year-old retired businessman doesn’t think of himself as a super ager. “Neither do my children,” he says, chuckling.

But Tenbrunsel says his memory has been sharp “from the time I was born.

My mother used to say, ‘Donald, come sing with me — not because I had a good voice, but because I always knew the words,” he said. “I think I’m just lucky, not only with respect to my memory, but I’m able to get around very well; I walk a lot and I have a pretty good attitude toward life itself.”

Tenbrunsel volunteers several hours a week at a food pantry run by the Chicago church where he is a parishioner. One recent morning in the sunfilled rectory kitchen, he nimbly packaged ham and cheese sandwiches, set out bags of chips and cans of soda, and cheerfully greeted a steady stream of customers.

“Good morning, good to see you,” he said, standing at the pantry’s bright red door. He gave everyone their choice of chips — a small gesture but important, he said, because it gives them some sense of control over their hard-luck lives.

“I enjoy doing it. I probably get more out of it than I give,” Tenbrunsel said.

Ken Zwiener, of Deerfield, Ill., is another super ager. He had “more than an inkling” he might qualify for the study, and his kids encouraged him to enroll.

“They said, ‘Dad, your brain is the best thing about you,”’ the 81-year-old retired businessman recalled.

He’s a golfer and Broadway musical “nut” who created a 300-plus-page computer database of shows. Zwiener uses an iPad, recently went hot-air ballooning and is trying to learn Spanish.

He also pours himself a vodka martini every night and is a pack-a-day cigarette smoker, but says he doesn’t think his habits have made much difference.

Continued on Page 11

6 - Mature Lifestyles - October, 2013 - TheIntelligencer.com

Don’t let COPD control your life (BPT) - Of the top five causes of death in the U.S., only one is increasing: COPD, also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a progressive lung disease that makes it harder to breathe over time and can cause chronic coughing, wheezing or a constant tightness in your chest. When you have COPD, every breath can be difficult. Some patients say that it feels like breathing through a cocktail straw. Trouble breathing can impact your ability to do daily activities like gardening, traveling and, eventually, even walking. While there is no cure for COPD, there are a number of treatment options and lifestyle adjustments that can help you better manage your COPD. “Every patient with COPD will experience the disease differently, and many may need to change their treatment plan as the disease progresses,” said James F. Donohue, M.D., professor of medicine and the former chief of the Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. “By working together, patients, their loved

ones, and healthcare providers can help patients properly manage their COPD through medications and lifestyle adjustments like making changes to diet or starting a breathing exercise program.”

When your COPD progresses from mild to moderate, your healthcare provider may say that the amount of air you can blow out (called the forced expiratory volume in the first second or FEV) has decreased to less than 80 percent of normal (based on your age and gender).

As your COPD progresses further, you may also experience frequent flare-ups (also called exacerbations) which may lead to hospitalizations; you should talk to your healthcare provider about your treatment options. Treatment guidelines recommend long-acting, maintenance treatments for use in patients with both moderate and severe COPD in addition to a rescue inhaler to control acute symptoms.

Medications delivered via a nebulizer are one way that you can receive treatment for COPD. With a nebulizer, medication is delivered as a fine mist

through a mouthpiece or a face mask.

You don’t have to time your breathing; instead you breathe normally for about 5-10 minutes. Nebulizers can be used to take both long-acting and short-acting medications. People may believe that nebulizers are bulky and cumbersome, however over the last ten years they have become increasingly compact and portable. Many patients are not aware of the nebulized treatment options which offer effective medication delivery. Most nebulized maintenance treatments need to be taken twice a day, in the morning and the evening, giving you medication to help control your COPD symptoms through the day and night.

Following a set routine with your COPD treatment regimen can help you take your medication at the correct time and may help you breathe better and experience fewer flare-ups. Your healthcare provider can determine which medications will help you manage your symptoms and can also help you find a treatment plan that is easy for you to follow.

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TheIntelligencer.com - October, 2013 - Mature Lifestyles - 7

Suggestions for you to keep health care costs down (BPT) - No matter your age, you can help keep your body healthy and your money out of the health care system by eating right, exercising and avoiding habits that contribute to chronic illness. Having the appropriate insurance may also help your bottom line more than you think. Follow this guide to see if you have what you need at various stages in life.

40s While it’s smart to begin saving for retirement in your 20s, most people start to focus a little more on the specifics once their 40s roll around. “As you start crunching the numbers more seriously, be sure to factor health care costs into your assumptions about your spending needs in retirement,” Galdau says. Out-ofpocket expenses for a 65-year-old couple could suck hundreds of thousands of dollars from a retirement nest egg, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Start learning about long-term care insurance. If you equate long-term care insurance with nursing home coverage, think again. While it can cover those costs, it generally does something even more appealing -

help give you the resources you need to stay in your home.

50s Stop putting off long-term care insurance. Long-term care expenses can pose a real threat to your retirement savings and lifestyle. This insurance can be flexible in its design - you can typically vary the features of the policy to stay within a budget while still reducing risk to your assets.

If you’ve become a caregiver for a parent or other family member, tap into information resources such as care.com or those provided by the National Alliance for Caregiving to make your role as easy as possible.

60s Don’t go without. If you retire early and lack employer-provided health insurance, don’t be tempted to cut costs and skip insurance until you’re eligible for Medicare at 65. Consider buying an individual policy to bridge the gap, if you have no other option.

To avoid making important decisions under pressure, learn about your Medicare choices well before you have to make them.

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8 - Mature Lifestyles - October, 2013 - TheIntelligencer.com

Associated Press

This photo taken June 12 shows Hattie Watties in front of cabinets that were lowered in her kitchen in Baltimore, allowing her easier access to items inside that she once struggled to reach on her own. Physical limitations become more difficult with doorways too narrow for walkers, toilets that are lower than chairs, and kitchen counters too tall to sit while cooking. Plus, nearly a third of older adults experience a fall every year, and most who are injured fell inside the home, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “You don’t think about that stuff,” said Hattie Watties, who can’t imagine leaving her Baltimore home of 36 years, that’s near children and grandchildren. “You just do what you have to.”|

Fixing seniors’ homes to help them age in place BALTIMORE (AP) — Alberta Hough struggles to feed herself a snack, her arms shaking badly from Parkinson’s disease. Days earlier, the 84-year-old fell while eating, sliding off her kitchen chair.

The rest of Hough’s day isn’t much easier to navigate. She wobbles into a bathtub with no grab bar. Her feet catch on damaged floor tiles. Part of the banister she needs to steady herself on the stairs has pulled out of the wall. At the back door, a rickety wooden ramp no longer supports the scooter that helps her get around.

The environment in which you live can be as disabling as a disease, and too often, older Americans wind up in a nursing home not because they’re super-sick but because they can’t get through their days safely at home.

Now a major research project will bring handymen, occupational therapists and nurses into the homes of 800 low-income seniors in Baltimore to test if some inexpensive fix-ups and strategies for daily living can keep them independent longer, and save millions in taxpayer dollars spent on nursing home care.

“Very small changes can make a big difference,” said Sarah Szanton, a Johns Hopkins University associate nursing professor who leads the project. “We’re not saying, ‘What’s your blood pressure?’ We’re focusing on function: What do they want to do?”

Losing independence is a leading fear as people age. But a recent poll shows that too few comprehend the changes in lifestyle needed to offset the chronic illnesses and gradual slowdown that hit just about everyone in the 70s, 80s and beyond.

Continued on Page 12

TheIntelligencer.com - October, 2013 - Mature Lifestyles - 9

Associated Press

This photo taken Oct. 3 shows James Glay posing with his collection of vintage drums in Arlington Heights, Ill. Every passing month and unanswered resume dimmed Glay’s optimism more. His career in sales was ended by a layoff. So with no job in sight, he joined a growing number of older people and created his own.

Baby boomers fueling wave of entrepreneurship ARLINGTON HEIGHTS (AP) — Every passing month and unanswered resume dimmed Jim Glay’s optimism more. So with no job in sight, he joined a growing number of older people and created his own.

In a mix of boomer individualism and economic necessity, older Americans have fueled a wave of entrepreneurship. The result is a slew of enterprises such as Crash Boom Bam, the vintage drum company that 64-year-old Glay began running from a spare bedroom in his apartment in 2009.

The business hasn’t made him rich, but Glay credits it with keeping him afloat when no one would hire him.

“You would send out a stack of 50 resumes and not hear anything,” said Glay, who had been laid off from a sales job.

“This has saved me.”

The annual entrepreneurial activity report published in April by the Kansas City, Mo.-based Ewing Marion Kauffman

Foundation found the share of new entrepreneurs ages 55 to 64 grew from 14.3 percent in 1996 to 23.4 percent last year.

Entrepreneurship among 45- to 54-year-olds saw a slight bump, while activity among younger age groups fell.

The foundation doesn’t track startups by those 65 and older, but Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that group has a higher rate of self-employment than any other age group.

Part of the growth is the result of the overall aging of America. But experts say older people are flocking to selfemployment both because of a frustrating job market and the growing ease and falling cost of starting a business.

“It’s become easier technologically and geographically to do this at older ages,” said Dane Stangler, the research and policy director at Kauffman. “We’ll see continued higher rates of entrepreneurship because of these demographic trends.”

Continued on Page 10

10 - Mature Lifestyles - October, 2013 - TheIntelligencer.com

Business Continued from Page 9 Paul Giannone’s later-life move to start a business was fueled not by losing a job, but by a desire for change.

After nearly 35 years in information technology, he embraced his love of pizza and opened a Brooklyn, N.Y., restaurant, Paulie Gee’s, in 2010.

Giannone, 60, had to take a second mortgage on his home, but he said the risk was worth it: The restaurant is thriving and a second location is in the works.

“I wanted to do something that I could be proud of,” he said. “I am the only one who makes decisions and I love that. I haven’t worked in 3 1/2 years, that’s how it feels.”

Some opt for a more gradual transition.

Al Wilson, 58, of Manassas, Va., has kept his day job as a program analyst at the National Science Foundation while he tries to attract business for Rowdock, the snug calf protector he

created to ward off injuries rowers call “track bites.”

Though orders come in weekly from around the world, they’re not enough yet for Wilson to quit his job.

“At this stage in my life, when I’m looking at in the near future retiring, to step out and take a risk and start a business, there was some apprehension,” Wilson said. “But it’s kind of rejuvenated me.”

Mary Furlong, who teaches entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University and holds business startup seminars for boomers, says older adults are uniquely positioned for the move because they are often natural risk-takers who are passionate about challenges and driven by creativity.

There can be hurdles.

Though most older entrepreneurs opt to create at-home businesses where they are the only employee, even startup costs of a couple thousand dollars can be prohibitive for some. Also, generating business in an online economy is tougher if the person has fewer technological skills.

Furlong said many who start businesses later in life do so as a follow-up to a successful career from which they fear a layoff or have endured one.

“The boomers are looking to entrepreneurship as a Plan B,” she said.”

Antoinette Little would agree.

She spent 20 years at a law firm, starting as a legal secretary and working her way up to manage the entire office. The stress of working 80 hours or 90 hours a week and always being on call started taking a toll.

After being diagnosed with an enlarged heart, she said, “The doctor told me either quit or you’re going to die.”

Little took a series of culinary classes and found a new passion, opening Antoinette Chocolatier in Phillipsburg, N.J. She misses her previous career and, though the store is now in the black, the profits aren’t robust. Still, she says she is having fun making chocolate, particularly when children press their noses against the glass doors to the store’s kitchen.

“I’m my own boss and you get to eat your mistakes,” she said. “How bad could it be?”

Most boomer businesses are not brick-and-mortar establishments like those of Little and Giannone.

Continued on Page 11

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TheIntelligencer.com - October, 2013 - Mature Lifestyles - 11

Business Continued from Page 10 Jeff Williams, who runs BizStarters, which has helped Glay and thousands of other boomers start businesses, says most older entrepreneurs want to make a minimal investment, typically less than $10,000, to get off the ground.

He classifies about 40 percent of his clientele as â&#x20AC;&#x153;reluctant entrepreneursâ&#x20AC;? who are turning to their own business because they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find any other work.

Williams said owning a business also gives older adults the flexibility they desire and a sense of control while remaining active. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To suddenly leave the corporate world and to be sitting around the house all day long? This is an alien concept to boomers,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Glay says he needed the paycheck, but starting his business was also about keeping his mind engaged. He had

Study

Continued from Page 5

His healthy brain, he says, may be due to heredity and genes, but Zwiener said he hopes the study comes up with

worked for the same record company for 23 years when he was told to meet his boss at an airport hotel, where the bad news was delivered.

Though Crash Boom Bam hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come close to replacing an annual income that crept into six figures, Glay says heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s busier than ever now, between the business, regular drumming gigs, and part-time work at a bookstore and a wine-tasting event company. Sitting among shelves full of drums and their shimmering chrome, he is reflective thinking about what his business means. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The satisfaction of doing what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing now is much greater, but the money is less,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not making me a millionaire, I know what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing for my head. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no price you could put on that.â&#x20AC;?

Matt Sedensky, an AP writer on leave, is studying aging and workforce issues as part of a one-year fellowship at the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which joins NORCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s independent research and AP journalism. The fellowship is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and supported by APME, an association of AP member newspapers and broadcast stations. more â&#x20AC;&#x153;scientific insightsâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My dad lived into his middle 90s and was pretty sharp right up until the day he died,â&#x20AC;? Zwiener said.

Zwienerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motivation for joining the study was simple: The best man at his wedding died of Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease before age 50. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To lose a mind ... is just a terrible way to go,â&#x20AC;? he said.

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12 - Mature Lifestyles - October, 2013 - TheIntelligencer.com

Homes Continued from Page 8 Asked about the choice living situation when they’re older, Americans 40 and over say their top priorities are a one-level home with no stairs, that’s close to their children and medical care, according to the poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Chances are, that won’t be enough.

For Hough, No. 1 is feeding herself without everything tumbling off the fork.

“I’m shaking all the time,” she quietly told Hopkins occupational therapist Allyson Evelyn-Gustave.

Hough’s other priority is not falling, and stairs are only one of her home’s hazards.

To Hopkins’ Szanton, bridging the gap between what older adults are able to do and what their homes allow them to do is key to maintaining independence.

The Capable study aims to prove how. During 10 home visits over four months, the Hopkins team is tailoring interventions — including about $1,100 in home repairs or modifications provided for free — to help low-income seniors who are having trouble caring for themselves.

Drills buzzed in Hough’s house as carpenters installed a new banister and added grab bars and a raised toilet seat in the bathroom. They replaced patches of flooring to prevent trips, and prepared to tackle the ramp.

As for eating, Evelyn-Gustave recommended a little-known tool: utensils and cups that are specially weighted to counter Hough’s tremors.

“It’ll be easier for you to hold,” she promised.

The set of utensils costs only about $20, one of the affordable tips the study is generating. Hough’s daughter had thought the only solution was an aide to feed her mother, which the older woman hates.

“I always said I wouldn’t let my mom go to a nursing home,” said Gloria J. Hawks, 66, who is determined to care for her mother in the house the two share.

The Capable project — it stands for Community Aging in Place, Advancing Better Living for Elders — is being closely watched by Medicaid officials in other states as a way to coordinate care and improve the functional problems that lead to pricey, and sometimes preventable nursing home admissions. Today, it’s difficult for Medicaid patients to get these services.

With more than $8 million in research money from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the project goes beyond home repair for health. It starts with a fullscale assessment of each participant’s needs.

In one home, a Hopkins nurse discovered that an 82year-old woman was taking all of her 26 daily medications at once instead of staggered throughout the day, leaving her disoriented and sedentary until she became too weak to get out of bed without help.

First the nurse fixed the medication schedule. Then the occupational therapist taught the woman legstrengthening exercises and installed $30 steel risers to make it easier for her to get in and out of bed.

Add new banisters, and soon the woman was moving around on her own.

Whether it is the cost or emotional ties, many people grow old in the same home where they spent their younger, more agile years. An AARP survey in 2010 found nearly 90 percent of seniors wanted to remain in their current home for as long as possible.

Yet government figures show nearly 1 in 5 seniors living in the community have trouble with at least one activity of daily living, such as walking or bathing.

Those physical limitations become more difficult with doorways too narrow for walkers, toilets that are lower than chairs, and kitchen counters too tall to sit while cooking. Plus, nearly one-third of older adults experience a fall every year, and most who are injured fell inside the home, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“You don’t think about that stuff,” said Hattie Watties, who can’t imagine leaving her Baltimore home of 36 years, that’s near children and grandchildren. “You just do what you have to.”

For Watties, 74, that meant climbing onto kitchen counters to reach too-high cabinets. Steep, dark stairs to the basement laundry only had a partial railing, so she threw clothes down and inched her way after them.

No more: Carpenter Tyrone White lowered Watties’ cabinets to a comfortable reach, installed railings, and showed how an energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulb provided more light than a regular bulb in the dim stairway.

In homes where it’s even darker, White sticks motion-sensing lights by each step to show where to aim your foot. They’re less than $15 for a two-pack and run on batteries, so no rewiring is needed.

The work that perhaps has the biggest impact seen so far is a double railing for stairs lets people rest their weight on both sides.

The handymen, employed by the urban service corps Civic Works, also insist on installing carbon monoxide monitors, which have detected leaking gas stoves in some homes.

Do these solutions really save money?

The four-month intervention costs about $4,000 per participant, including the home modifications and specialists’ salaries. The average cost for nursing home care in the U.S. is $6,700 a month, so even a modest delay could add up fast. Szanton will track participants long term and, based on results from an earlier pilot test of 40 high-risk seniors, hopes to delay nursing home entry by up to a year in this frail population.

For families, perhaps the bigger question is how long the solutions will last. Evelyn-Gustave teaches families to brainstorm options as new challenges crop up.

“We can’t be there forever. They need the skill to carry on,” she said.

TheIntelligencer.com - October, 2013 - Mature Lifestyles - 13

Memory decline may be earliest sign of dementia BOSTON (AP) — Memory problems that are often dismissed as a normal part of aging may not be so harmless after all.

Noticing you have had a decline beyond the occasional misplaced car keys or forgotten name could be the very earliest sign of Alzheimer’s, several research teams are reporting.

Doctors often regard people who complain that their memory is slipping as “the worried well,” but the new studies show they may well have reason to worry, said Maria Carrillo, a senior scientist at the Alzheimer’s Association.

One study found that self-reported memory changes preceded broader mental decline by about six years. Another tied these changes to evidence on brain scans that dementia is setting in.

“Maybe these people know something about themselves” that their doctors don’t, “and maybe we should pay attention to them,” said Dorene Rentz, a Massachusetts General Hospital psychologist. She helped run one of the studies, which were discussed Wednesday at the Alzheimer ’s Association International Conference in Boston.

About 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer ’s disease is the most common type. It causes a slow decline in thinking and reasoning ability.

Memory trouble that disrupts daily life is one symptom.

Don’t panic, though: The researchers are not talking about “senior moments,” those small, temporary lapses most everyone has, said Creighton Phelps, a neuroscientist with the U.S. National Institute on Aging. They are talking about real memory loss, in which the information doesn’t come back to you later, not even when people remind you of what you forgot, he explained.

A true decline is a change in your normal pattern.

“You’re starting to forget things now that you normally didn’t — doctor appointments, luncheon engagements, the kids are coming over ... things that a year or two ago you wouldn’t,” said Dr. Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer ’s Disease Research Center.

Pati Hoffman, of Carol Stream, Ill., near Chicago, used to design menus and organize events for restaurants but began forgetting where she filed things in her computer.

“I really just kind of started struggling. Something wasn’t right. I would have to bring my work home, spread it all over the floor, sort it and then try to get it done so that nobody at work would know I was having this difficulty,” she said.

Driving to familiar places, “I would think, ‘I know where I am, but I don’t know how to get out of here.”’

Two neurologists said it was just stress and anxiety, and one prescribed an antidepressant. A third finally diagnosed her with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease four years ago. She was 56.

The new studies were on “subjective cognitive decline” — when people first notice they are having trouble, even if they test normal on mental ability tests: • Richard Kryscio at the University of Kentucky led a study

of 531 people, average age 73. Those who reported a change in memory or thinking abilities since their last doctor visit were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia or mild cognitive impairment about six to nine years later.

• Researchers from the French government’s health agency and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston studied 3,861 nurses at least 70 years old who were asked about memory symptoms and periodically tested for them later.

About 900 of them carried a gene that raises their risk for dementia. Among the gene carriers, worry about a single memory symptom predicted verbal memory decline on tests over the next six years. In the others without the gene, worry about three or more memory symptoms was linked to memory decline on tests.

• Rebecca Amariglio and other Harvard researchers found that complaints about memory decline matched how much sticky plaque researchers saw on brain scans of 189 people 65 and older. This confirms an earlier study of 131 people that tied memory complaints to these brain plaques, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

— Reports of memory impairment were closely tied to a decline later in the ability to recall events in a study of 2,230 people, average age 80, by researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany.

— Petersen said that a study he and others soon will report shows that complaints about memory predicted who would later develop mild cognitive impairment — what used to be called “pre-Alzheimer’s” — in a random sample of 1,500 people in the community near the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

“If you notice a change in your pattern of either yourself or a loved one, seek a health care professional’s evaluation,” said Heather Snyder, the Alzheimer’s Association’s director of medical and scientific operations. “It could be a lack of sleep or nutritional, but it may be something more than that.”

But don’t worry about small, common memory slips, said Dr. Reisa Sperling, director of the Alzheimer’s center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“Every time you forget someone’s name, you don’t need to go running to the doctor,” she said.

The Alzheimer’s Association lists 10 warning signs of the disease: • Memory changes that disrupt daily life.

• Challenges in planning or solving problems.

• Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure.

• Confusion with time or place.

• Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships.

• New problems with words in speaking or writing.

• Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps.

• Decreased or poor judgment.

• Withdrawal from work or social activities.

• Changes in mood and personality.

14 - Mature Lifestyles - October, 2013 - TheIntelligencer.com

Study: World not ready for aging population

By KRISTEN GELINEAU Associated Press

The world is aging so fast that most countries are not prepared to support their swelling numbers of elderly people, according to a global study going out Tuesday by the United Nations and an elder rights group.

The report ranks the social and economic well-being of elders in 91 countries, with Sweden coming out on top and Afghanistan at the bottom. It reflects what advocates for the old have been warning, with increasing urgency, for years: Nations are simply not working quickly enough to cope with a population graying faster than ever before. By the year 2050, for the first time in history, seniors over the age of 60 will outnumber children under the age of 15.

Truong Tien Thao, who runs a small tea shop on the sidewalk near his home in Hanoi, Vietnam, is 65 and acutely aware that he, like millions of others, is plunging into old age without a safety net. He wishes he could retire, but he and his 61-year-old wife depend on the $50 a month they earn from the tea shop. And so every day, Thao rises early to open the stall at 6 a.m. and works until 2 p.m., when his wife takes over until closing.

“People at my age should have a rest, but I still have to work to make our ends meet,” he says, while waiting for customers at the shop, which sells green tea, cigarettes and chewing gum.

“My wife and I have no pension, no health insurance. I’m scared of thinking of being sick — I don’t know how I can pay for the medical care.”

Thao’s story reflects a key point in the report, which was released early to The Associated Press: Aging is an issue across the world. Perhaps surprisingly, the report shows that the fastest aging countries are developing ones, such as Jordan, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Vietnam, where the number of older people will more than triple by 2050.

All ranked in the bottom half of the index.

Associated Press

In this Sept. 26 photo, 80-year-old Marianne Blomberg works out at a gym in Stockholm. Much of the world is not prepared to support the ballooning population of elderly people, according to a global study released Oct. 1 by the United Nations and an elder rights group.

The Global AgeWatch Index (www. globalagewatch.org) was created by elder advocacy group HelpAge International and the U.N. Population Fund in part to address a lack of international data on the extent and impact of global aging. The index, released on the U.N.’s International Day of Older Persons, compiles data from the U.N., World Health Organization, World Bank and other global agencies, and analyzes income, health, education, employment and age-friendly environment in each country.

The index was welcomed by elder rights advocates, who have long complained that a lack of data has thwarted their attempts to raise the issue on government agendas.

“Unless you measure something, it doesn’t really exist in the minds of decision-makers,” said John Beard, Director

of Ageing and Life Course for the World Health Organization. “One of the challenges for population aging is that we don’t even collect the data, let alone start to analyze it. ... For example, we’ve been talking about how people are living longer, but I can’t tell you people are living longer and sicker, or longer in good health.”

The report fits into an increasingly complex picture of aging and what it means to the world. On the one hand, the fact that people are living longer is a testament to advances in health care and nutrition, and advocates emphasize that the elderly should be seen not as a burden but as a resource. On the other, many countries still lack a basic social protection floor that provides income, health care and housing for their senior citizens.

Continued on Page 19

TheIntelligencer.com - October, 2013 - Mature Lifestyles - 15

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16 - Mature Lifestyles - October, 2013 - TheIntelligencer.com

The myths about menopause (BPT) - Even in today’s information age, myths about menopause and women’s changing bodies abound and can take a huge toll on women. Half of women say their anxiety around menopause is caused by not knowing enough about this life stage and nearly half of menopausal women feel less confident once they start experiencing menopausal symptoms. For women going through this transitional stage of life, debunking myths and finding solutions to help them stand up to the symptoms of menopause can empower and help them lead happier, healthier lives.

“Just like all girls go through adolescence, all women go through menopause. It’s a natural phase of life that has sadly been stigmatized as an illness,” says Dr. Vivian Diller, a psychologist and author of FACE IT: What Women Really Feel As Their Looks Change.

“Fortunately perceptions of menopause are changing and women are more eager to empower themselves with the facts that can help them talk more comfortably about and live more confidently through this life stage. And Poise.com is one resource that is available to help women separate the menopause myths from the facts.”

Myth: Menopause is to blame for all mid-life changes that occur in a woman’s body.

Fact: Many factors, including one’s overall lifestyle and health, can influence changes in a woman’s body. As they age, women may experience weight gain, vision and hearing reduction or develop facial wrinkles - all of which cannot be attributed to menopause.

Myth: When it comes to life’s changes, women just have to tough it out.

Fact: From medication to nonmedicinal products, there are many options available to help women.

The Poise brand offers a line of award-winning feminine wellness products that help address life’s changes.

BPT photo

Don’t let menopause take away from your enjoyment of life.

The Poise brand has products for daily freshness, hot flash comfort, and intimacy. Visit www.Poise.com to learn more.

Myth: Forgetfulness is just a part of menopause.

Fact: Forgetfulness is a symptom of menopause, but it’s not one that impacts memory in the long-term.

While there is some evidence that fluctuating estrogen may influence the part of the brain that affects sleep, moods and memory, it’s more likely that menopause impacts a woman’s ability to concentrate, absorb and recall information.

Myth: Light bladder leakage is inevitable during menopause.

Fact: During menopause, a decline in estrogen levels may weaken the pelvic floor muscles that support bladder control, contributing to LBL

(light bladder leakage).

Though not all menopausal women experience LBL, it is a common condition that one-in-three women will ultimately face.Myth: Menopause signals the end of a woman’s sex life.

Fact: Many menopausal women report enjoying sex every bit as much as and sometimes more than their younger counterparts. But vaginal dryness can be one not so glorious side effect of this lifestage that can negatively impact women’s intimate experiences.

Fortunately lubricants can provide some relief; and since sexual health is important at any age, women who experience significant vaginal dryness or loss of libido during menopause should discuss that change with their doctors.

TheIntelligencer.com - October, 2013 - Mature Lifestyles - 17

BPT photo

The food you choose may have an impact on your aging process.

Are your food and cooking choices accelerating the aging process?

(BPT) - When it comes to health, many people are aware of the major do’s and don’ts of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet. However, people often focus on their cholesterol, blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI), and overlook another key medical marker: Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs). AGEs are harmful compounds in the body that accelerate the aging process and are linked to many of the top health concerns people face today.

AGEs develop in the body or are ingested through certain foods, including browned, sugary and processed foods. When people consume too many of these foods, higher than normal levels of AGEs build up in their tissues. This accumulation accelerates the aging process from the inside out.

Slowing the progression of AGEs is vital to living a long, healthy life.

In an effort to educate the public about AGEs, the A.G.E. Foundation, a global not-for-profit organization, is unveiling the findings of its U.S. survey on the effect of eating habits and

cooking methods on aging. The A.G.E. Foundation is dedicated to educating consumers about AGEs and how they can protect themselves.

The impact of eating habits and cooking methods on aging Seventy-six percent of Americans know that eating and preparing processed food can accelerate aging, according to the survey. Thirty-two percent cited the manner in which they prepare food as having an impact on aging, while just 11 percent indicated cooking food at high temperatures affected aging.

As temperatures warm up and outdoor cooking season begins, people will be heating up the grill with limited awareness of the way to reduce AGEs. The survey showed that six in 10 people prefer grilling their meat over oven-roasting (23 percent), stirfrying (9 percent), steaming (3 percent) and poaching (1 percent).

“It is important for people to limit the amount of barbecued, sauteed or even toasted food,” says Dr. Michelle Davenport, a board member with the

A.G.E. Foundation. “We’ve found that the higher the temperature you cook something, the higher the AGE level - and excessive AGEs cause our bodies to age prematurely.”

The survey also showed that when people are eating processed, fried or sugary foods, 81 percent are more concerned with the impact on their weight compared with 58 percent who are more concerned about the effect on their internal organs.

The key to lowering AGEs is to reduce heat, extend cooking time and incorporate more water and acid into your food preparation, according to the A.G.E. Foundation. Water-based cooking methods (i.e., steaming, poaching) dramatically reduce AGEs. When queried about healthy ways to prepare meats for grilling, herb and oil ranked the highest (34 percent), followed by “straight to the grill” at 21 percent.

Only 17 percent of respondents knew that adding an acid-based marinade was the best cooking method to reduce AGEs. “Adding a marinade in the form of lemon, lime or vinegar can cut AGEs

18 - Mature Lifestyles - October, 2013 - TheIntelligencer.com

Recovering from a stroke (BPT) - Did you know a stroke occurs every 40 seconds on average?

About 795,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year, according to the American Stroke Association. If you or a loved one has survived a stroke, recovery depends largely on the severity of the brain damage. With love, support and patience, the journey toward a new normal can begin.

A stroke is life changing for the patient as well as his or her support network. Some people make a full recovery, while others suffer from various disabilities. In addition to working closely with a doctor through a personalized recovery program, joining a support group is a great initial step. When coping with the aftermath of a stroke, it can help to be surrounded by others with similar experiences. Some difficult parts of stroke rehabilitation may include: Communication challenges Difficulties communicating can be some of the most frustrating effects of stroke. Depending on where the brain is damaged, it’s not uncommon to suffer partial or total loss of the ability to talk, read, write or understand what people say. It’s important to be patient and stay positive.

Make it a goal to practice communicating at least once a day. Relax, take your time and use communication aids as necessary, like cue cards. Using fewer words paired with gestures or tone of voice can help streamline communication.

Many people benefit from speech and language therapy.

Family and friends need to remember that improving communication skills engages stroke survivors so they feel more connected and less isolated, an important part of rehabilitation.

Physical movement Getting out of the house and being able to move independently provides a sense of freedom during recovery.

Many stroke survivors regain the ability to walk, but may suffer from side effects that make it more difficult. Foot drop is a common side effect, which means difficulty lifting the front of the foot when walking, so much so that it may drag, which can be a tripping hazard.

Foot drop may be a temporary or permanent condition caused by stroke. The good news is there are options to help. Vibration therapy provided through affordable products like the Step Sensor by Brownmed can help increase mobility and retrain muscles and nerves in the leg and foot to respond as they should while walking.

Unlike traditional ankle-foot orthoses that are big and bulky, the Step Sensor is comfortable and discreet to wear under slacks. It works like some more dynamic Foot Drop Stimulators, without the costly doctor-led training or required weekly follow-ups. Simply adhere the pressure switch to the insole of your shoe, beneath your heel, and wrap the vibrating band around your leg just below the knee. A gen-

Alzheimer’s Continued from Page 4 The world report said families need early education about what services are available to help before they’re in a crisis, plus training in how to handle the behavioral problems of the disease — such as not to argue if their loved one thinks Ronald Reagan is still president, or how to handle the agitation at dusk known as sundowning, or how to react when the patient hits someone.

Two-thirds of the calls that Home Instead Senior Care,

tle vibration will occur when your heel strikes the ground, providing a subtle, yet effective, reminder to lift your toe. What’s more, the Step Sensor provides only topical vibration, so it’s even safe to use if you have a pacemaker or other cardiac conditions. Learn more at www. brownmed.com.

Emotional adjustment When adjusting to life after a stroke, survivors often experience a flood of emotions. Grieving for loss of physical and mental abilities is normal and a healthy part of the adjusting process. But when normal sadness continues for extended periods, it can turn into depression and needs to be treated immediately by a mental health professional.

Stroke survivors also often feel anxiety. Extreme worry or fear can cause restlessness, fatigue, muscle tension, poor concentration and irritability. Both depression and anxiety are common for stroke survivors. The good news is they can be treated, and there are many coping mechanisms, so be sure to ask your doctor.

Whether adjusting to physical impairments or the emotions of suffering from a major health scare, it’s important to remain positive. Loved ones are a crucial part of rehabilitation and can provide support when it is needed most. It might take years to adjust to a new normal after a stroke, both for the victim and the families, but patience and love can help ensure a speedier recovery for everyone.

which provides in-home personal care services, receives are from families that did no planning until the patient had a crisis, such as wandering or a fall, said its president, Jeff Huber.

Hilfiker, the blogger with early Alzheimer’s, takes that education idea a step further. He tells everyone he knows that he has Alzheimer’s as a way to break some of the stigma, “so when I make dumb mistakes, I don’t need to be embarrassed,” he said Thursday.

He urges other patients to plan their end-of-life care early, while they’re still cognitively able to participate. He believes that telling his wife no extraordinary care — no feeding tubes, for example — will ease her burden.

Hilfiker’s big unanswered question: “If I’m at peace with my disease, does that make it easier to care for me later?

TheIntelligencer.com - October, 2013 - Mature Lifestyles - 19

World Continued from Page 14 Afghanistan, for example, offers no pension to those not in the government. Life expectancy is 59 years for men and 61 for women, compared to a global average of 68 for men and 72 for women, according to U.N. data.

That leaves Abdul Wasay struggling to survive. At 75, the former cook and blacksmith spends most of his day trying to sell toothbrushes and toothpaste on a busy street corner in Kabul’s main market. The job nets him just $6 a day — barely enough to support his wife. He can only afford to buy meat twice a month; the family relies mainly on potatoes and curried vegetables.

“It’s difficult because my knees are weak and I can’t really stand for a long time,” he says. “But what can I do? It’s even harder in winter, but I can’t afford treatment.”

Although government hospitals are free, Wasay complains that they provide little treatment and hardly any medicine.

He wants to stop working in three years, but is not sure his children can support him. He says many older people cannot find work because they are not strong enough to do day labor, and some resort to begging.

“You have to keep working no matter how old you are — no one is rich enough to stop,” he says. “Life is very difficult.”

Many governments have resisted tackling the issue partly because it is viewed as hugely complicated, negative and costly — which is not necessarily true, says Silvia Stefanoni, chief executive of HelpAge International. Japan and Germany, she says, have among the highest proportions of elders in the

Snacks and Facts

The Area Agency on Aging of Southwestern Illinois will be hosting a free seminar on “How the Affordable Care Act Effects Medicare”. Bring a snack and get the facts!

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world, but also boast steady economies.

“There’s no evidence that an aging population is a population that is economically damaged,” she says.

Prosperity in itself does not guarantee protection for the old. The world’s rising economic powers — the so-called BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — rank lower in the index than some poorer countries such as Uruguay and Panama.

However, the report found, wealthy nations are in general better prepared for aging than poorer ones. Sweden, where the pension system is now 100 years old, makes the top of the list because of its social support, education and health coverage, followed by Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada. The United States comes in eighth.

Sweden’s health system earns praise from Marianne Blomberg, an 80-year-old Stockholm resident.

“The health care system, for me, has worked extraordinarily well,” she says. “I suffer from atrial fibrillation and from the minute I call emergency until I am discharged, it is absolutely amazing. I can’t complain about anything — even the food is good.”

Still, even in an elder-friendly country like Sweden, aging is not without its challenges. The Swedish government has suggested people continue working beyond 65, a prospect Blomberg cautiously welcomes but warns should not be a requirement. Blomberg also criticized the nation’s finance minister, Anders Borg, for cutting taxes sharply for working Swedes but only marginally for retirees.

“I go to lectures and museums and the theater and those kinds of things, but I probably have to stop that soon because it gets terribly expensive,” she says. “If you want to be active like me, it is hard. But to sit home and stare at the walls doesn’t cost anything.”

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20 - Mature Lifestyles - October, 2013 - TheIntelligencer.com

6 reasons to switch Medicare plans (BPT) - Each year, Medicare open enrollment brings with it changes that can affect nearly 50 million people. The limited enrollment timeframe of just 54 days - Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 - gives all Medicare beneficiaries the opportunity to change their Medicare plans for the coming year to better match their needs and potentially save on health care costs. This includes anyone using original Medicare, Medicare Advantage or Part D prescription drug plans.

If your Medicare coverage worked well during the previous year, it may seem simple to continue with those existing Medicare plans.

But there are many reasons why this annual enrollment season should grab the attention of Medicare beneficiaries, according to Paula Muschler, manager of the Allsup Medicare Advisor. This is a Medicare plan selection service offering personalized help that includes customized research and enrollment assistance.

“In the broadest terms, your Medicare plans may have changed what they cover, or your own needs may have changed, or both,” Muschler says. “If you continue with the same plan next year, you could find your plan doesn’t cover things you thought it did or that you need, leaving you holding the bill.”

Muschler outlined the following six reasons why beneficiaries should review their Medicare plans during the annual open enrollment season.

1. Your health situation has changed.

Perhaps you have developed a health condition in the previous 12 months that requires a new prescription drug or ongoing visits to a specialist. It’s important to know whether the plan you have, or decide to purchase, covers these health needs.

2. Your health care provider situation has changed. Physicians may retire or relocate, and medical facilities may change their terms. A number of developments could lead your plans to no longer include the doctors you see or the medical center you visit. “If your doctor choice is important to you, this is a good reason to study your options and possibly switch Medicare plans,” Muschler says.

3. Your coverage changes. Plans can alter the drugs, procedures and condi-

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Discuss your Medicare options with family or friends. tions they cover. For example, your prescription drug Part D plan may no longer cover the prescription drugs you need to purchase in the coming year, or put restrictions on how and where you purchase them. “Questions about prescription drug costs are one of the top concerns our Allsup Medicare specialists encounter,” Muschler explains.

“This is especially critical for those who fall into the prescription drug donut hole.” The donut hole is the gap of coverage in which the individual pays a greater percentage of the drug cost.

4. Your plan premiums, co-pays or deductibles are increasing. Price changes occur year to year, so examine the prices you have been paying and what you can expect to pay in the coming year. There may be alternative plans with lower costs available in your area that an experienced Medicare specialist like Allsup can locate.

5. You have moved or are planning to move. It’s important to consider your Medicare plans when moving because you may leave the plan’s service area or have additional options.

6. Your current plan no longer will be available. In these instances, beneficiaries must select a new plan, or they

may default to another plan chosen by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “Sometimes plans are eliminated because the provider offers a similar plan, but it’s still important to compare that coverage to what you actually need in the coming year,” Muschler says.

Each fall, Medicare participants receive their Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and Evidence of Coverage (EOC) from their current Medicare Advantage and Part D providers. “It’s important you read this information,” Muschler says. “Take time to review your current health care needs, and then compare this to the plan’s coverage for the coming year.

“Reviewing your Medicare plan options earlier rather than later will put you in a better position to make changes during the annual enrollment window,” she says.

Experienced Medicare specialists such as Allsup are available to help consumers and their family members review Medicare plans and choices for the coming year. For an evaluation of Medicare options, call an Allsup Medicare Advisor specialist at (866) 521-7655 or go to Medicare.Allsup.com.

TheIntelligencer.com - October, 2013 - Mature Lifestyles - 21

BPT photo

Your physician can answer any questions you may have about fibroids and polyps.

What women should know about fibroids and polyps (BPT) - Women might be surprised to know that most of them will develop fibroids or polyps as a health issue sometime in their lives. In fact, studies show that 70 percent of white women and 80 percent of African-American women will develop fibroids by the time they are 50. Although these growths are among one of the most common health problems a woman can face, few know what they are, what the symptoms can be, and what treatments are available to them. So what is a fibroid or polyp and how do you know if you have them?

Fibroids and polyps Fibroids and polyps are growths in a woman’s uterus that are usually benign but can be malignant in some cases. While they are mostly be benign, some of the most substantial problems they cause for women result in infertility, trouble with getting pregnant and suffering recurring miscarriages.

Polyps are small growths on the surface of the uterine wall, an overgrowth of the lining that is easy for the ob-gyn to remove. Fibroids are larger and

are usually imbedded in the smooth muscle of the uterine wall.

Fibroids vary in type, size, and where they grow in the uterus. Two types of fibroids can grow inside the uterus on a stalk or outside the womb.Others can grow just below the lining of the uterus. Some fibroids grow in the middle of the uterine wall and some develop under the outer covering of the uterus. Heredity and race can increase your risk of developing fibroids.

Uterine polyps usually occur in women in their 40s and 50s. Factors that can put you at risk for fibroids are obesity, high blood pressure and a history of cervical polyps. Endometrial polyps - or those that grow in the lining of the uterus - occur in 10 percent to 25 percent of women, and are present in 25 percent of women with abnormal uterine bleeding, or heavy periods. What are the symptoms?

While some fibroids and polyps can go undetected based on size and where they are located, there are a number

of symptoms that women should be aware of.- Many will suddenly suffer from heavier periods than usual (lasting seven days or longer), sensations of abdominal or pelvic-area bloating, belly or pelvic pain, constipation, or pain during sexual intercourse. While none of these symptoms are life-threatening, they can detract from a woman’s quality of life.

If you’ve been diagnosed with fibroids or polyps, you should talk with your health care provider about your treatment options.

Treatment options There’s no single best treatment approach. For uterine fibroids and polyps, your doctor might recommend “watchful waiting,” where active treatment is unnecessary unless the fibroid or polyp changes or if you’re at risk for development of cancer.

Certain hormonal medications, including progestins, may shrink polyps and lessen symptoms. But such medications are short-term solutions at best-- symptoms typically recur once you stop taking the medicine.

22 - Mature Lifestyles - October, 2013 - TheIntelligencer.com

Catching up on retirement savings (BPT) - Does the pace of your busy personal and professional life leave you feeling like you’re always playing catch up? From finally reading that best-seller that’s been sitting on your book shelf for a year to getting a solid eight hours of sleep to making sure you have enough money set aside for the future, it can be difficult to regain lost ground. If you were among the millions whose retirement savings and investments suffered during the recession, there’s good news: you can start to catch up with a few simple steps.

On average, baby boomers say they have saved or invested $275,000 for retirement, but believe they’ll need a median of $750,000 to live comfortably, according to a Boomers & Retirement Survey released by TD Ameritrade, Inc. (“TD Ameritrade”), a broker-dealer subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (NYSE: AMTD). That means some boomers may face a shortfall of nearly a half a million dollars as they head into retirement.

Smart retirement planning, thoughtful choices and a handy -option called a “catch-up contribution,” can help boomers regain ground lost during the recession. A catch-up contribution allows people older than 50 to increase their contributions to their IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plans beyond the usual limits for such tax-deferred retirement plans.

“Anyone approaching retirement should consider different opportunities, like catch-up contributions, that might make sense for their retirement investing plans,” says Lule BECAUSE EVERY DAY IS A

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY...

Demmissie, managing director, retirement, TD Ameritrade.

“These catch-up contributions could help workers 50 years and older save thousands more - perhaps even hundreds of thousands of dollars more - toward their retirement. When planning for retirement, every dollar counts, especially when it’s going into a tax-deferred vehicle.”

Demmissie offers some guidance for baby boomers approaching retirement: • There is no standard target amount for retirement. When setting a target for your retirement investing or savings, you need a realistic idea of how much you’ll need to maintain the standard of living you desire in retirement. Online calculators and tools, like those found on TD Ameritrade’s online retirement center can help you set goals by exploring various realworld scenarios that might impact your assets over time and at retirement. For example, do you have health challenges that may create medical expenses? Perhaps you and your spouse would like to travel when retired.

• Don’t rely on Social Security benefits, but don’t overlook them, either. They should be a part of your overall retirement plan, but not the heart of it. Unfortunately, 65 percent of retired boomers said they rely on Social Security benefits, and nearly one-third said they wouldn’t be able to live comfortably without these payments, according to TD Ameritrade’s survey. “The best way to avoid having to rely completely on Social Security is to set a retirement savings goal and work toward it prior to retiring,” Demmissie says.

We provide opportunities and resources to individuals as they age.

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