51% of Seniors Getting Smaller Social Security Checks

February 16, 2010 (Washington, DC) – A majority of seniors are receiving a smaller Social Security check this year than in 2009. The finding comes from an annual survey of elderly Americans, released earlier today by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), one of the nation’s largest nonpartisan senior citizens advocacy groups.

Of seniors receiving smaller checks, one-in-three report receiving at least $31 less per month, and one-in-nine report decreases of $70 or more each month.

In addition, the survey found that:

• Almost two-in-three seniors (65 percent) estimate their expenses increased by at least $80 per month in 2009

• 45 percent of seniors cut back on visits to the doctor or hospital outpatient services

• 38 percent postponed filling a prescription or took less than prescribed

• 47 percent had trouble covering their heating, cooling, or electric bills

Social Security checks are lower since many seniors have their Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage premiums automatically deducted; some may also have been affected by significantly higher Medicare Part B costs.

Read full story at the Senior Citizens League.

We were particularly happy with the gentlemen who handled the installation.

Attn: Jason

My wife and I would like to thank you and your staff for the wonderful way that we were treated during negotiations, the sales process and installation.

We were particularly happy with the gentlemen who handled the installation. David James was extremely knowledgeable and his associate (also David) was friendly and efficient.

We have already had several opportunities to suggest Seabridge to neighbors and friends.

Hopefully they will be in touch with you.

Sincerely,

Victor Whitney
Murrieta, California

From Testimonials of Seabridge Walk in Tubs customers

People who work after retiring enjoy better health, according to national study

Those who stay in their original field fare best mentally, report finds

Retirees who transition from full-time work into a temporary or part-time job experience fewer major diseases and are able to function better day-to-day than people who stop working altogether, according to a national study.

And the findings were significant even after controlling for people’s physical and mental health before retirement.

Read the report Bridge Employment and Retirees’ Health:
A Longitudinal Investigation.

Traditional bathtubs – Not built for an aging population

Traditional bath tubs and showers were designed for younger and middle-aged people who were able to use them without assistance.

Not designed for safety, they simply can’t meet the reduced physical capabilities of an aging population, or those with disabilities.

Transferring safely into and out of a bath tub is the most important part of bathing without assistance. Other factors include mental, emotional, and physical stresses, and limited space in the bathroom to maneuver.

Fear of falling and medications can cause balance problems. Poor balance reduces people’s ability to transfer safely from the bathtub. A walk in tub or slide-in bath eliminates these transfer problems with connected with traditional bathtubs.

Some people try adaptive fixtures such as benches or bath seats. They don’t fix the cause of the problem: high step in height, slippery floors, poor upper body strength, and so on.

Grandparents Pack Cell Phone Class

BETHESDA, Md. – There’s a class in Montgomery County that is in such high demand it has a waitlist.

It’s for people over 50, and what they’re itching to learn about is the cell phone. Senior citizens are not the people you’d expect to be up on all the latest gadgets, but they’re trying.

Florence Polinsky wanted to learn more about her cell phone, so she could dazzle her grandchildren.

“One of them said to me, grandma you’re a really good cook, but grandpa knows everything,” Polinsky said.

Watch video: “Grandparents Pack Cell Phone Class“…

Nation’s 10 Least Expensive Medicare Markets

The nation’s most expensive Medicare markets were highlighted in an earlier article. Today, you’ll be introduced to the cheapest markets. Now, cheap doesn’t necessarily mean the care is poor. Just the opposite. According to the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, which generated this information, low-cost medical markets may actually be good for your health. To better understand why this might be the case, it’s helpful to think of the cost of medical care as having three components:

1. Price. What are the prices charged by hospitals, doctors and providers of drugs and other medical equipment and services?

Continue reading Nation’s 10 Least Expensive Medicare Markets…

Having A Parent With Dementia May Affect Memory In Midlife

People who have parents diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia may be more likely to have memory loss themselves in middle age, according to a study released by the American Academy of Neurology.

For the study, researchers used the Framingham Heart Study to follow three generations of participants to study risk factors of Alzheimer’s and other diseases. A total of 715 people belonging to the second generation of the Framingham Heart Study with an average age of 59 were included in the research. One group of 282 people had one or both parents with diagnosed dementia. The other group of 433 people had parents without dementia. Scientists tested for a gene thought to be a strong risk factor for dementia, called the ApoEe4 gene.

Read more about Having A Parent With Dementia May Affect Memory In Midlife…

Researchers Find Possible Environmental Causes For Alzheimer’s, Diabetes

A new study by researchers at Rhode Island Hospital have found a substantial link between increased levels of nitrates in our environment and food, with increased deaths from diseases, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes mellitus and Parkinson’s. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (Volume 17:3 July 2009).

Led by Suzanne de la Monte, MD, MPH, of Rhode Island Hospital, researchers studied the trends in mortality rates due to diseases that are associated with aging, such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and cerebrovascular disease, as well as HIV. They found strong parallels between age adjusted increases in death rate from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes and the progressive increases in human exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines through processed and preserved foods as well as fertilizers. Other diseases including HIV-AIDS, cerebrovascular disease, and leukemia did not exhibit those trends. De la Monte and the authors propose that the increase in exposure plays a critical role in the cause, development and effects of the pandemic of these insulin-resistant diseases.

Continue reading Researchers Find Possible Environmental Causes For Alzheimer’s, Diabetes…

Elderly Faring Better Than Expected With New Flu

Any new disease is cause for concern, especially when it’s potentially fatal. But the AH1N1 swine flu has confounded expectations by proving unusually benign for the elderly.

Of 538 confirmed cases of AH1N1 in New York City, only six have occurred among people ages 65 and over. “Normally flu would go right through long-term care facilities,” said Dr. Stephen Morse, professor of clinical epidemiology at Columbia University. “In a normal year, the elderly would have a much greater risk.”

Read the full article about the elderly and swine flu at the New York Times.

What are Walk-in Bathtubs?

Walk-in bathtubs are specially equipped bathtubs that assist those with limited mobility or the disabled.

Walk-in bathtubs enable the elderly, and those with mobility handicaps to safely enter and exit the bathtub without having to step over a 14″-17″ rim as is the case in a standard bathtub.

Walk-in bathtubs also allow the elderly and disabled to safely take a bath without the assistance of another person.

Walk-in bathtubs have either an inward-opening, or outward opening door which is self-sealing.

Most walk-in bathtubs also have a chair height seat, but some that are the same basic configuration as a standard bathtub do not have any seat.

In some instances, an inward-opening door may be considered a disadvantage due to the fact that emergency access is impossible since the pressure of the water on the door is holding it closed.

However, the advantage is that an inward opening door is ‘self-sealing’ due to the pressure on the water inside the bath assisting in maintaining a water tight seal. Outward swing doors are equipped with a special seal so that they will not leak.

Many walk-in bathtubs are available with hydrotherapy and/or whirlpool features, internal grab bars, anti-slip floors and seats, and handheld showerheads that can also be wall-mounted to enable one to take a standing shower.

Some bathtubs categorized as “walk-in”, actually require no step-in, as they have higher seats and outward opening doors that enable one to simply sit on the seat and pivot and swing their legs into the tub.

This type of walk-in bathtub can be helpful to those confined to wheelchairs, and others with mobility challenges.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 from Wikipedia. This original article is at Walk-in Bathtub.