Posted by Marti Weston …

Many Seniors Don’t Know About Medicare Extra Help Subsidy

According to a January 4, 2011 Kaiser Health News (KHN) article, many American seniors who qualify for a Medicare Part D subsidy that reduces prescription costs have not signed up. The article, 2 Million Medicare Beneficiaries Missing Out On Discounted Drug Coverage, explains that the program, called Extra Help, lowers medication costs and reduces money spent … Continue reading →

Each Time the Violence Feels Closer

Three older seniors died Saturday at the Arizona shopping mall where a young disturbed man started shooting with a gun, killing six, including a 9-year-old girl, and injuring more than a dozen others. Some of the dead were simply waiting their turns to ask their congressional representative a question, probably about Medicare or Social Security. … Continue reading →

Medicare Taxes and Benefits Just Don’t Add Up

A January 3, 2011 Washington Post article, Analysis Illustrates Big Gap Between Medicare Taxes and Benefits, describes an Associated Press poll that found that most people believe they deserve all of their Medicare benefits with no cuts, no increased costs, and no additional Medicare taxes, even though most have paid in far less taxes over … Continue reading →

Strokes Don’t Just Happen to Aging Parents

Many middle-aged adults listen to Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion commentaries on life, and a good number of us have been tuning into the radio program for 30 years or so. Few aspects of daily experience escape his humorous and sage observations —  families, travel, children, politics, writing, arts — you name it, and not surprisingly, … Continue reading →

Remembrances: Keeping Memories Alive

How can we remember a loved one and all of the cherished memories? In other blog posts I’ve described how my family went about writing remembrances and obituaries, and I’ve seen a number of wonderful media presentations sharing pictures, video, and spoken tributes. One good friend hosted a hymn-sing remembrance, an evening of friends singing and … Continue reading →

Medicare: 2011 Updates and Innovations

If a senior parent in your family is on Medicare, or if a family member is an adult who will turn 65 in 2011, significant changes are coming in 2011 as a result of the healthcare overhaul. A total of 21 healthcare changes are supposed to be implemented, beginning January 1; however, a smaller number … Continue reading →

Senior-Friendly Holiday Activities and Even Oklahoma!

This past week three generations of my family (age range 29 – 87) and one small dog spent several days together. Over the 2010 Christmas weekend my two senior parents, my husband and me, our millennial daughter and her husband had great fun with one another. We especially celebrated our good health, because last year my … Continue reading →

When Social Security Says the Wrong Person is Dead

The Medicare and More column over at the Tuscon Citizen posted a December 13, 2010 story describing how the social security administration mistakenly recorded a man’s death when it was really his wife who died. In the blog post, Social Security to Local Senior: You’re Dead, MedicareBlogger explains how the problem seemed to expand in information-changing concentric … Continue reading →

Lots of Seniors on Social Networks!

According to a December 15, 2010 USA Today article, people over age 65 are the fastest growing group of social networking users. Seniors Surge on Social Networks, by Janis Lloyd, described Generations 2010 by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, a report that examines the variation in Internet and social networking experiences among various age groups. … Continue reading →

End-of-Life Conversations

Over at the Inside Aging Parent blog, Carol recently posted Conversations About End of Life with a link to a BlogTalk radio program interviewing author Kelsey Collins (check out Collin’s videos presentations). I have just listened to the program so I recommend checking out Carol’s post and the radio interview. In her book Exit Strategy:  Leaving this Life with … Continue reading →

Cold Where You Live? Keep an Eye on Elders

Is it getting cold where you live? Here in my mid-Atlantic location, the bitter cold hit a few days ago, with wind even, and we’ve been bundling up every time we go outside. On the way in and out of the supermarket I’ve noticed quite a few older seniors who are clearly bothered by the … Continue reading →

Too Many Medications? More Aging Parent Health Problems?

Polypharmacy is a serious problem for many seniors. Here on AsOurParentsAge I’ve written multiple posts (links to a few at the bottom of this page) about the medications that our aging parents take for various chronic conditions. I’ve wondered, after considerable experience with my husband’s and my parents, why they have so many, and more … Continue reading →

Holiday Gifts: Buying an iPad for Your Senior Parent?

If you like this post, read some of the other descriptions of our Father/Daughter iPad adventure.  iPad for Dad, #1, iPad for Dad, #2, iPad for Dad, #3,  iPad for Dad, #4, iPad for Dad, #5, iPad for Dad, #6,  iPad for Dad, #7, iPad for Dad, #8,  iPad for Dad, #9, iPad for Dad, #10, iPad for Dad, #11, iPad for Dad, … Continue reading →

Aging, Falls, Music, and Dalcroze Eurhythmics

How interesting to read about the research Effect of Music-Based Multitask Training on Gait, Balance, and Fall Risk in Elderly People (abstract), an article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The article is not freely available from the medical journal, so to read it you will need to speak with a librarian or go to … Continue reading →