Life After 50 Expo

Warm weather tips !

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As the weather gets warmer, you may be spending more time in the sun. It’s important for people of all ages to protect their skin, eyes, and bodies from the sun’s harmful effects. Go4Life from the National Institute on Aging suggests these steps to stay safe in the sun:

  • Limit your time in the sun, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun’s rays are the strongest.
  • Use sunscreen with an SPF number of 15 or higher, and put sunscreen on15-30 minutes before going outside. Reapply sunscreen about every two hours, or more if you are swimming, swearing, or rubbing your skin with a towel.
  • Wear protective clothing. A hat with a wide brim can shade your neck, ears, eyes, and head. If you have to be in the sun, wear a lightweight, long-sleeved shirt and long pants.
  • Wear sunglasses that block 99-100% of the sun’s rays.
  • Drink plenty of liquids, especially when it is hot. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which can dehydrate you, and opt for water or fruit juices instead.
 
Upcoming Webinar: How to Navigate Medicare and Make Smart Financial Decisions

June 28, 2018 | 3 PM Eastern Time | Space is limited!

Learn the ins and outs of Medicare enrollment and coverage, and gain the necessary tools to weigh Medicare options and make smart financial decisions during the Medicare Rights Center’s next webinar, How to Navigate Medicare and Make Smart Financial Decisions.

Webinar Fee: $40 per person for the live webinar and recording, or $30 per person for the recording only.
 
Medicare Rights’ experts will cover the following topics:

  • Making Medicare enrollment decisions
    • Medicare costs
    • Medicare costs for people with higher incomes (IRMAA)
    • Job-based and retiree insurance options
    • Medicare and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
  • Making Medicare coverage decisions
    • Original Medicare
    • Medicare Advantage
    • Medicare Supplemental Insurance (Medigaps)
    • Part D prescription drug coverage

Register today.
Dear Marci is a biweekly e-newsletter designed to keep you — people with Medicare, social workers, health care providers and other professionals — in the loop about health care benefits, rights and options for older Americans and people with disabilities.

For reprint rights, please contact Mitchell Clark

The Medicare Rights Center is a national, nonprofit consumer service organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs and public policy initiatives.
 
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Dear Marci,

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Dear Marci,

My mother has Original Medicare and a Part D prescription drug plan. She takes several medications, and her drug costs are too high for her to afford. She does not qualify for Extra Help and her state does not have a State Pharmaceutical Assistance Program. What else can we try to lower her drug costs?

-Gwen (Columbus, OH)

Dear Gwen,

If Extra Help and State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs (SPAPs) are not options for your mother, there may be other programs and strategies she can use to save money on drug costs. You or your mother should contact her State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to learn if any of the following programs are available for her in her area (if you don’t know how to contact her SHIP, call 877-839-2675 or visit www.shiptacenter.org):

  • Charity programs: There may be charities that can help reduce your mother’s prescription costs.
  • Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs):Your mother may be eligible to get free or low-cost drugs directly from the company that makes them, through a PAP. In most cases, a patient’s doctor must apply for them. Not all PAPs allow people with Part D to apply.
  • Prescription drug discount programs:Your mother may be able to get medications she needs at a reduced price from a national or local discount program. Note that she cannot use a prescription drug discount program and Part D coverage at the same time: she must select between them at the pharmacy.
  • Safety net providers: Pharmacies in certain government-funded hospitals and community health centers may provide medication at lower costs or charge people based on income. These centers and clinics include federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural health clinics (RHCs). Some centers may waive copays for drugs covered by your mother’s Part D plan if she requests assistance. Be sure to contact the facility directly to learn which benefits it offers.

There are also steps that your mother may want to take when she speaks to her provider, plan, pharmacy or hospital. You or your mother can consider these strategies:

  • Ask her doctor about generics: Generic drugs are often less expensive than brand-name drugs, and might be more affordable. Your mother’s doctor may be able to find a generic drug that works for her.
  • Ask her doctor about samples of her medication: This is a temporary solution, as her doctor may not be able to provide samples for long, but may provide access in an emergency.
  • Ask her plan about a tiering exception: If her Part D plan is covering her drug and the copayment is expensive, it could be that the medication is on a high tier. A tiering exception request is a way to lower cost-sharing.
  • Ask her pharmacy to waive her copay:Pharmacies are not allowed to routinely waive their copays for people without Extra Help, but her pharmacist can waive copays on a case-by-case basis. Your mother can tell her pharmacist that she cannot afford the copay, and request that it be waived. You should make sure that the pharmacy is in your mother’s plan’s network.
  • Ask at the hospital about charity care:Hospitals may have a charity care policy that can reduce drug copays if your mother cannot afford them. Under such a policy, your mother’s final copay is determined by income (using a sliding scale). To qualify, your mother’s prescription must be written by a doctor in the hospital and filled out at the hospital’s pharmacy. Your mother should check that the hospital’s pharmacy is in-network, then should tell the hospital’s pharmacist that she cannot afford the copay and ask if she qualifies for prescription assistance.
  • Review her coverage in the fall (or sooner if a Special Enrollment Periodapplies): Though it may not provide immediate relief, your mother should carefully consider her plan options during Fall Open Enrollment. Another Plan in her area may have lower cost sharing for the drugs she takes.

-Marci
 

What if I knew I was going to live this long?

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Have you noticed that most of us are living longer these days? It’s been in all the papers. Even government studies show our aging society. I have a friend whose father died at age 51. When my friend turned 51 and was still kicking, he decided to plan for a longer life.

Have you had an experience that is similar? Do we put off planning for our later years because we don’t know whether we will get there. I’m afraid we are all guilty of this on some level. For just a few moments let’s reflect on what our life will be like if we live to a ripe old age.

But first we need to pose some questions. We are not a one size fits all society. Our answers may be very different but our questions are pretty much the same.

Let’s start with a very basic questions. What about retirement? Well that’s pretty broad isn’t it? Yes and it should be. For some, retirement is not an option. There just are not enough resources. Others look at age 65 as the socially acceptable time to leave the workforce. Many in our aging population now consider semi-retirement as the answer. They are working but probably not full time. For many this means an encore career. Not one at which they worked previously.

Once we determine what this retirement or semi-retirement looks like, we have only begun our journey. Next we must ask: When does this begin? Many begin a semi-retirement career early. It depends on finances and life situations. The point is not that an answer is provided but that you ask the question. Your answer needs to be what works for you in your own situation.

Can you afford it? You have already decided in your mind whether you will retire.. You now have to look at the financial implications. It is easy to say you will retire and play golf everyday. But very many of us have planned financially to live on less than we made in the workforce. Then we plan additional activities to consume our time. If you plan to travel in retirement, you better put that in your budget. I recently read an article on retirement planning that said you waited too long to begin saving for retirement if you did not start at age 20.

Did I mention the need to know where you will retire? We see beautiful ads for luxury retirement communities. For some that is the answer. For most, you will stay where you are or where the grandkids are. But you have to ask the question.

Whatever your age, you probably will live longer. Ask the appropriate questions that will lead you to best answers for you. Be prepared for the rest of your life because it will be lived as you decided.

How does cheese affect cholesterol levels?

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Cheese and other dairy products are among the foods most likely to raise a person’s cholesterol level. The extent of the increase will depend on the type of cheese.

However, cheese also offers some nutritional benefits as it contains calcium and vitamins. By choosing low-fat cheeses and limiting themselves to moderate quantities, people can continue to eat cheese as part of a healthful diet.

In this article, we look at how eating cheese can affect a person’s cholesterol levels and which kinds of cheese are best.

How much cholesterol is in cheese?

Like other dairy products and many animal foods, most types of cheese are high in cholesterol and saturated fat. The cholesterol and saturated fat content vary depending on the kind of cheese.

The following table provides the total amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol that specific cheeses contain, according to the USDA Food Composition Database:

Cheese type Measurement Saturated fat (g) Cholesterol (mg)
Cheddar 1 cup 24.9 131
Swiss 1 cup 24.1 123
American cheese spread 1 cup 18.7 77
Mozzarella 1 cup 15.6 88
Parmesan 1 cup 15.4 86
Ricotta, whole milk 1 cup 8.0 61
Ricotta, part skim milk 1 cup 6.1 38
Cream 1 tbsp 2.9 15
Cottage cream 4 oz 1.9 19
Low fat cottage, 2% 4 oz 1.4 14
Non-fat or fat-free 1 serving 0 5

As the table shows, low-fat and reduced-fat cheeses have a much lower fat content.

to read full article click link below:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322044.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly-us

How old is old?

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Have you given any thought to what old means lately? It can be a hard thing to get your mind around. There are lots of folks with lots of ideas on the subject. But you can’t go anywhere and get “the” answer.

There is a suit in my closet that I have worn for many years. I think it’s old. My wife has an outfit in her closet that is not this season’s. She thinks that’s old.

As a kid on the safety patrol – do they do that anymore? – I heard an even younger kid explaining that by the time you are 21- that’s really old. No great support for that theory, is there?

Some baby boomers are not yet 50. So that’s not a good place to look. What about senior discounts? If you get one are you old? They can be had as early as 50 and even as late as 65. I guess that is not a good indicator of “old”.

At age 60 some folks feel old but others are barely middle aged. Early retirement can begin at 62, according to the Social Security Administration. A sign post possibly but not a clear indicator of old age.

Then we get to 65. That’s a big number. But wait. Now you need to be about 66 or so to have a full retirement benefit from Social Security. Maybe, that is not the answer. Recently, I did see a newspaper reporter mention “elderly people.” And then he noted gratuitously- those people over 65.

But why age 65? In the Great Depression era, retirement plans were on the minds of many people. Some states had plans with age 70. Some other countries used age 60 or 65. The compromise by Congress was age 65 with the advent of Social Security. No research. No scientific investigation. And this at a time when life expectancy was 58 years for men and 62 for women. Currently life expectancy is a little over 78 years.

Some folks prefer to talk about ages where you are most likely to have reduced functions in some of your senses. Studies show that hearing impairment may begin in your 40’s. Vision, touch and taste may be more affected in your mid 50’s. Usually, smell is not affected until our mid70’s. But these are not good indicators of age for the general population.

We have all heard about 40 being the new 30. Some professionals would now like to use age groups. From age 55 to 74 is called “young old.” Age 75 plus is referred to as “old old.” Still others want to add in a group called “middle old.” Another thought is to talk in terms of “functional age” versus “chronological age.” Do we really believe any of these methods are going to catch on outside the academic world?

Possibly we just need to think more like Satchel Paige, the ageless major league pitcher . “Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind. It doesn’t matter.” Remember he was “ageless” because he had no birth certificate.

My personal view is that old has to be at least a year older than me. Hopefully, that target keeps moving.

But how do you really judge age? Maybe what we need is a system that uses more than age alone. Perhaps you have the answer. So, how old is old? Nobody seems to really know. Do people even care? The real question is: How old do you -yes you – feel?