Seniors

Jun

2010

Over 60? Extend body’s ‘warranty’

Exercise Senior Health_2col_full (StatePoint) Many experts have shared their conclusions about how cable television and the Internet have kept countless Americans on their behinds for longer periods of time. Ironically, while all this has been going on, scientists have been discovering the most about health and exercise - and how staying active can ward off a range of illnesses as we age.

What it comes down to is this: there are fewer and fewer excuses for letting your body run its course without exercise. For seniors, in particular, exercise has been linked to reduced risk for such ailments as prostate cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and stroke, among others.

There has been much new research on the topic, with all signs pointing seniors to the exercise mat and away from the couch.

Indeed, with one out of six men confronting prostate cancer at some point in life, the Prostate Cancer Foundation recently released a new “Nutrition, Exercise, and Prostate Cancer” guide, a series of new strategies that help stem the development and progression of prostate cancer. Visit www.pcf.org to order or download a free copy of the guide. The key is combining exercise with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in processed sugars and refined carbohydrates.

A new study from Dr. Stephen Freedland at Duke and the Durham Veterans Affairs Hospital also underscores the impact regular exercise has in protecting men from prostate cancer, while also making the disease less aggressive.

More than anything else, the combination of diet and exercise looks to be a strong pre-emptive step against many ailments.

With breast cancer a similarly daunting disease among women, healthy options unsurprisingly have been linked to lifestyle, particularly exercise and nutrition. With as little as four hours of exercise a week and a low-fat diet, the risk of breast cancer can be lessened. Abstaining from drinking alcohol has also been shown to decrease the risk of breast cancer.

And there are plenty of ailments that plague both older men and women that can be helped by exercise. Among them is osteoporosis, which affects the bone density of people as they age. By focusing on exercises that have a direct impact on the skeleton, like basketball or jumping jacks, the symptoms of osteoporosis can be avoided.

New research also shows it’s never too late for seniors to become active. Even those afflicted with Type 2 diabetes can help turn things around with an exercise regimen. And it’s well-known that exercise can help strengthen arteries and potentially reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Of course, before starting any diet or exercise program, seniors should consult their doctors. But when it comes to health, a small series of simple lifestyle changes can help extend your body’s warranty, making a world of difference in your golden years.

PHOTO CAPTION: Exercising can ward off many illnesses.

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Jun

2010

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Seniors and the internet

(StatePoint) When you think of the Internet, seniors aren’t the first age group that comes to mind. But these days, older Americans increasingly are taking to the web – thanks to new free web sites that are helping them stay in touch with loved ones and even keeping their daily lives organized.

Many of the skeptical seniors that were initially slow to engage the World Wide Web head-on are now discovering what they’ve been missing. In fact, helpful sites are taking tasks that generally give seniors headaches and making them considerably more manageable – and even fun.

Here are just some of the more popular activities and free Web sites that seniors are relying on to make life easier:

• Stay in Touch: Connecting with others has been proven to keep seniors’ minds sharp. One site that can help is LivingSocial, an online community where 80 million people from all over the world can connect with others around the things they care about, including books, movies, television, music, restaurants, and even beer.

• Share Photos and Videos with Family: What better way to stay connected with the kids and grandkids than sharing photos and videos clips? To help, Animoto.com is offering a way to turn photos and video clips into professional-quality video montages, automatically synchronized to the song you select.

• Stick to a Budget: One innovative site, Mint.com from Quicken, makes budgeting less stressful by offering a free tool that is easy to use and helps you find more money.

It keeps you up to date using email and phone alerts and notifies you when bills are due, credit limits have been reached or if your bank makes changes regarding fees. It’s a simple way for seniors to track spending, enhance their savings and reduce debt.

These are just a few examples of how seniors looking to explore the Web can use it to keep their offline world in balance.

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Jun

2010

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How secure are retirement funds these days?

By LELAND P. CADE

Wealth reserved for retirement fits in two categories: wealth in the form of physical substance and “wealth” in the imagination – paper.

Wealth in the form of substance includes items such as precious metals, land, oil, coal, diamonds, fence posts and, yes, houses. “Wealth” in the imagination includes paper money, stocks, bonds, insurance policies - anything where the end result is paper. Here is a brief comparison of paper “wealth” to the substance of physical wealth, with a focus on retirement.

Houses – one house remains a measurable quantity of substance. Purchasing-power relationships change continually. On this day a house may be worth a measureable 25,988 bushels of wheat, a measurable 888 barrels of oil, a measurable 890 cows or $100,000 of immeasurable faith in paper called money.

Next month all of the relationships are sure to be different. Two points:

1. The purchasing power of substance varies from day to day but remains a measurable and predictable quantity.

2. the purchasing power of paper money varies continually as faith changes by the moment, en route to predictable failure. Since 1900, the purchasing power of our paper dollar is down at least 97 percent as it approaches worthlessness, the result of continued (and now increasingly rapid) inflation.

Our Paper Money

Gold remains one ounce, guaranteed. The present “crisis” is typical trauma for paper money, as it ticks with the clock toward rejection by the population.

Gold must always be included in discussions such as this. For hundreds of years, gold has been the “thermometer” for registering faith in paper. In recent years, the price of gold didn’t go up; instead, it has been the purchasing power of paper that has gone down. Gold remains an ounce, paper is without foundation. The changing price relationship of gold to paper is a dependable indicator as populations migrate away from paper and toward gold. Land is the No. 2 substance of choice as a store of wealth.

A story in the Wall Street Journal of Nov. 13, 2008 included this headline: “Calpers (California Public Employees Retirement System, largest in the nation) Confronts Huge Housing Losses” (that should read “Calpers - Enormous Retirement Fund Losses”). Losses were reported at “about $6 billion,” or 35 percent.

Another revelation: “For the quarter ended June 30, 2008 … expects a loss even greater than 100 percent ... thanks to the use of borrowed money on deals.” And another item: “October rout … $314 billion loss.” Another story: “The selloff in the nine months to late September (2008) … $314 billion deficit.” A selloff of Calpers paper, a $75 billion loss.

News item, April 14: The state of California’s real unfunded pension debt clocks in at more than $500 billion, nearly eight times greater (and $15,625 per person, with 32 million people in California) than officially reported.

Millions of workers have their retirement security in such risky and vague assumptions. The substance of gold, silver, land, etc., does not disappear.

It is common knowledge that the Social Security fund is now only bookkeeping entries, impressive accounting figures for an empty container; such is the “promise” of government.

The lesson – a pound, bushel, acre of substance is guaranteed and remains; a paper dollar remains the epitome of deception and uncertainty.

Retirement funds in the form of paper … how secure?

Leland Cade can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Jun

2010

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Retirement estimator rates high

By R. ANDREW HUDSON Social Security, Helena

There’s never been a better time than the present to plan for your retirement. Why’s that?

Because Social Security’s Retirement Estimator has been rated the best online service in government. You can find it online at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.

Every quarter, the University of Michigan conducts the American Customer Satisfaction Index for Federal Websites. In their most recent study, the index showed that Social Security’s new online Retirement Estimator ranked as the best in government.

The online Retirement Estimator is a convenient, secure and quick financial planning tool that lets workers calculate how much they might expect to receive in Social Security benefits when they retire. The attractive new feature of this calculator is that it eliminates the need to manually key in years of earnings information.

It’s so easy to use. The new Retirement Estimator debuted with a score of 90, the highest score in this survey. Perhaps even more impressive, it is the second-highest score ever received by any government website or online service.

The new Retirement Estimator is available at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator and gives the public the opportunity to run accurate, personalized scenarios for Social Security retirement benefits in a user-friendly way.

You also can create “what if” scenarios. For example, you can change “stop work” dates or expected future earnings to create and compare different retirement options that may be in your future. So experience the best online service in government now by visiting Social Security’s Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.

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Mar

2010

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Nearing age 65? Better learn about Medicare

By JASON ALDERMAN

Most people are somewhat familiar with Medicare, since it’s likely they or a family member are already covered by the government-provided health insurance program. But with its alphabet soup of options and complex rules, Medicare can be daunting to the uninitiated.

If you’re approaching 65, here are Medicare basics you’ll need to know: Medicare provides benefits to people age 65 and older and those under 65 with certain disabilities or end-stage renal disease. Most people’s initial enrollment period is the seven months beginning three months before the month they turn 65. If you miss that window, you may enroll between Jan. 1 and March 31 each year, with coverage beginning July 1.

Medicare offers numerous plans and coverage options, including: Part A helps cover in-patient hospital, nursing facility and hospice services, and home health care. Most people pay no monthly premium and are automatically enrolled upon turning 65, or after receiving Social Security disability benefits for 24 months.

Part B helps cover doctor’s services, outpatient care and some preventive services. It’s optional and has a monthly premium. Most people are automatically enrolled at the same time as Part A. To opt out, follow the instructions that accompanied your Medicare card (mailed about three months before your 65th birthday). Weigh opting out carefully because there’s often a sizeable penalty if you enroll later, unless you’re currently covered by an employer’s plan.

Part C (Medicare Advantage) plans are privately run HMO or PPO Medicare plans that provide coverage similar to Parts A and B, but may also include additional benefits such as prescription drugs, dental and vision coverage.

In exchange for lower out-of-pocket costs and additional benefits, you’re usually required to use the plan’s provider network, which may be more restrictive than providers you could access through regular Parts A and B.

Part D helps cover prescription drugs. It’s optional and carries a monthly premium. These privately run plans vary widely in terms of cost and medications covered. As with Part B, you may be charged a late-enrollment penalty if you don’t sign up when first eligible and later decide to enroll. If you’re in a Part C plan with drug coverage, you don’t need Part D.

Many people purchase additional Medigap (or Medicare Supplemental) insurance, which is offered by private insurers and follows strict government coverage guidelines. Medigap helps pay for many items not covered by Medicare, including deductibles, copayments, coinsurance and, sometimes, coverage when traveling abroad.

Medigap coverage is already included in Part C Medicare Advantage plans; plus some employers and unions offer it to their retirees. Medigap plans can vary widely in terms of cost, covered benefits and states participating so compare your options carefully.

Understanding and choosing the right Medicare options for your individual situation can be a complicated process. For assistance, call 1-800-633-4227 or visit www.medicare.gov.