Lending a helping paw
Clinical literature has long documented that animal companionship can help the pain and discomfort associated with many of life's greatest transitions. Animal companionship has helped during the time of military transfers, broken hearts, terminal illnesses, lost loved ones and teenagers going away to college. In 1964, American Child Psychiatrist Boris Levinson coined the phrase "pet therapy" to describe this phenomenon.
Pet therapy has been proven to help people in many ways, and in many different environments. Dejected nursing home patients tend to become more optimistic and interactive when visited by pets. Inmates in prison that are allowed to take care of small animals such as birds have proven to become less violent, less withdrawn and even more cooperative. Preograms where small pets are brought to visit hospital patients can help offset feelings of fear, loneliness andisolation. Pet dogs have been reported to have a calming effect that has actually reduced owner's heart rates and calmed blood pressures. The presence of pets has also been proven to increase social skills,communication and helped make the emotionally disturbed more responsive and even helped people live longer.
Today's Caregiver Family Checklist
The most loving gift a person can give to one's family is to put your affairs in order before a disaster or medical emergency. To assist in providing that gift, Today's Caregiver has compiled the following list. The information and documents you should have prepared:
Is it time to take the keys away?
Caring for a loved one requires walking a fine line. We want our loved on to maintain as much freedom as possible while staying as safe as possible. One of the difficult decisions to make, keeping the previously mentioned goals in mind, is whether to let your elderly loved one get behind the wheel of his orher vehicle.
According to a WebMD aricle entitled "The Car Key Decisions," one in eight drivers in America today are over 65 years old. One in five drivers will be over 65 in 25 years. That makes this issue a big deal
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 12 states now require that older drivers renew their licenses more often than younger drivers. In Illinois, drivers 75 and older must take a road test each time they renew. Also, they must renew every two years startingat age 81, and once a year after 87.
One thing remains certain. It is not an easy subject to approach with a loved one, but concern for their safety overrides that. The main concerns for older drivers are cataracts, decreased reaction times, and loss of peripheral vision. There are operations now that can fixe these eye problems. Reaction times can also be improved. Computer training sessions on making quick driving decisions can improve reaction times by sometimes 40% or greater. These programs rae not yet widely available, but others are. The 55 and Alive class given by AARP helps sharpen seniors' driving skills.
However, there comes a time when mostloved ones must be persuaded to give up their keys. Whilesome give them up easily, most need persuasionby their doctor and you. if more drastic measures needto be taken, social workers, police officers, and the Department of Motor Vehicles may be enlisted to help. By filing a hazardous driver report with the DMV, they will revoke thelicense and most people will comply - some with bitterness. This approach may appeal to the loved one's respect for authority figures.
This is by no means an easy issue or an easy task, but when the safety of your loved one is at stake, all the stopes must be pulled out.
~Michael Plontz, Caregiver.com
Cognitive Impairment
Every evening, right around dinnertime, Alvin Mayer, 72, gets irritable. He paces the kitchen and hall, nervously taking his hands in and out of his pockets, as if looking for something he has lost, and which he keeps hoping will magically appear. His wife of 48 years, Marilyn, reacts to his nightly ritual with her own exasperation: "Alvin, sit down! Watch TV - find something to do! My goodness, what's wrong with you? Why do we have to go through this every night?"
Alvin doesn't have an answer. He doesn't really remember the details of last night, or the night before. Alvin is cognitively impaired, likely caused by dementia - but neither he nor his family knows it.
Cognitive impairment occurs when a person has difficulty with one or more of the basic functions of their brain, such as perception, memory, concentration or reasoning skills. The most common known causes of cognitive impairment in older adults are Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, brain injury or AIDS-related dementia. Many families, at least in the early stages, often don't recognize these conditions; they see the memory and behavioral problems associated with cognitive impairment as part of normal aging.
The total number of Americans with cognitive impairment is not well known. Once recent study found that mild cognitive impairment, just short of dementia, affects nearly one in four community-dwelling elders, and that its prevalence increases with age to 38 percent of elders aged 85 and older. Increasing age similarly correlates with a rise in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. According to the Alzheimer's Association, 1 in 10 people over age 65 and about half of those over 85 are affected with the disease - combined, a total of 4.5 million Americans.
As America's 77 million baby boomers age, Alzheimer's and other forms of cognitive impairment will increasingly become a major health and social issue. Recent estimates predict that by 2050, between 11 million and 16 million Americans will have developed Alzheimer's disease. This number does not include older adults who will develop other forms of dementia or cognitive impairment.
To make matters even worse, the combined external pressures of dual-income families, geographic distance between relatives, and social factors such as high divorce rates and decreasing family size have many experts concerned that the pool of family caregivers is shrinking. Unfortunately, at the same time the number of elders who will need assistance is growing. Barring a cure or effective treatment, the nation is on course to feel enormous social, health and financial repercussions.
~Society of Certified Senior Advisors, CSA Journal, June 2004
Health Savings Accounts
Although HMOs and other forms of managed care that aim at controlling health costs have become increasingly common in recent years, health costs continue to take a growing share of that average American's funds. And neither patients nor doctors are happy when HMOs restrict the health care that can be given, or limit the time that doctors can spend with each patient, or appear to deny patients information about the care that might benefit them.
The new HSA law (a part of the recent Medicare reform bill) eliminates the preferential subsidy for comprehensive insurance by giving the same tax treatment to individuals who set aside income to pay cash for a larger share of their own health care. Anyone under the age of 65 can establish a Health Savings Account if they have a "qualified" health insurance plan. A "qualified" plan is an insurance policy that has a minimum deductible of $2,000 for a family and a $10,000 limit on the family's annual out-of-pocket expenses. The deductible is designed to make individuals more cost-conscious in their consumption of health care, and the annual limit on out of pocket expenses is there to prevent financial hardship or a lack of care because of an inability to pay. Individuals or their employers can make annual pretax contributions to Health Savings Accounts of up to 100% of the health plan deductible, with a maximum of $5,150 in 2004.
An individual can withdraw funds from his HSA without paying tax if the money is used for any kind of health bills, including prescription drugs, dental care and long term care. Any funds not used in one year are automatically carried forward to the future. Individuals can also withdraw funds from these Health Savings Accounts for non-medical expenses by paying tax, as they would for any IRA withdrawal. And the individual pays no tax on the interest, dividends or capital gains earned on the HSA investment. (~Wall Street Journal, January 19, 2004)
Nationwide Insurance has put together a nice "Q&A" regarding HSAs, which you can find here to help you understand more of the basic ideas involved.
If you decide that an HSA is right for you, or if you wish to know more about them, email Bob Hunt or call us at (330) 345-7733 and we will be more then happy to work with you!
America's Crisis in Aging
No one wants to grow old, but everyone wants to live a long life. Two-thirds of all the people in history who have lived to age 65 are alive today. In the US, we have more seniors than Canada has people. Over the next 16 years, the number of people over 50 will grow 74%, while the peope under 50 grow by only 1%. Forty years ago, the number one concern of our seniors was dying. Now their top concern is that they will outlive their assets.
Edwin J. Pittock, President of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors, discusses the issues of our aging population, and some of the problems that are arising from it, in a very powerful speech given in January of this year. Click here to read a transcript and learn more about this very important issue for all of our futures.
Women Living Longer Than Ever Before
Over one hundred years ago, men and women had very similar life expectancies - 49 years in 1900. Today, as Americans' longevity has increased overall by 20 years, women generally are expected to live seven years longer then men. A newborn girl born today has a life expectancy of 79 years, compared to 72 years for a newborn boy. Statistics reflect a similar disparity in today's aging population - women represent 58% of the population age 60 and older. The figures increase dramatically for women age 85 and older, who comprise 70% of this senior segment of the population. Furthermore, according to the US Administration on Aging, 70% of female baby boomers will be widows.
Traditionally, women have been the caretakers of both the older and younger generations of their families. As more and more women enter the workforce, providing care for family members becomes increasingly difficult, as doing so may require a leave of absence from work. The cost of living continues to rise, and income disruptions greatly affect a woman's ability to save money, plan for retirement and maintain financial security. Older married women often find themselves in the position of providing care for their elderly husbands, and many deplete their resources in the process.
But, who will help the women when they require assistance? Even though younger family members may be mroe then willing to help out, the costs of health care often exceed the amount of disposable income available to the average family. It is estimated that women are twice as likely to live in a nursing home and live in poverty, as are their male counterparts. The statistics seem to indicate the time has come for women and their family members to look toward the future, and prepare for long-term care.
~Ohio Long Term Care Brokers, January 2004
Save up to 90% off your Workers' Compensation Rates
W-M Financial Services is now affilitiated with CompManagement Inc (CMI), Ohio's largest plan for Worker's Compensation Group Rating Programs. As the largest plan, CMI is able to offer incredibly low rates and group fees, so even if your company is already the member of a group it is still quite likely that you will experience significant savings. Beginning with the 2006 insurance year we can save you up to 90%!
To obtain a free, no obligation quote for your Workers' Compensation coverage please complete this simple authorization form (PDF format) and email it to us or fax it to (330) 345-2115, or contact Ann Hunt at (330) 345-7733 or via email.
Cancer Facts
Cancer can occur for anyone, at any age. Incidence, risk factors and screening prevalence rates are influenced by race and ethnicity and are also affected by income level and social class. Other factors that relate to a person's cancer risk profile are the opporunity for a good education, occupation, income and living conditions. Survival rates increase with early detection and treatment, as well as having access to specialized cancer treatment centers.
If you have any questions regarding the availability and qualifications for supplemental cancer insurance, please email Bob for further information.
