Guest Blog: Anticipating, Planning, and Financing Your Long-Term Care Needs
According to the Motley Fool, 69 percent of Americans will need long-term care one day. While this statistic may look scary, you can overcome these fears by preparing for that eventuality ahead of time. As long as you have thought ahead, long-term care does not have to be a financial or emotional burden on you and your loved ones. Senior Care Central brings you some tips and resources that can help you prepare for long-term care.
How to Finance Your Long-Term Care Needs
The best long-term health plan works to prevent it from being needed and plans for the eventuality that it will. Even as you change your home and lifestyle to decrease your chances of ever having to fund long-term care, you need to know where those funds would come from.
There are a few options available to you, each with their pros and cons:
- You could simply set money aside for this purpose. If you choose to do this, it is worth understanding exactly how much money you need to save. The main benefit is that you will only ever spend as much money as is needed. The downsides are that you may find it harder to save for other expenses and that you can only really guess a target figure.
- You can purchase long-term care insurance. The main benefit is the ease of mind that comes with it, but it can add up to a lot of money over the years. This article by Nolo details the pros and cons in more detail.
- You can rely on existing health insurance, such as Medicare. Medicare can help fund some healthcare, but it does not cover what they call “custodial care,” which are the services associated with any form of assisted living. Seniors are often best off signing up for a Medicare Advantage plan, which can offer additional coverage for prescription drugs and vision, dental, and hearing care. Just make sure you sign up during the yearly enrollment period.
How to Anticipate and Plan for Long-Term Care
Being smart about long-term care means facing the issue head-on and trying to determine, as objectively as possible, what issues you could have and how you could pay for them. Before thinking about the money, look at how you can possibly anticipate your future medical needs.
Of course, the answer is that you can’t — not really. But you can take a look at your lifestyle, health, and genetics to determine particular risks. For example:
- Are you exercising enough? If not, you are putting yourself at risk of stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression, and certain cancers.
- Are you eating a balanced diet? Many people overestimate how healthy their diets are, so go back to basics and get a real understanding of what eating well means.
- Is your home safe for aging in? You can greatly reduce your risk of accident and injury if you make some small home modifications to keep yourself safe.
- Is there a history of illness in your family? Collect all the information you can get about your family medical history to see if you are at risk of any genetic illnesses.
Asking yourself these questions can be scary. However, running away from the subject is likely to make things worse. Apart from genetic illnesses and accidents (which can be managed and prevented), your health is actually well within your control. No matter how old you are now, efforts to improve it could save you the need for long-term care in the future.
Illnesses and accidents do happen sometimes, and the elderly may need more help getting back on their feet afterward. This is something you can try to prevent, but it is ultimately outside your control. What is fully within your control is how responsibly you plan for this eventuality, so that you can just focus on getting better if that day ever comes.
Guest Blog: Lasik Surgery – Do You Need It?
Often called the windows to our soul, eyes are the first thing that almost everyone notices when they meet someone. Whether you are meeting for the first time or have known them for years, your eyes will meet theirs while having a conversation. Besides that, they are one of the basic senses that you need to function properly. This is why the majority of the people take great care of their eyes to maintain their health.
While corrective lenses and glasses have been the norm of treating near or far-sightedness, a more permanent solution has become popular globally. Lasik eye surgery has seen a surge since many doctors and professionals have reported the great success of the procedure.
LASIK Surgery
LASIK or Laser-Assisted in-Situ Keratomileusis is a corrective eye procedure that uses a laser to treat vision problems such as astigmatism, nearsightedness and/or farsightedness. It is administered by ophthalmologists to reduce the patient’s dependency on prescription lenses or glasses.
It involves the surgeon creating a flap in the cornea with a laser to raise and then fix it through reshaping. There are different techniques and detailed procedures that are used to treat specific vision problems.
It is one of the most famous eye surgeries performed across the world among the various types of refractive surgeries. Its popularity is credited to its list of accolades and successful cases. In fact, the majority of the patients who receive the surgery have successfully achieved a 20/25 or better vision.
While it is a famous treatment choice among many patients with vision-related problems, it is still not applicable to everyone. There are certain requirements that make you eligible for the surgery. As for the ones who can’t get the procedure, there are only very few exceptional cases who are rejected for the LASIK procedure.
The following few points will help you decide if you are a candidate for the surgery and if you should start asking about how much LASIK surgery costs.
AGE
Your age is an important consideration when determining your eligibility for the LASIK procedure. Usually, if you have a good ocular health overall and are in the age range of 18-65, you are eligible for the corrective eye surgery. But remember that the case for you might be different depending on various other factors. For example, there are certain instances where kids under 18 can receive the surgery. It is better that you ask a surgeon to evaluate your ocular health and make a more informed decision.
Your Ocular Health
Ocular health or general state of your eyes will greatly impact the decision of your eligibility for LASIK. According to Mayo Clinic, patients with low to moderate level of refractive vision problems with no other vision errors are best suited for LASIK. Any disease that holds the potential to get worse as a result of the surgery will eliminate your chances of getting LASIK. These diseases include cataracts, large pupils, glaucoma, lid disorders, keratitis, uveitis and a few others.
Your Overall Health
Besides particularly ocular health, your overall health also impacts your chances of being eligible for LASIK. There are certain medical conditions that might have negative impacts on your eyes if you get LASIK. These diseases include diabetes, severe depression, certain chronic pain conditions and disorders related to the immune system that makes you prone to infections like lupus, HIV, arthritis among other autoimmune diseases.
While these might be able to give you a general idea about what you need to be eligible for the LASIK surgery, but it is better that you get a professional evaluation.
Guest Blog: Spinal Health: How to Decrease Your Back Pain
Back pain can affect every aspect of your life from your job, sleep, sitting posture and so much more. It prevents you from being able to accomplish your daily tasks. In fact, back pain causes the highest number of job-related disabilities. As such, you need to take care of your spine today to ensure that you reduce the chances of getting back pain in the future. Here are a few ways to do that:
Sleep Right
While you sleep, your spine should be restful and straight. You can ensure that happens by getting the right pillow and mattress combination. Get a firm or a medium-firm mattress that supports your spine as an old and soft mattress allows the spine to sag. Choose pillows that only elevate your head enough to align the spine.
The pillows and their placement should be ideal for your sleeping position. For back sleepers, place a pillow beneath your knees. For side sleepers, place a pillow between your knees, and you can also have a neck pillow to support the neck.
Exercise the Core Muscles
Exercising the core muscles gives them the strength to support your spine. These are the muscles of the lower back and the abdomen. When they are strong enough, the muscles will take the pressure off the lower back. In most cases, you will not exercise the core muscles during everyday activities. To exercise the muscles, you need to take on targeted exercises. If you already have back pain, or you have other medical conditions, you need to talk to your doctor or therapist to find the best exercises for you. There are those exercises that can reduce back pain to keep you comfortable.
If you do deadlifts, you need to lift right. When lifting, use your legs and knees instead of the lower back to lift the item.
Surgery to Ease the Pain
If you have a nerve condition that causes back pain, you need less invasive surgery to correct the pain. This surgery, known as rhizotomy, helps correct back pain for people with conditions, such as arthritis, joint pain, disc herniations, degenerative spinal conditions, spasticity, pain from cerebral palsy, and trigeminal neuralgia.
A specialist will assess you to determine the level of nerve pain and whether the procedure is right for you. If they determine you are eligible for the procedure, they will place an electrode through fluoroscopy and then stimulate the nerves and then deaden the sensory nerves to stop the pain.
Massage the Lower Back
Massage has several advantages. For starters, it increases blood flow to the back, loosens the tight muscles and the connective tissues, and helps you relax. The massage doesn’t have to be vigorous. Get some moderate level massage, and it will be stress-relieving.
If you are not able to visit a massage spa, due to financial or time constraints, you can get a massage chair, which offers Swedish or shiatsu massage. Combining massage with exercises for the core will give you all the benefits of a strong lower back. Besides, the massage will help with insomnia, restore the full range of motion, and increase endorphin levels.
Besides massage, you can use heat therapy around the muscles that surround your spine. This will increase the flow of blood to the spine and in turn bring healing. You can go for heating pads, heat wraps, or seek professional heat therapy.
Eat Well
Your diet can help maintain the health of your spine. To get the best from your food, limit your food intake to only the items you can find in nature, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, meats, legumes, and others that are rich in anti-inflammatory agents and antioxidants. When you take foods rich in vitamins and calcium, you can treat conditions, such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
Limit the intake of processed foods and unhealthy sweet treats. This will help you fight weight gain and reduce pressure on your spine. People who are obese place too much pressure on their spines, and losing weight can be a good remedy.
There are many other practices that can help you relieve back pain. These include re-evaluating your sitting posture, doing yoga, staying hydrated, and paying attention to any back pain warning signs.
Skin Care for the Elderly: 7 Useful Tips to Take Care of Your Skin in Your 60s and 70s
Your 60s is a period of reduced stress as you relinquish control over demanding commitments such as young children and work. Additionally, this is the stage when you have more flexibility to indulge in yourself and put your wants first. With less stress and more flexibility, this decade gives you more opportunities to keep your skin healthy and looking great.
Visible signs of aging do not have to mar an otherwise glorious chapter of your life. Understanding the current changes in your skin is vital to building the best anti-aging skincare routine for seniors. Slow down the hands of time with products that boost collagen, reduce wrinkles, and moisturize your skin.
Here are some skincare tips to help you achieve healthier skin and feel more confident as you blow out more birthday candles.
Understand Your Skin
While everyone experiences skin aging, women’s skin ages faster after menopause. The skin’s balance is disrupted when the production of certain hormones drops, which explains why signs of aging are more visible in women in their 60s.
Healthy aging-related skin changes such as thinning, dryness, roughness, sagging, and the appearance of age spots and deeper wrinkles and lines are unavoidable. Many of these characteristics are caused by the loss of firmness and elasticity in your skin.
It’s only natural for your skin to go through changes over time. However, external variables such as pollution, stress, and sun exposure might accelerate or aggravate this process. Your skin may also be more susceptible to common skin conditions affecting the elderly such as eczema, skin infections, and severely dry and itchy skin.
Understand your mature skin’s characteristics so you can use mild, effective, and natural products that address your specific needs.
Use Natural and Organic Skincare Products
Many conventional skincare products contain hormone-disrupting chemicals like parabens, phthalates, GMOs, sodium lauryl sulfate, and synthetic colorants and fragrances. These carcinogens are known to have devastating effects on the immunological, reproductive, and endocrine systems.
Natural, organic, or vegan skincare products are less prone to trigger allergic reactions, inflammation, or irritations since they do not contain harsh chemicals. These natural skincare products rich in botanical oils, vitamins, and antioxidants often provide superior benefits.
Protect Your Skin from the Sun
One of the most common causes of wrinkled, spotted skin is sun exposure. While sun damage may not manifest fully until later in life, it is never too late to improve your skin’s health by limiting your exposure to the sun.
Apply a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or above whenever your step outdoors. Seek shade, particularly between 10 AM and 4 PM when UV light is strongest. Wear a wide-brimmed hat and lightweight apparel that protects your skin from the sun.
Don’t Neglect Cleansing
Cleanse your face and neck at the start and end of each day as part of your beauty regimen. This will help maintain the health of your skin and stimulate skin renewal.
Because mature skin is more sensitive, use a mild, organic facial cleanser that is gentle on the skin. Consider oil cleansing instead of using traditional facial cleansers. Cleansing oils are a form of multi-purpose facial wash that purifies and hydrates your skin at the same time.
Don’t Take Too Long in the Shower or Tub
Taking a bath or shower can help soothe dry, itchy skin, but remember to keep it short. While a hot bath may be a wonderful way to unwind, you risk drying out your skin if you spend too long in the tub.
Wash with a mild, fragrance-free, moisturizing bar soap or body wash to help reduce dryness. Avoid using hot water as it can dehydrate your skin and contribute to its dryness—use warm water instead. Finally, apply a good moisturizer formulated for dry skin while your skin is still damp.
Exfoliate Gently
When you reach your 60s, it is important to gently exfoliate your skin to boost its ability to rejuvenate. Exfoliating also aids in the removal of dead skin cells, resulting in a more radiant complexion.
As previously stated, your skin is thinner and more fragile, so use a mild, organic face and body scrub and gently massage it over your skin in circular motions. Don’t apply too much force as this may easily lead to more fine lines and worsen the situation of sagging skin. Additionally, limit your exfoliating routine to every 10 to 14 days.
Hydrate More
Stay properly hydrated both inside and outside. Consuming sufficient water throughout the day may be a difficult habit to form for anyone, but keep in mind how critical it is to stay hydrated and how it can impact your skin.
Skin tends to become dull and dehydrated when you reach your 60s. If you want to keep your skin bright and supple, drink more water and apply a deeply moisturizing cream every morning and evening. Doing so will help reduce the appearance of pronounced wrinkles and restore your skin’s freshness, radiance, and suppleness.
Age Gracefully in Your 60s and Beyond
Consider this stage of your life as an opportunity to look and feel great about yourself. Embrace your wrinkles and be proud of the accomplishments you’ve made throughout the decades. Adopt an effective skincare routine, a healthy lifestyle, and a happy outlook to make aging gracefully a breeze.
Guest Blog: Hiring an In-Home Caregiver: What You Need to Know
When looking for an in-home caregiver for your loved one, it’s a given you would prefer someone they can get along with really well and will do a great job of taking care of them. However, finding this home care option for your senior loved one can be challenging at times.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of tips you can follow to ensure you find the perfect person for the job. The following tips should get your search off to a fantastic start:
Create a clear job description
To come up with a clear job description, identify what your elderly loved one’s needs are. A clear and specific job description can help you determine the flexibility needed, the number of hours they’ll be looking after your loved one, and how much you are likely to pay.
Be flexible when hiring independently
If you want to find great candidates, you need to be flexible about the pay. It is also recommended that you offer the going rate in your area. Otherwise, you might not find applicants with the care skills you are looking for.
Conduct multiple interviews and a trial period
To get more insights about a candidate, consider conducting three interviews:
- A short screening interview over the phone to ensure they meet the necessary requirements.
- An in-person interview if they pass the phone screening.
- An in-person interview where the top 2 candidates can also meet your elderly loved one.
Ask all the important questions during the interview
Asking all the right questions can help you find someone responsible, compassionate, and trustworthy. It would also be a good idea to ask what they’ll do in a specific situation. For instance, what they would do if your elderly loved one refuses medications or does not cooperate.
Check their references
Even if you find a candidate very impressive, it is ideal that you still do a background check. You can do this by calling the work references they have provided. You can ask if they do a good job and if they’ll hire the candidate again.
Conclusion
While finding the best in-home caregiver can be challenging, it can be done. As long as you prepare accordingly and cover all the essential bases, you’ll find the right person for the job with ease.