Scammers are trying to get Wisconsin seniors to pay for medical alert systems that they initially indicate are free, officials warn. State consumer protection officials say they have seen an increase in complaints about robocalls from "Medical Alert System" and "Senior Safe Alert." So far, the companies have mainly targeted consumers in the 608 area code and in the Green Bay area. "In each of these robocalls, seniors were told that a piece of emergency alert equipment was going to be delivered to them, free of charge," the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said in an alert….
Download Silver Ribbon Brochure 2013 PDF The Silver Ribbon Series is informative sessions based around elder abuse and public safety concern topics. Invited to attend: Frederick County Seniors Professionals Clergy members Community members with a vested interest in the well being of seniors. Agenda:Monday, June 10th 10-11 a.m.Wandering and Safety Concerns for the Alzheimer’s PatientPresenter Cathy Hanson, LGSW, MSW Alzheimer’s Association86,000 Marylanders are living with memory problems. This session will discuss early warning signs of mem-ory impairment, strategies to ensure safety in the home, meaning and pre-vention of wandering behaviors, and ideas for deescalating challenging situations to support Frederick County…
A poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found people 40 and older underestimate their chances of needing long-term care as they get older, and aren't doing enough to prepare. But about 47 percent say they have taken one step, creating an advance directive to outline the medical care they'd want if they couldn't communicate. By LAURAN NEERGAARD and JENNIFER AGIESTA Associated Press / April 24, 2013
A majority of older voters oppose cost-of-living cuts for Social Security and would object to their member of Congress supporting the policy, according to a new poll. The national survey from AARP found that 66 percent of voters over 50 would be "considerably less favorable" to lawmakers that back slower cost-of-living increases in Social Security. President Obama's new budget is expected to include a so-called chained consumer price index (CPI) proposal as an olive branch to Republicans, and the left has signaled strong opposition to the policy ahead of the budget's rollout. Messaging from AARP, including Monday's poll, indicates that…
During a visit to my doctor, I asked him, "How do you determine whether or not an older person should be put in a Nursing Home?" "Well," he said, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the person to empty the bathtub." "Oh, I understand," I said. "A normal person would use the bucket because it is bigger than the spoon or the teacup." "No" he said. "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"
The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) has published its annual Retirement Confidence Survey that confirms what virtually all such surveys have concluded: 1) that Americans are living longer; and 2) that they do not have anywhere near enough saved for retirement. The truth is that Americans do almost no thinking about what kind of retirement they want. They mistakenly assume that Social Security is a retirement program, when in fact it is a supplemental retirement program. The three legs of the retirement "stool"—Social Security, a pension, and private savings—have all seen some shrinkage in the past few years. For Social…
Last week, a study by the Urban Institute offered new details about how the Great Recession has torpedoed younger workers’ efforts to start their careers and build their savings. But as Encore contributor Glenn Ruffenach reminds us this week in the Wall Street Journal, when younger adults take an economic hit, their boomer-age parents often share the pain. Ruffenach breaks out details from a recent survey by the Pew Research Center that covers the “sandwich generation,” which Pew defines as people who have both a child (of any age) that they’re supporting and a living parent age 65 or older….
The Administration on Aging has posted the 2013 state grants under the Older Americans Act, categorized by type of program. Find out your state’s allocation.
Meals delivered to older adults help them avoid costly and unnecessary nursing home care, according to a new study. But it costs money which Friend of Meals on Wheels is trying to raise. Researchers from Brown University found states that invest in these programs under the Older Americans Act are successful in helping seniors remain in their homes. "Despite efforts to re-balance long-term care, there are still many nursing home residents who have the functional capacity to live in a less restrictive environment," wrote study authors Kali Thomas and Vincent Mor, both gerontology researchers. "States that have invested in their…
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