Elder Care Information
Long Term Care Crisis Impacts Elders Who Need Special Care
Modern medicine is helping America’s elders live longer, healthier lives. But a segment of that population, those requiring special care at home and in specialized facilities built for the task, has been particularly hard hit by the COVID pandemic. They face a massive shortage of caregivers as home healthcare agencies, nursing homes, hospices and residential care communities find it harder and harder to attract workers, says Rebecca Weber, CEO of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC].
Have Compassion for Lonely Elders — There are a Lot of Them Out There and They Need Your Help
One man’s agony: “I am 77 years old. I was happily married for 55 years but I lost my wife a year and a half ago. No, she didn’t die. In fact, she is in great physical health-- except for her Alzheimer’s Disease. She is in a Memory Care Facility. I see her a couple of times each week. Her confinement and my isolation have left me devastated. I love her and wake up each and every morning sad and abandoned.”
The Sandwich Generation: Caring For Their Elders and Youngsters At The Same Time
The Pew Research Center calls them “multigenerational caregivers” or “the sandwich generation.” They are those moms and dads who have children to take care of and who have elderly relatives who need caring for as well. There are more of them than you might think, says Rebecca Weber, CEO of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC].
The Secret of Healthy Aging is Not as Big a Secret as You Might Think
It’s not easy growing old. However, if you want to live to a ripe old age you have to work at it; you have to make a promise to yourself to take care of your mental health as well as your physical health.
More and More Seniors are Using Online Dating as a Way to Offset the Loneliness of the Pandemic
By now you’ve probably heard that there has been an increase in computer usage by senior citizens in recent years, an increase that has accelerated since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. But what you may not know is that more and more of the 55-year-old-plus set are using their PCs, Macs and iPads and dating apps to meet and set up dates online. “One survey shows that more than a third of single seniors are into online dating,” according to Rebecca Weber, CEO of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC].
Social Security Expands Compassionate Allowances Program for People with Severe Disabilities
Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, today announced 12 new Compassionate Allowances conditions: Charlevoix Saguenay Spastic Ataxia (ARSACS), Choroid Plexus Carcinoma, CIC-rearranged Sarcoma, Congenital Zika Syndrome, Desmoplastic Mesothelioma, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – Adult, Pericardial Mesothelioma, Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma, Renpenning Syndrome, SCN8A Related Epilepsy with Encephalopathy, SYNGAP1-related NSID, and Taybi-Linder Syndrome. Compassionate Allowances is an initiative that quickly identifies severe medical conditions and diseases that meet Social Security’s standards for disability benefits.
Feeling Down In The Dumps? Take Stock of the Optimism In You. You'll Live Longer
There's a song that tells us to "accentuate the positive." Philosopher Norman Vincent Peale wrote a best-selling book that encouraged us to use the "power of positive thinking" to get along in life. But now, at a time when too many of us are experiencing bouts of depression due to the pernicious coronavirus pandemic, the question is: what have I got to be optimistic about," says Rebecca Weber, CEO of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC].
Beware the Plastic Clamshell
Consumers are victims of a packaging industry so focused on protecting the goods they're selling that they are ignoring the needs of buyers, particularly seniors. Perhaps they are ignorant of the fact that shoppers of all ages are fed up with the agony of struggling to cut through the plastic wrapping used to protect goods such as razor blades, toys and even medications. They've had it with child-proof pill containers. And they reel against those directions and warnings on packages that are so tiny you need a magnifying glass to read them.
Will Senior Housing Evolve Into intergenrational Housing?
Seniors aren't what they used to be, says Rebecca Weber, CEO of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. "You don't lose your lust for life as you get older these days. Once upon a time, perhaps, aging was considered to be a chronic condition in itself. It was taken for granted that the older you are the sicker you are. Not true. It's the 21st Century and men and women are living happier, healthier and longer lives."
Forgetful? It's Most Likely the Rigors of Growing Old
It's not just old-timers who have those "senior moments;" studies show that we gradually begin to find it harder to focus when we are in our twenties and it gets more difficult as we age -- it's a slow process but it's also part of the aging process.
Do You Need Social Security?
In 2020 over 64 million Americans were collecting Social Security.
Taking a Nap Has Health Benefits for Seniors
"Getting a good night's sleep comes highly recommended for the 50-plus population, particularly for the fastest growing segment of senior citizens, those over 65. In fact, it turns out that peaceful dozing overnight may not be enough for some seniors and that taking an afternoon nap may not only be good for toddlers, but can also be beneficial for seniors," according to Rebecca Weber, CEO of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC].
5 Tips to Protect Seniors from Financial Scams Right Now
Social isolation among seniors is not only linked to numerous negative health consequences like depression and cardiovascular disease, but it's also a primary contributing factor in financial exploitation and scams. Estimated to affect one in 10 older adults and cost billions annually, the threat of elder financial fraud is pervasive, and especially so right now.
Malls Converted to Senior Housing
Online shopping has been a big winner as a result of the COVID crisis, spiking by triple digit percentages on a year-to-year basis, says the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. But it's had a harmful effect on physical shopping destinations and across the country malls are taking a beating.
Nursing Homes Set Goal To Get 75% Of Staff Vaccinated By June 30
The American Health Care Association (AHCA), representing more than 14,000 nursing homes and long term care facilities across the country, and LeadingAge, the association of more than 5,000 mission-driven aging services providers including nursing homes, announced today, with the help of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the nationwide goal of getting 75 percent of the approximately 1.5 million nursing home staff vaccinated by June 30, 2021.