Seniors Site

Due to the overwhelming advancement in today’s medical field, it is now possible to extend our lives and reach our oldest possible age. However, there still stand numerous age-related anomalies which we have yet to solve. Indeed, there will come a time when aging would catch up—it’s inevitable. It could even be sooner than we think!
No matter how we delay age, the possibility of your beloved senior no longer capable of handling their own finances, let alone, making their own decisions still exists, and worse, it could get really scary once family bickering over who’s in charge starts. Seniors should know that this can be avoided, if only they have prepared for it ahead of time. However, for those who were struck unwarned, conservatorship might be the best solution.
When you seek conservatorship, it means you would like to be the conservator or, in other words, the guardian. This person should be able to prove to the court that the senior in question is no longer capable of making decision for himself. If this person is able to convince the court that it is for the greater good, he or she will get the appointment. In a nutshell, conservatorship takes away a senior’s power to make decisions in all aspects of his or her life, including financial, medical and estate planning and handing it to someone more competent.
Generally, there are two types of conservatorship:  probate and LPS. The difference is mostly defined by the extent of incompetence in the senior’s part. Conservatorship can only be sought if there is no existing document, by the way. This is where early planning really comes into the picture. If you are a senior worrying about who will end up deciding for you when that time comes, then you should consider designating people as soon as possible—like right now. Your lawyer can assist you in preparing the necessary documents, including how to choose the best person for this job.
The process of designating a conservator is not easy and indeed it can be costly. Not only that, it can be a long and tedious process to begin with. This is why most families see this process as their last resort and not something they would want to undergo especially when there’s a senior needing more attention than what the conservatorship would worth. In order to be designated as conservator, a person seeking it would have to submit himself to a hearing process. A judge will then appoint or designate according to what he deems fit. After the designation, the conservator will then work hand-in-hand with the court with every decision made on behalf of the senior. There should also be an inventory and records pertaining to the senior’s financial standing, before, during and after, the conservator’s term of appointment.

As taboo as it may seem, elderly abuse is common and according to statistics, only 1 out of 14 incidents get reported. I say, the level of awareness when it comes to elderly abuse is partly to blame. We don’t really know when and to what extent should an act of a caregiver or of the supposed “abuser” be considered as an abuse already. We just know that when there’s violence, surely there is an abuse going on, but what about those types of abuse when the elderly in question doesn’t even show signs of physical abuse such as bruises and broken bones? Here is your general guide to elderly abuse and hopefully be able to recognize signs of it before it is too late:
·    Seniors themselves don’t usually recognize these signs—not even aware that they are being abused in some way. Others are just not capable of reporting the abuse by themselves due to physical or mental limitations. It is the people around them that should be ones to keep a close eye on things.
·    Elderly abuse can also occur in nursing homes. In fact, most reported incidents came from institutions like this. In other words, don’t relax yet, knowing your elderly loved-one is in the “safety” of a nursing home! You still need to keep your radars up.
·    According to a lawyer handling elderly and senior citizen cases, there are three general categories of an elderly abuse:  domestic elder abuse, institutional elder abuse and neglect. Of the three, the second must be the hardest to control.
·    There are many types of elder abuse:  physical, psychological, financial, sexual and neglect. Just recently, the government included these three in the list:  rights abuse, self neglect and abandonment. All these are pretty much self-explanatory.
·    When physical abuse occurs, there should be bruises, broken bones, burns, cuts and everything else pertaining to the body getting harmed.
·    Known symptoms of emotional abuse are:  sudden changes in behavior, mood swings, depression and withdrawal from normal, daily activities.
·    As for neglect: malnourishment, poor hygiene and weight loss are the most common signs.
·    You would know if there’s a financial abuse going on if your beloved senior suddenly loses money for unknown reasons. It includes assets and bank accounts.
·    Physical abuse is often masked as “accidents”. If there are far too many household accidents occurring, it’s time to suspect and interfere.
·    Common abusers of seniors are the ones who are expected to closely work with them, helping them out, such as their caregiver, partners, kids—even their lawyers! If their vulnerabilities are exposed, your loved-one is at a greater risk.

As much as there are seniors who might still be in the dark when it comes to Twitter—or any other social networking site for that matter—let’s not forget those who are already conducting their businesses online, and quite successful in doing so. If you’ve been in this arena for quite some time now, you know how Twitter can help you with your “branding” needs, and yes, it can be used for other purposes too, aside from just gathering friends and making your product known.
In Twitter, influence is important. In fact, IT IS more than important! Measuring your Twitter influence will help seniors know if they are doing fine in the Twitter community or if you are better off spending your time on other areas of your business. For one, keeping a Twitter account active can be time consuming and if you are not paying enough attention, you might find yourself in a dead-end. Your influence, like your own stat counter, gives you an idea where you might be lacking and what areas need some pushing.
·    Following-follower ratio. This is important. If you have a very disproportionate following-to-follower ratio, it does reflect bad practices you must be applying nowadays. Twitter requires certain amount of effort on your part, finding the right people and following them, but if a senior Twitterer starts following people (and I mean lots!) even outside of his or her market, they will only end up following a tad more people as compared to those who are following them. Doing this will make a senior look like a spammer, while having a high follower and low following ratio means you are interested in connecting with other people. Of course, having a higher number of followers indicates you have an influence there.
·    Number of lists under your name. Getting listed is one of the most important things you need to secure in Twitter as it indicates you are doing great in “branding” yourself. In other words, you are a great influence in your area and they know it.
·    Use Twitter tools. In truth, Twitter can be confusing, especially for us seniors. Good news is, there are about a hundred Twitter tools out there for you to use. What’s more, some of the good ones are for free! Just Google them using the search words “Twitter influence”.
·    Response to your tweets. This indicates you are getting enough attention with your tweets. If there is a healthy connection going on within your circle, you must be influential.

It may be morbid to blog about funerals especially to seniors like me but practically speaking, planning for your own funeral can actually save you and your loved-ones time, energy and of course, money. Seniors must consider planning for their own funeral as some sort of insurance. Good thing is, if you plan your funeral ahead of time, you would know that everything will go according to what you have in mind, thus avoiding confusion and misunderstanding when that fateful day comes.
Seniors should also consider that a death is some sort of an instant magnet for scammers and con-artists. Of course, you wouldn’t want your loved-ones to be taken advantage of during their most vulnerable time. With that said, here are some tips on how to plan and cut cost on your own funeral—well, it may come in handy for caregivers as well:
·    Do your research. There is no better time than now to do these things. Know the industry and how it goes nowadays.  It includes prices and “packages” local funeral homes offer. Make a rough draft of how you would like your funeral to be arranged.
·    Decide whether to cremate or bury. Whatever happens to your being, it will all boil down to either of the two:  cremation or burial. Let it be clear to everyone what you prefer and your reasons why you prefer it.
·    Choose your casket well. Caskets are one of the biggest factors that contribute to your funeral costs, if you want to cut costs, find a simpler but dignified casket and no one will ever notice the difference! You can even rent a casket if you are going for cremation. If you find funeral homes’ casket a little steep, there are casket manufacturers selling at retail prices which you can buy and have it delivered to the funeral home at a later date.
·    Never divulge too much information to the funeral director. Funeral prices are adjustable however, if the funeral director knows you have much to spend, you can’t just expect this person to give you discounts and freebies right?
·    Compare notes with your friends. Someone in your circle of friends must have had an experience or two with deaths and such, get some tips on how they were able to get over such things.
·    Don’t acquire services that you won’t really need. A trip to a funeral home usually comes with getting pressured to acquire additional services. Resist them if you want to save a little more on your funeral costs.

Retirement is pretty much inevitable, unless you “live fast die young” but since you are reading this blog, I would assume that is not the case. However, along with the idea of retirement comes the ever-so-precious nest egg, which, you should start thinking about just around your 35th birthday.
In reality, putting up together a comfortable nest egg is not as easy as it may seem. It involves a lot of careful planning since, more or less, your future is in your hands. What’s alarming though is the fact that most older adults nearing retirement aren’t so sure if their nest egg would be enough to tide them over for the next 10 years or so. Yes, investments are in place, as well as their insurances and other retirement what-not but the fear of uncertainty is there, for sure.
For your own piece of mind, we have put together some tips for you to know if you are saving enough for your retirement:
•    Assessing your current financial status, especially your current lifestyle. It includes knowing exactly how much you are spending, let say, every month, and calculating your living cost from there, unless of course, if you intend to have a total “lifestyle overhaul” and end up living like a hermit up in some faraway mountain.
•    Consistent enough. Once you start to save a certain percentage of your income for retirement, make sure that you do this like clockwork. No more excuses, no more allowances. Just straight save up and forget about it—well at the very least, for now.
•    Setting aside budget for everything. Budget for future medical bills, trips you are planning to take, the taxes you are most likely to pay–even your vet bills if you have a pet! These should be considered as a separate entity from your personal nest egg.
•    Considering your dream retirement life. Your retirement plans should be laid out clearly so you can weigh how much you are going to need in the future.
•    Use retirement calculator available online. AARP has one, here is the link:  AARP Retirement Calculator. It will give you an idea how far you are in saving up for retirement and if you are putting your money in the right places.
•    Seek help from a financial advisor. If you’re in a serious doubt, you can consult a financial advisor right away! Two heads are always better than one anyway.

Riding the public transportation can be tough and it requires certain amount of “superhuman” powers such as “perfect” hand-eye coordination, “uncanny” motor skills, and “unbelievable” dexterity! Well, that’s not to mention your ability to make yourself look like you know exactly what you are doing and not appear gullible or lost during the ride itself. All these things make it harder for seniors to bear public transportation especially if they have already given up driving. Unfortunately, if seniors want to go places, they are left with such limited choices, unless you are up for knee-breaking walks!
Here are some handy tips to stay safe when using public transportation and well, come home in one piece:
·    Watch your step—especially in places where there are such signs! Also, don’t get too comfortable in places, no matter how familiar they are to you. It is important to always keep watch of the floor you are walking, be aware of the slippery ones and uneven pavement to prevent accidents from happening.
·    Avoid unnecessary movements while onboard, especially in trains. Doing so can call unwanted attention and can also throw you off balance.–two of the things you might want to avoid. Also, make sure you keep your head together when riding a bus, because it tends to suddenly stop and make sharp turns.
·    Do it slowly but surely–when riding the bus, stepping out of it or even when crossing the street. Avoid counterflows and never try to do “acrobatic” acts trying to beat an already closing train door. If a train is already overflowing with people inside, seniors should skip this one and just wait for the next train.
·    Leave excess baggage at home. Your hands must be free to support your balance anytime you need to. Also, use bags that will cling to your body instead of you holding them all the time. If you need to take home a package, have it delivered. Consider it as one less thing to mind.
·    Always mind the gap when getting in and out of the train. Bear in mind that there is always a gap between the train and the platform as they don’t come in one piece (in case you haven’t notice that!) if you are not too careful, you can trip on it or worse, get your foot stuck on one of them!
·    Try to avoid wandering around at night. You are most likely to avoid crimes and unlikely incidents if you just stay home during the night.
·    Ride in groups. Safety in numbers, seniors should remember that.

When you’re planning to travel, the first two things you need to consider is, first, the location or the destination and second, is if you would like to do it on your own or just join a tour group or a guided tour. Each of course, has their own pros and cons, it can even affect your travel budget tremendously, so if there is a restriction on your travel budget, this is one huge section of the travel where you can make a difference!
For the benefit of traveling seniors, here are some point you need to consider to help you decide whether to join group tours or just plan your trips on your own:
PROS:
·    CONVENIENCE.  Tired of doing all those research and map consultations just to plan your next trip? Then might as well sign up with group tours, choose your itinerary, pay your trip and just show up on time for departure. Highly recommended if this is your first time visiting the said destination.
·    SECURITY. This is true if you signed up with a reputable tour group company, greater if they specifically cater to seniors. Seniors traveling alone must also consider joining one than doing it on your own, unless you are familiar with the area you are going to.
·    COST EFFECTIVE. Group tours usually come in discounted rates—and it doesn’t apply only to airfares, they are most likely to include tour guide, transportation, hotel and meals. Group tours are charged per trip, not individualized.
·    EASY ACCESS TO PLACES. Group tours, like your grandchild’s field trips, are given easy access to popular tourist spots since your tour group company most likely “reserved” a specific time for your group, eliminating the possibility of standing in line for hours!
CONS:
·    TIME FLEXIBILITY is probably next to zero. Upon joining, seniors will be introduced to a pre-set itinerary, complete with time and dates which you have to observe at all times. You cannot just leave a place when you’re bored or linger a little longer if you enjoy the scene, you need to stick with your pack.
·    LIMITED FREE TIME. Group tours usually start very early and end too late, leaving you only evenings to do shopping or visit places on your own.
·    NEVER PERSONALIZED TOURS. Given that you are touring with a group, never expect the tour to always consider your strength and weaknesses such as a bad knee and other health issues you may have.
·    NO PRIVACY. Group tours, well, they do things as a group: you share a bus, lodge in the same hotel, share meals, climb the same steps.. If the idea behind the trip is to have a second honeymoon of sorts with your partner then group tours are certainly not for you!

While you go frolicking under the sun and smelling flowers, con artists are busy putting together scams to rip your money off you. Yes, seniors are not alone in this battle, however, scam artists are almost always after seniors as they see us as very easy targets. Sounds unfair right? Unfortunately, it’s true. Better take it as a warning than an offensive statement. What seniors need to know though is that scams are often seasonal such that as season changes, so does scams. I would like to consider it as “scam rotation”. For this Spring season, be especially aware of these things as they can be the very scam you are trying to avoid:
·    Door-to-door scams. Sun is out, making it easier for scammers to scout your area on foot. One of the most popular door-to-door scams offers magazine subscription for a good cause which sadly, many seniors fall for it. Mechanics are pretty much the same:  someone knocks on your door and offers you something irresistible, after exhibiting great persuasion skills, the person selling you stuff will then require you a downpayment or worse, your credit card details. Either way, no magazine will ever materialize and your money gone forever. One way to avoid this is to put a “DO NOT KNOCK” sticker in front of your house and complain if someone does.
·    Spring Cleaning Scams. These scams are usually found in your mailbox, along with dozens of mind-boggling offers ranging from legit to downright ridiculous. Spring cleaning scams involve carpet, duct and chimney cleaning. No matter what they say, never accept an offer you did not ask for. Always stick with reputable companies if you need these things done and always ask for an ID when someone comes to do the job. Spring cleaning scams have only one goal when committed; it is to get inside your house.
·    Home Repair Fraud. Need to repair the roof? Or perhaps your gutters need some cleaning? Of course, your house must have something to be fixed considering the winter battering and all. Wouldn’t it be nice if some considerate, just passing by contractor happens to see your need and come knocking on your door, offering services at very low, low prices? Well, think again! Home repair fraud must be the most popular Spring season scam ever designed targeting seniors and elderly people!
·    Spring break scam. Here’s how it exactly goes, someone phones you claiming that he or she is your grandchild, on some faraway place–vacationing, since it’s spring break–but got into trouble and need money so badly. Now, your supposedly “grandchild” wants you to wire him or her the money so they can go home safe and sound. Since it has an emotional angle to it, many seniors, indeed, fall for this kind of scam. Authorities warn that it won’t hurt one bit if you just give the parents of your grandchild a call first and inform them of the information you just received before actually sending the money. If this is not possible at the moment, report to the authorities and let them help you find your grandchild.

Planning and starting your own business, especially for retired seniors, are both fun and exciting as it marks a new chapter in your life and also, it will help you keep the financial aspect of your retired life running. However, doing it on your own can be tougher and may even bring about more stressful situations than all your working years combined—the one you retired from! Your simple solution? Get a partner on board!
While this setup appears easy enough to handle, many businesses get ruined by just a simple mismatched partnership. Great idea, yes, but sometimes, great business ideas get dumped just because partners don’t agree on the same thing—or refuse to give it a shot. Disagreements are expected especially if there’s money involved in it, however, you can eliminate most of the friction by securing these things ahead of time or prior to opening your business:
DO:  Make roles clear. That includes responsibilities each one holds. It may be harder for control freaks but trust me, it removes unnecessary confusion in the long run. Of course, assigning roles based on skills is very important so you need to assess one another‘s strength and weakness.
DON’T:  Be a passive partner. It’s your business too, you know! As much as your partner has the right to know and do things, he or she needs to let you know what’s going on in their assigned areas—and vice versa. This is what partnerships are for! Set up regular meetings to keep each other informed.
DO:  Discuss goals and expectations. Seniors should be wise enough to make sure you and your partner are in exact same page when it comes to how the business should run. Short and long term should be discussed as well as strategies you need to employ to reach those goals. While you’re at it, discuss budget as well.
DON’T:  Get resentment in the way—at least for the business. You should be able to communicate effectively with a partner. It is remotely possible if there is a wall dividing you guys so make sure there’s none.
DO:  Expect disagreements and plan how to settle disputes, if and when a problem arises. There should be a formal method on how to settle disputes and disagreements that is agreeable to both parties. A third party consultant can help.
DON’T:  Come unprepared. Never expect a partnership to always be smooth-sailing. There will be many issues to discuss once your business operates and there is bound to be a dispute along the way. Not knowing what these issues are and how they materialized will only make you vulnerable to manipulation.
Do:  Put it in writing—and have a lawyer look at it! This includes compensations, benefits, salary or how earnings should be divided. In other words, there should be an existing partnership agreement which specifically spell out responsibilities and rights of partners involved.

Considering the age we must be in right now and the experiences we have had so far, by common sense it is safe to assume that somehow seniors have already developed and honed their persuasion skills very well. We might even have developed our own tricky little ways to get the things we want in life. However, all things considered, some seniors prefer to just go with the flow and not put in good use their useful skills acquired all those years being a runner-up in life’s so-called rat race!
News flash for seniors! Now more than ever, you need to practice the art of persuasion. Whether you are starting your own business or hoping to land a job, or perhaps switching careers, seniors need to be persuasive enough to get things in order, and of course, be able to recognize it when applied to you as well. This, in a way, will help you assess if you are being scammed or not, if you get what I mean.
You would know you successfully persuaded a person if that person embraced your idea without any doubt at all. For those who are having a hard time applying persuasion, or feel guilty everytime they need to, here are simple ways to enhance your persuasion skills and further your influence as well:
·    Be generous. Consider this as an investment. By nature, people tend to loosen up when a person is kind or at the very least, appears to be kind. Generosity, indeed, is a sign you are willing to give whatever you have and you are kind enough to be trusted. It need not be material things, it can be in form of praises and such.
·    Personalized your moves. For example you are a client receiving an invitation though email from someone you bought something from few months back, would you like to receive a generic letter with “Dear Sir/Madam” on it or prefer to have your name emblazoned on top of it all? Of course, you would like to have the latter right? That’s the exact same thing the person you are talking to must be feeling.
·    Never confuse your audience. Seniors must focus on their thoughts when speaking to an audience. Never present too much choices and options to choose from instead, just give them only the ones they need.
·    Point out what they are missing instead of forcing your ideas in. By attacking an issue this way, your audience becomes more educated thus helping them arrive to a better understanding of the situation.
·    Express concern and move against self-interest. Yes, it may defeat your goal all together especially if you are trying to sell a product but by gaining your audience’s trust, it will be easier to have them accept and embrace your ideas.