Take Heart and Manage Stress is by Kelly Hassett of MedCOR Professionals.

February has been nicknamed “Heart Month” not only because of Valentine’s Day, but because the American Heart Association has been celebrating National Wear Red Day in February for the last 10 years. For everyone, but especially children of Baby Boomers who find themselves in the difficult position of working full-time while caring for aging parents, growing children and possibly even grandchildren, February is the perfect month to take stock and figure out better ways manage stress in everyday life.

If you are aged 35 – 54, you’re officially part of the “Sandwich Generation.” According to the American Psychological Association, “Nearly 40 percent of those aged 35 -54 report extreme levels of stress…not only on personal relationships…but also on their own well-being as they struggle to take better care of themselves.” This problem is a catch-22; caring for both children and parents while managing the responsibilities of everyday life can be stressful. This stress makes it difficult to handle responsibilities, which in turn, causes more stress.

Best Way to Manage Stress

The best way to manage stress is two fold. First, make time for yourself so you have the mental and physical energy to care for your loved ones. Second, get up and move. Take a walk, practice yoga, play softball or do whatever physical activity makes you happy.

If your schedule doesn’t allow you to join a gym, it may be time to invest in workout equipment for your home. Set aside a small space and visit your local equipment supplier. Consider a treadmill, an elliptical trainer, stationary cycle or a set of weights. Qualified specialists will not only sell you the equipment, they will teach you the best way to use it, and they’ll be there to answer questions even after the equipment is delivered to your home.

Yes, caring for loved ones can be challenging, but it is also life affirming, and “Heart Month” is the perfect time to improve the way you manage stress. After all, the memories you create today are the ones you’ll have for the rest of your life.

Winter preparation might make you cringe when summer in Maine is far from over! However, if you have lived in the northeast for any length of time, you probably know the importance of winter preparation. Ensuring that your home, garden, and automobile are ready for winter weather can be overwhelming and costly in the fall. By starting early, you can spread the time and cost of preparations throughout the late summer and fall.

Batten Down the Hatches

There are several simple and inexpensive things you can do to help keep your fuel costs down such as to apply caulk around windows and replace tired weather stripping around doors. You can also hang heavy drapes or fabric over windows to keep cold drafts out and the heat in each night. Be sure to schedule a furnace tune-up and filter change with your utility service provider. Quite often, this can be done for free, and will make your furnace run more efficiently. Winter preparation might save you some money!

If your home needs more extensive work to become energy efficient, state and federally subsidized, low interest loans such as PACE and Powersaver are available for making qualified whole house energy upgrades. Visit efficiencymaine.com to find out more.

If you use wood as a primary source of heat, ordering early could save you money. If you have a dry space for storage, pallets of compressed wood bricks can be delivered to your home already stacked for around the same cost as cord wood.

Get a head start on Winter Preparation

Avoid braving overcrowded stores with empty shelves just before a storm and put together your storm provisions now. Fill a box or bag with items you may need in a power-outage such as batteries, energy efficient LED flashlights, and nonperishable foods such as peanut butter, crackers, raisins, and canned goods.

Put the Garden to Bed

You can purchase perennials at a great discount from many garden centers and nurseries at this time of year. Planting them now can give roots time to establish before the spring. Covering beds with mulch doesn’t have to cost you a penny. Use dry raked leaves from your own yard to protect and nourish your gardens for the winter. If you have a large area to mulch, contact a local wood cutter or landscaper to purchase what you need. You may find significant savings!

Winter is No Time to Break Down

Schedule a tune-up with your mechanic to ensure your vehicle is running smoothly. If you do not own a cell phone, consider purchasing a prepay phone. They are fairly inexpensive, you only need a few minutes to call for help if you need it, and you can call 9-1-1 even if you do not have a service provider. Also, consider refreshing your defensive driving skills. Winter preparation includes staying on the road! The AARP Driver Safety class features a segment on winter driving, and completing the course may qualify you for a discount your auto insurance. Other restrictions may apply. Consult your insurance agent for details.

An ounce of winter preparation prevention now could make for a safe and happy winter later.

Portland Maine physical therapy has gained a new doctor of physical therapy. Congratulations to Coastal Rehab on their new Physical Therapist! Tyler Hews, PT, DPT graduated with his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Husson University.

Tyler brings four years of experience with both outpatient bone, muscle and joint patients,  and older people to Portland Maine physical therapy patients. He will be seeing new clients at Coastal Rehab’s outpatient clinic in Cape Elizabeth. He will also be providing physical therapy in clients’ homes and retirement communities.

Coastal Rehab notes that all of these services are covered under Medicare Part B and all major insurances, without the need of being “home-bound” to qualify. Welcome to the Portland Maine physical therapy senior health community, Tyler!

Vertical wheelchair lifts can be very helpful for those with a physical disability, as well as aged individuals who often spend most of their time in their wheelchairs and have limited mobility.

A vertical wheelchair lift, or platform lift, is powered by either hydraulics or electrical energy. This device allows an individual in a wheelchair to be elevated or lowered between floor levels without having to leave his/her wheelchair.The vertical wheelchair lifts come in many different models, such as:

• Enclosed Model – In this vertical wheelchair lift, the wheelchair and its occupant can stay on top of a platform while enclosed with walls as the lift moves up/down. This type of lift is especially practical for outdoor uses where safety may be compromised because of altering weather conditions.
• Shaftway Model – This kind of wheelchair lift can fit within existing walls, just like a typical elevator. It is useful in both residential houses and public establishments.
• Stage Model – This lift model features solely a platform. It is commonly used for shorter heights or elevations, such as on a stage or onto a vehicle.
• Opal Model – This vertical wheelchair lift is similar to the enclosed model that has a platform enclosed with walls. However, this lift model has an open ceiling.

Vertical wheelchair or platform lifts can be used in different locations. Vertical platform lifts give wheelchair-confined individuals a better way in to and out of their homes, since they can be raised from the ground up to their elevated (or with steps ) front porches. In schools or similar institutions, vertical wheelchair lifts are installed to give access to physically handicapped students, faculty and staff, and visitors to enter an auditorium stage or other elevated platforms. Some public buildings already have elevators installed, but they still opt to install vertical wheelchair lifts for this special need. Also, many older buildings have cramped areas that do not have spaces to accommodate ramps. That is why they prefer to have vertical platform lifts installed rather than the space consuming ramps.

For more information about vertical lifts visit Adapted Home and Business.

Article adapted from disabledliftssite.com

We all want the best for the senior loved ones in our lives. For many seniors, living independent lives at home is their main desire. Seniors are able to do so provided they are physically and mentally able to care for themselves. Sometimes, depending on their situations, seniors need help and guidance from friends and relatives, or from even caregivers who can facilitate the potential of seniors living home alone for as long as possible.

The key to seniors maintaining independent lifestyles depends on many factors and most importantly their safety in doing so. With that being said, it should be noted that one of the most common dangers older seniors face is falling. In fact, research shows that injuries and subsequent complications due to falls are the leading causes of death in seniors who are 65 and older. Furthermore, one out of three seniors in this age group fall each year. While not every tumble guarantees an injury, these statistics should prompt you and your senior loved ones to make every effort to prevent falls occurring within their homes.

The first place to evaluate is the bathroom. While this is the smallest room in the house, bathrooms potentially offer the most opportunities for falls to occur. Bathtub edges may be hard to step over for some seniors. Once in the shower or tub, wet surfaces can cause seniors to slip. Some seniors may not be able to stand steadily while bathing. Others may have trouble sitting down on toilets or standing up again after using them. Wet floors after showers or baths and even bath mats can cause seniors to slip and fall.

Comfort Keepers offers these ideas and solutions for safety in the bathroom:

Bathtubs and Showers
Install grab bars in proper places to aid in safe entry and exit of tubs and showers. Consider replacing a bathtub with a walk-in shower for seniors who have trouble stepping over high bathtub sides. Non-skid mats or decal applications should be applied on the floors of showers and tubs to help prevent slipping while bathing. Seniors who have trouble standing to bathe should use sturdy shower chairs made specifically for this purpose. Make sure soap, shampoos, towels and other bathing necessities are within easy reach.

Toilets and Floors
Seniors who have trouble sitting and standing up can have raised toilet seats installed to make this process easier. Grab bars should be installed for additional support. Make sure the toilet paper dispenser is easily accessible. Use a bathmat for the bathroom floor just outside the shower or tub to prevent slipping on slick floors after bathing. Place a non-skid material between the bathroom floor to prevent the mat from sliding or creasing.

While none of these safety features guarantees a no-fall zone, they certainly add layers of protection and aid for seniors at risk for falling. Your local home improvement store or durable medical equipment company carries safety devices made for specific purposes, and to ensure the safest results these items should be used instead of homemade devices. Another crucial element is installing safety aids properly and also teaching your loved ones how to use them. The discussion may be a bit hard to broach but the end result fosters safe, independent living for seniors in their own homes for as long as possible.

What can help me stay at home?

You may be used to handling everything for yourself, dividing up duties with your spouse, or relying on family members for help. But as circumstances change, it’s good to be aware of all the home care services available that might be of help. What you may need depends on how much support you have, your general health, and your financial situation.

Household maintenance

Keeping a household running smoothly takes a lot of work. If you’re finding it hard to keep up, you can look into laundry, shopping, gardening, housekeeping, and handyman services. If you’re having trouble staying on top of bills and appointments, financial and healthcare management may also be helpful.

Transportation

Transportation is a key issue for older adults. Maybe you’re finding it hard to drive or don’t like to drive at night. Investigating transportation options can help you keep your independence and maintain your social network. You may want to look into local transportation such as buses, reduced fare taxis, and senior transportation options to appointments.

Home modifications

If your mobility is becoming limited, home modifications can go a long way towards making home more comfortable. This can include things such as grab bars in the shower, ramps to avoid or minimize the use of stairs, or even installing new bathrooms on the ground floor.

Personal care

Help with activities of daily living, such as dressing, bathing, feeding, or meal preparation, is called personal care or custodial care. You can hire help with personal care, ranging from a few hours a day to live-in care. People who provide this level of care include personal care aides, home care aides, and home health aides. Home health aides might also provide limited assistance with things such as taking blood pressure or offering medication reminders.

Health care

Some health care services can be provided at home by trained professionals, such as occupational therapists, social workers, or home health nurses. Check with your insurance to see what kind of coverage is available, although you may have to cover some cost out of pocket. Help on Medicare coverage can be found in the Resources section below.  Hospice care can also be provided at home.

Day programs

Day programs, also called senior daycare, can help you keep busy with activities and socialization during the day, while providing a break for caregivers. Some day programs are primarily social, while others provide limited health services or specialize in disorders such as early stage Alzheimer’s.

Reprinted with permission for personal or non-profit use. Visit www.helpguide.org to see the article with links to related articles.  This material is for information and support; not a substitute for professional advice.

“Why can’t I just pay for my own long term care?”

I get that question frequently, and the answer is: you can.

Self-insuring, or simply deciding you’ve got enough money on hand to pay for your own long term care needs, is a perfectly acceptable strategy. But, this assumes that you know what you’re getting yourself into, and that you understand what self-insuring means. Let’s talk about a few things that you need to consider before you decide to self-insure.

Most of us know, within a few thousand dollars, how much it would cost us to replace our car, or even our house. That’s a predictable expense, something you can put a fairly accurate price tag on. How much will your long term care services cost you? You can’t say. It might be a few thousand dollars, but it could just as easily be half-a-million dollars. There’s just no way to predict it. That makes it hard to say “Okay, I’ve put aside X amount of dollars; this should cover my long term care needs.” That’s the first problem  – will the money you’ve identified as your long term care fund be enough? Most people drastically underestimate how expensive long term care can be.

The second problem is this – are you sure that money’s not going to be needed for anything else, before you need long term care? If you dip into this every time you go on a vacation, or every time you need to buy a new appliance, it’s not going to be there when you need long term care. Your long term care fund has to be used for nothing but long term care, so you need to put it aside and forget it. Again, not always as easy as it sounds.

Finally, what if you have enough money, but it’s not that easy to get to? I’ve had several clients who are very wealthy on paper, but all of their wealth is in real estate. If they needed cash, they’d be hard pressed to get it without either borrowing it or selling a piece of real estate. What if you happen to need it in the middle of a real estate market like the one we’re in now? Uh-oh. What if your money is kept in retirement accounts or investments? You’re going to be taxed on that when you take it out, right? Suddenly, if you’re drawing more than your normal income from these accounts, your taxes are going up. What if your money’s in the market, and the market is down when you need it? Using your own money is often more expensive than the actual care, because of the costs you incur in getting to it.

Self-insuring is a valid approach, but it’s not necessarily an easy or realistic one. Insurance provides you with leverage and access – you turn your relatively small premium into a much, much larger benefit that will be there when you need it. If you’re going to self-insure, make sure you know what you’re up against. Thanks!

And Happy New Year! Kerry Peabody, LTC insurance specialist, Clark Insurance

Maybe you’ve thought about long term care, and you’ve decided that you have enough money tucked away to take care of it when it happens to you. We insurance nerds call that “self-insuring.” You’ve decided that you’ll rely on your own assets to protect you, and that is a perfectly valid approach – as long as you realize what that means.

For instance, did you realize that a year in a private nursing home room in Maine right now costs a little bit over $100,000 on average?  That’s a lot of money. Now maybe if you’re single, and you’ve got some cash tucked away, and you don’t mind selling your home, you can cover this and not worry about it. Again, that’s perfectly okay – it’s your money. But what if that’s not the case? What if you have a spouse who still needs an income? What if you have a family you wanted to give that house or money to? You need to understand that the financial impact that long term care can have is significant, and that it may impact more than just you.

If you are determined to self-insure, you need to make sure that you have money set aside that’s tagged for nothing but long term care. It can’t be the money your spouse is going to need to live on. It can’t be the money you use to pay for your grandson’s first year of college. It can’t be the money you’re going to use to replace that old Buick that’s sitting in the driveway. Your long term care money has to be protected, so it will be there when you need it. If you use it for something else, you’ll be in a hard spot when you do need LTC services.

You can do this by simply leaving the money in a CD or a savings account. It may be part of your “bigger” accounts, but if so, make sure anyone who may be in a position to spend that money (powers of attorney, etc.) knows about your LTC fund. You may want to consider using one of the new “asset-based” LTC insurance plans that use a lump sum to fund a much larger benefit pool using your money as the base. They let you keep control of the money, so you haven’t lost it if you need it later. Wherever you put that money, make sure that it’s preserved for your LTC needs.

Self-insuring is a valid approach to planning for long term care, and for many people, it will work. But before you decide that it’s the right approach for you, you must consider the impact it will have on those around you, and that the money will actually be there when you need it. As you know, I’m a phone call away if you want to share your thoughts. Kerry Peabody, Clark Insurance

Maybe you’ve thought about long term care, and you’ve decided that you have enough money tucked away to take care of it when it happens to you. We insurance nerds call that “self-insuring.” You’ve decided that you’ll rely on your own assets to protect you, and that is a perfectly valid approach – as long as you realize what that means.

For instance, did you realize that a year in a private nursing home room in Maine right now costs a little bit over $100,000 on average?  That’s a lot of money. Now maybe if you’re single, and you’ve got some cash tucked away, and you don’t mind selling your home, you can cover this and not worry about it. Again, that’s perfectly okay – it’s your money. But what if that’s not the case? What if you have a spouse who still needs an income? What if you have a family you wanted to give that house or money to? You need to understand that the financial impact that long term care can have is significant, and that it may impact more than just you.

If you are determined to self-insure, you need to make sure that you have money set aside that’s tagged for nothing but long term care. It can’t be the money your spouse is going to need to live on. It can’t be the money you use to pay for your grandson’s first year of college. It can’t be the money you’re going to use to replace that 1983 Buick that’s sitting in the front yard with pieces falling off of it. Your long term care money has to be protected, so it will be there when you need it. If you use it for something else, you’ll be in a hard spot when you do need LTC services.

You can do this by simply leaving the money in a CD or a savings account. It may be part of your “bigger” accounts, but if so, make sure anyone who may be in a position to spend that money (powers of attorney, etc.) knows about your LTC fund. You may want to consider using one of the new “asset-based” LTC insurance plans that use a lump sum to fund a much larger benefit pool using your money as the base. They let you keep control of the money, so you haven’t lost it if you need it later. Wherever you put that money, make sure that it’s preserved for your LTC needs.

Self-insuring is a valid approach to planning for long term care, and for many people, it will work. But before you decide that it’s the right approach for you, you must consider the impact it will have on those around you, and that the money will actually be there when you need it. 

Call with questions. Kerry Peabody, Clark Insurance 

“Long term care insurance is too expensive.” Is it, really? How much does it cost? You don’t really know, do you, until you sit down with an LTC Specialist to discuss what sort of plan makes sense for you. LTC insurance is an extremely flexible product, and before a good agent starts throwing numbers out, he or she will sit with you and find out what you need for coverage. This is done by talking with you about your needs, your family, your finances, and your expectations. When you’ve talked through all of that, then the agent can recommend a plan, and that plan will drive the price.

Most clients are simply looking for an affordable safety net plan – something that will supplement their other assets, and help them stay out of the nursing home, while taking the burden off of their family. A safety net plan, if properly designed, will be quite affordable – especially when you consider the alternative – a very costly long term care bill. One major insurance carrier recently announced that they’re paying $1,500,000 per day in long term care insurance benefits. I’m guessing that the people getting those checks aren’t complaining that they paid too much for their insurance.

Now, this doesn’t mean you may not have heard some horror stories about ridiculously expensive policies. I can show you one of those policies, but chances are you don’t need it, you don’t want it, and won’t buy it. You’ll be unprotected because I tried to sell you an inappropriate plan. Or, we can design a good, solid, safety net plan that would be very reasonable in cost, and it would provide you with a lot of protection and the peace of mind you’re looking for.  

Be smart, and do your homework. Don’t “assume” yourself into a tight spot. Good luck! Kerry Peabody, Clark Insurance