Answers For Elders Radio Network

Many people fail when it comes to the non-financial aspects of retirement planning, and many miscalculate their longevity, outliving their money. Retirement Watch CEO Bob Carlson joins Suzanne to talk about these aspects of planning. Financial wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Learn more: * Bob Carlson: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001K8LP5K/about* Retirement Watch newsletter: https://www.retirementwatch.com/ or 800-552-1152* Retirement Watch: The Essential Guide to Retiring in the 2020s at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Retirement-Watch-Essential-Guide-Retiring/dp/1684513332* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Carlson joins Suzanne to talk about senior retirement finances. Retirement has changed multiple times, and you can expect the details to change again before you retire, meaning you need to keep up or it can cost you a lot of money. Bob talks about changes to Medicare, inflation, and interest rates that affect retirement planning. Financial wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. A lot of people aren't getting the most out of their investment programs. Bob says, "People for the last couple of decades, really, they've done well just focusing on the investments, because the markets have done so well, and good returns in the investment markets have really covered up a lot of mistakes and oversights in the other areas of retirement, because the strong returns have enabled you to overcome mistakes that cost you money in other areas. But I think that's kind of drawing to a close. We're still not back to the 2022 peak in the stock markets before that bear market. And I think I think lower investment returns are in the future. So anyone who's in or near retirement really needs to be focusing on these non-investment parts of retirement, rather than just thinking investment returns are gonna bail them out of everything." “I see actually six kind of issues coming up on people that I think are going to come to what I call the retirement squeeze. We can discuss those in some detail, but it's things like lower returns, investment markets – inflation is back. Social security and Medicare have financial problems. Your taxes are probably gonna go up, not down in the future. So there's this whole range of issues that are gonna change the whole retirement finance picture for a lot of people going forward, and as I said, you need to get away from just focusing on investments and look at this whole big picture of what your retirement finances are like. "A key thing people overlook, when you do surveys of people who have been retired for a while, they say the big mistake they made was they didn't realize how long their life expectancy was. They didn't focus on longevity and they say there were a lot of decisions they would have made differently if they'd realized what their real life expectancy was. "How do you anticipate proper longevity? How do you plan for that? Because a lot of people, when they were young, they were told their generation is going to live to the mid- to late seventies. But as you get older, as you avoid these early-in-life deaths that occur to a substantial part of your generation, your life expectancy goes up much higher. Suddenly someone who's 65 today is going to have a life expectancy on average of about another 20 years. which most did not anticipate. and most still are thinking their life expectancy is somewhere in the mid to late seventies when it's really significantly longer than that. And, and 25% of the population in that age group now is going to live to 85 or beyond. And many people don't realize that and they don't make decisions accordingly." Learn more: * Bob Carlson: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001K8LP5K/about* Retirement Watch newsletter: https://www.retirementwatch.com/ or 800-552-1152* Retirement Watch: The Essential Guide to Retiring in the 2020s at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Retirement-Watch-Essential-Guide-Retiring/dp/1684513332* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana:...

If you're adequately prepared, you can live a fulfilling life long into your senior years. Bob Carlson joins Suzanne to talk about senior retirement finances, noting that people haven't realized or properly planned for what their real life expectancy turned out to be. Bob's Retirement Watch newsletter is a staple of our partner Salem Media. Financial wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Learn more: * Bob Carlson: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001K8LP5K/about* Retirement Watch newsletter: https://www.retirementwatch.com/ or 800-552-1152* Retirement Watch: The Essential Guide to Retiring in the 2020s at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Retirement-Watch-Essential-Guide-Retiring/dp/1684513332* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are different ways you can remain solvent in your aging years, and there are techniques to maintain and preserve assets. Estate planning specialist David T. Phillips joins Suzanne to talk about the three types of leveraged care solutions and to provide an example of how they work. The three types are the Long Term Care Annuity, the Life Legacy/LTC Combo Strategy, and the Return of Premium LTC plan. David says, "The first one's an annuity, expands three times if you need care. If you don't need care, your family gets the annuity money back. The second one is the life insurance policy. And the life insurance policy has a long term care writer on it. And if you need long term care, you take 2% or 4% of that life insurance benefit, and you use that for care. The third option is called the return premium long term care strategy, and I kind of like this one. I like all of them, my wife likes the second one. I personally like the third one a little bit better, because it has an inflation writer on it." David provides an example of the Life Legacy/LTC Combo Strategy. A 65 year old male repositions $100,000, making it immediately worth $431,000. Because we added the 3% inflation rider, it will grow to $755k, or a monthly benefit of $9,736, for 72 months. David adds, "If we are healthy enough and have the means, we all should have a leveraged care solution plan in our estate plan. There is no debate. We need to quit being selfish. You can spread your deposit over 5, 10 or 15 years. If you itemize on your tax return you can tax deduct a portion of the transfer. The younger you are when you reposition your investment the better, because you get more benefit and it is easier to qualify. Only a Long-Term Care Annuity is available after age 80, until age 85." Answers for Elders listeners can receive a free copy of David's special report Leveraged Care Solutions: Answers to Today’s Long-Term Care Crisis, and other free Special Reports, when you subscribe to the "Generational Wealth Strategies" newsletter. Answers for Elders listeners can subscribe at a discounted fee of $77 a year, a $172 savings. Subscribe here to get the discounted rate: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/offer/gws-answers-for-elders-2 David's office is at 888-892-1102, or visit his Estate Planning Specialists website at https://epmez.com/. Learn more:* David T. Phillips: https://epmez.com/our-team* Generational Wealth Strategies newsletter: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to AARP, 90% of Seniors would prefer to be cared for in their homes. What have seniors done to make sure this happens? Estate planning specialist David T. Phillips joins Suzanne to talk about long term care strategies to make sure you have care in your later life. The solution to the long-term care crisis is a relatively new approach to long-term care insurance, known as leveraged care solutions, a.k.a. asset-based care plans. It's viable so long as you have the means. The concept is simple: With a leveraged care solution, you reposition an asset today from your left pocket to your right pocket, and it immediately it is valued three times greater than the sum you transferred. You leveraged each deposited dollar at a minimum of three times. If you don’t trigger the benefit, your family inherits the money you transferred. David explains the three types of Leveraged Care Solutions: the Long Term Care Annuity, the Life Legacy/LTC Combo Strategy, and the Return of Premium LTC plan. David says, "There's some options that you can have. You can have an annuity option, that as the annuity grows, so does the long term care benefit. So instead of being three times, it could be four times or five times as the annuity grows. If you never use the long term care benefit, the money that you transferred into it goes to your beneficiaries. So it's not like it's money down a rat hole that you're never going to see. Your kids are gonna actually inherit that money. "The second option is called the life legacy option, where you use a life insurance policy. And let's say the life insurance policy is a half a million dollar policy, and you take 2% of that, and you use that for your care per month for 50 months. So 2% of $500,000 would be $10,000 a month that would be used for your care, tax free. All of these benefits, by the way, are income tax free. And that benefit then goes for your care. Let's say you used it for 10 months. So 10,000 times 1,000,000, the rest of the money, the 400,000 from that 500,000 goes to your kids, your beneficiary." Answers for Elders listeners can receive a free copy of David's special report Leveraged Care Solutions: Answers to Today’s Long-Term Care Crisis, and other free Special Reports, when you subscribe to the "Generational Wealth Strategies" newsletter. Answers for Elders listeners can subscribe at a discounted fee of $77 a year, a $172 savings. Subscribe here to get the discounted rate: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/offer/gws-answers-for-elders-2 David's office is at 888-892-1102, or visit his Estate Planning Specialists website at https://epmez.com/. Learn more:* David T. Phillips: https://epmez.com/our-team* Generational Wealth Strategies newsletter: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast <a...

Most baby boomers haven’t planned for a long term care event, considering that only seven percent of adults over age 50 own any form of long term care insurance. Estate planning specialist David T. Phillips joins Suzanne to talk about how to reposition baby boomer assets in order to have funds available for a long term care event. Financial wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured on the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. David says, "Only one in 30 adults have a long term care plan in place. What's going to end up happening is that you're going to be forced to go on Medicaid. And to get on Medicaid, you have to totally spend down your assets and actually be a pauper and not have any money at all. And then you get to go to the long term care facilities that the government assigns you to go to. You don't get to stay at home. You have to go where they tell you, you have to do what they tell you to do. In fact, almost half of all long term care benefits today are paid by Medicaid. It means that people are being forced to basically spend down. And right now, you can act. If you have the means, you need to reposition some of those means right now in a leverage care solution. "If we don't have the assets shifted and transferred correctly, our kids are gonna have to take care of us, and then our kids are gonna have to take care of the kids, and so on. So it's really a good idea to get some planning in place now, at least understand what your options are. A lot of people are just scratching their heads saying, 'Hey, I'm gonna avoid this bus. I don't want this bus,' but COVID proved that it can happen to anybody at any time... So you know how vulnerable, how fine the line is, how exposed we are. "This concept that the insurance industry actually has set up for us is a viable solution. We used to only have the use-it-or-lose-it long term care policies... And now with the leverage care solution, we have three basic options that we can choose from, that are all viable solutions that can help us solve this long term care crisis, not only for us individually but for our families." Answers for Elders listeners can receive a free copy of David's special report Leveraged Care Solutions: Answers to Today’s Long-Term Care Crisis, and other free Special Reports, when you subscribe to the "Generational Wealth Strategies" newsletter. Answers for Elders listeners can subscribe at a discounted fee of $77 a year, a $172 savings. Subscribe here to get the discounted rate: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/offer/gws-answers-for-elders-2 David's office is at 888-892-1102, or visit his Estate Planning Specialists website at https://epmez.com/. Learn more:* David T. Phillips: https://epmez.com/our-team* Generational Wealth Strategies newsletter: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network:...

David T. Phillips joins Suzanne to talk about a crisis in Long Term Care and how it is seriously negatively impacting Americans. Financial wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured on the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. He says statistically we are woefully unprepared for a medical long-term care event: * If you are 65 years or older, there is a 72% chance that you will require some type of extended long term care in your lifetime.* If you are married and over 65, there is a 91% chance that one of you will experience a long term medical event.* Warning: Long-Term Care isn’t cheap. The national average is over $110,000 a year, and full time Alzheimer’s care in Arizona is over $200,000 a year.* Currently, 43% of all long-term care expenses are covered by Medicaid. The problem is that Medicaid provides bare-bones coverage, and to qualify you must spend down your assets to virtually nothing. David T. Phillips is a nationally recognized consumer advocate for estate planning, insurance and long term care, with 51 years of experience. He is the author of the bestselling books Estate Planning Made Easy, The Family Bank Strategy, The 10 Most Common Estate Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, and more. He co-authors the extremely helpful estate and financial planning newsletter ''Generational Wealth Strategies." He is the CEO and founder of Estate Planning Specialists. With clients in every state, his companies have assisted thousands of Americans properly plan their estates. Answers for Elders listeners can receive a free copy of David's special report Leveraged Care Solutions: Answers to Today’s Long-Term Care Crisis, and other free Special Reports, when you subscribe to the "Generational Wealth Strategies" newsletter. Answers for Elders listeners can subscribe at a discounted fee of $77 a year, a $172 savings. Subscribe here to get the discounted rate: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/offer/gws-answers-for-elders-2 David's office is at 888-892-1102, or visit his Estate Planning Specialists website at https://epmez.com/. Learn more:* David T. Phillips: https://epmez.com/our-team* Generational Wealth Strategies newsletter: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Real Estate 55 Plus provides a spectrum of services for seniors. Real Estate 55 Plus CEO Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about what typically happens when a senior loved one passes and a home goes into probate. "When we're gonna go into the home, I would say 25% of the time the personal representative or the executor doesn't live in the state or the city where the property is at. They may have never even have seen it depending on the circumstances. So we're going to come in and do an evaluation on the home, and we're going to give a comparative market analysis that says what the home value is worth. "And we're gonna provide up to four options for the executor for the estate, with the first one being selling the home off market. People say, well, why would you do that? Well, typically in a seller's market, sellers aren't gonna take that option and we would typically recommend not for an executor to do executor to do that. But if we're in a buyer's market or the property has a lot of deferred maintenance, it may be the best option for the estate. "Option number two would be do a pre-inspection on a home and disclose the issues, but don't do any work. And option three could be, do a pre-inspection and do some work so you're gonna increase the net proceeds. And number four would be to do a full remodel. So we give those options to the executor. "Typically, the decisions are made based on how much we return on investment and time. Those are the two big, you know, indicators I think for the person that's going through that process and making decisions. If there are multiple beneficiaries, there's a lot of family dynamics. So we not only work on the real estate, we not only work on the real estate side, but we're the, we're the, we're the problem solvers. We're coming in and we're, we're working with the executor honoring the deceased person's wishes. And, you know, we don't know the family dynamics and they share those with us. So we want to be really sensitive to everybody else that's part of the process." You can reach Juli Anne Gibson at (800) 964-1553 or https://realestate55plus.com/. Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seniors are waiting longer before they make a change. For many, they wait so long that they end up limiting their options. They have a fall, are injured to an extent that they're no longer able to live independently, and now have a crisis to move. Real Estate 55 Plus CEO Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about what holds people back, the biggest questions people ask about downsizing, and provides an example of a family that faced a moving crisis. Juli Anne says, “It's amazing what you don't see when you live in your own home. When you have somebody with fresh eyes coming in, we can see all of the possible hazards in somebody's home. That includes not just the house itself, but someone's physical presence. Oftentimes people are dehydrated, or malnourished, or their balance is off. And so they're not taking care of themselves in the way that they could so they could live independently longer.” What holds people back from downsizing? Juli Anne says, "I think it depends. I think a lot of it's not knowing, it's the unknown. And I think in the United States, we really pride ourselves on independence. When we're teaching workshops, one of the questions we ask is, have you made a plan for housing and aging and overwhelming? We hear people say, 'I want to stay in my home until you take me out feet first.' And I always say, what's the plan for you being able to stay in your current home? And what we find is a lot of times a senior is only living in maybe 25 - 35% of their home. And the reason they don't want to move it because they don't know how they could possibly do that and. Oftentimes when we come in, and we can show them these are the options available to you, and this is how you could do it, it's a relief for people. Our, goal is that someone make good decisions and proactive decisions about housing and aging." You can reach Juli Anne Gibson at (800) 964-1553 or https://realestate55plus.com/. Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're thinking about moving, Real Estate 55 Plus conducts valuable Aging With Choice workshops. Founder and CEO Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about working with families, real estate agents, executors, and estate planners. She talks about how the workshops work, then provides a great example of a senior who took the workshop and how it led to her moving choices. Juli Anne says, "We really are passionate about seniors and we would love for everybody to have a plan about housing and aging. That's really what we would love. And we understand that everybody is in a different stage in their lives when they come to us. So Aging With Choice workshops, we offer free, and we host them at retirement communities at fire stations, llibraries, anywhere that we can gather. It is a workshop in the sense that you're gonna leave with something that you're gonna be working on. But we're gonna give you the steps of what you're gonna be working on to make good decisions about housing and aging." "The first 30 years of your life, you're deciding what you want, what you like, and then you spend the next 30 years accumulating it. Then the last part of your life, you're getting rid of it. And for so many people, that process is what stops them from moving forward. We talk about how you can do that successfully, and we even have tools that you can use. And people can actually access that information on our website. They can download a request form and we'll mail out that packet to them." "We partner with senior housing advisors who really understand the different options that are available, how much they're gonna cost, what level of service they're gonna provide. And in 95% of the cases, those services are free to seniors. We're referring all the time to our senior housing advisors, because they do the leg work for our senior clients and their families. So once we meet with the family, and we have a really clear understanding of their finances, what types of services they're going to need for both physical or possibly mental, what they love doing, and what are their passions and desires, and then that senior housing advisor will say, based on that criteria, these are the communities or the options that are available to you." You can reach Juli Anne Gibson at (800) 964-1553 or https://realestate55plus.com/. Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're a senior living in a home that's not working for you, and you need to make a change, but don't know what the next steps are, specialized services for seniors are available at Real Estate 55 Plus. Founder and CEO Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about working with families, real estate agents, executors, and estate planners. She talks about creating a roadmap to minimize the stress involved in moving, particularly for those over 55. Juli Anne says, "Oftentimes people don't know the options that are available to them. So we teach those Aging With Choice workshops, and then we have clients that were really working more with the adult child, and there's been a crisis, mom or dad fell and are no longer able to go home and live alone by themselves. You get called in and really, it's kind of triage at that time. And then we work a lot with executors and executors for estates. So someone has real estate that they need to sell with the probate process. We step in and most people are just overwhelmed with what that emotionally and financially and all the above just trying to figure out how to deal with all of this overwhelm when you've had a horrible loss." "We actually have a client that's been living in a home for a long time and recently has moved to assisted living. And most of our seniors, their major asset is the equity in their home. They don't have the funds to pay for an assisted living or retirement community or memory care. So we offer gap funding, and we pay that directly to the community, so the senior can move in, and then we do any of the needed repairs or refresh on the property so we can maximize their net proceeds. And then we get reimbursed at closing for paying for that gap funding. And we don't charge an interest rate for that. There's not a minimum or maximum amount of time." Juli Anne adds, "We recommend to our clients that we do what we call a pre-listing inspection of the home. Not only will that provide information for our senior clients, so they can make good decisions on repairs, if it makes sense to do a refresh or make repairs, because they're gonna get a return on investment.But it's also really great to provide that information to a buyer, so they can make good decisions on writing offers. And then we know when we list a property, we can fully disclose any of the issues with the home." 8:30-9:10 set the stage... style of the home based on the buyer... work with the family... variety of products we can provide based on senior circumstance, save the most time, make the most money "50% of the seniors that we work with don't have their legal matters in place. And so their plan is no plan, and that is a plan. So they're waiting for a crisis to happen. They aren't aware of the documents that they need, and who they need to appoint for those..." "When they have a plan, number one, I think it just gives you peace of mind knowing, hey, if, if I'm no longer able to make decisions, this person's gonna make those for me and they know what my decisions are. So when we get called in to work with the senior, and all the family or the friends know what the plan is, we don't have to do a lot of the triage... We have about 72 different types of services organizations that we partner with, and depending on someone's unique road map for housing and aging, we plug in those services for them." You can reach Juli Anne Gibson at (800) 964-1553 or https://realestate55plus.com/. Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/

Will people hit their goal for retirement? Like getting out the good china, we rarely think about our post-retirement finances. Brynne Malone, the owner and founder of Aging Solutions NW, joins Suzanne to talk about how a financial manager considers the entirety of your situation. Brynne says, "They kick their feet up, and they might do some traveling and get very active initially,and then it's kind of like using the good china at Thanksgiving and Christmas twice a year. Every once in a while, you think about [finances], but you may or may not break it out. And what people tend to do as they get older, their energy level can drop, their motivations can drop and with that, their focus and their goals kind of go by the wayside. I think what a professional brings into that scenario is keep them focused and help give them focus and more goals. Like how long do you want to stay in your home? Do you have a goal for how long you want to live and try to get people engaged? Do you have a goal for your weight? Do you have a goal for staying healthy? Those kind of things. And to just to get mom and dad thinking about how they want to have a really high quality of life. We're all gonna end up in the same place at the end of the day, right? We're going to have an expiration date at some point. What do you want that journey to look like? And part of what I do is really talk to mom and dad about their life journey, and really try to document that, put it down on paper, have a witness, and help them get to that goal. And that brings in the care planning piece, as well as the financial piece. But they're symbiotic, they go hand in hand." Brynne adds, "We look at a person's life holistically, where other providers, they look at that specific issue. But we're trying to look at a paint a broad brush and what the problems could be going forward, and that's just so important, the quality of life. You want your kids to have a quality of life so you want them as involved as they need to be. But they don't want to feel like they have to be involved. I mean, 60% of caregivers suffer from depression and sacrifice, sacrificing their own time for their own family. Parents don't intentionally try to do that. So if parents are more focused and goal oriented, it's better for the entire family." Suzanne asks, "A great majority of the people out there including seniors, they live on a fixed income. They have and oftentimes they have no assets. Does that mean they don't need a plan?" Brynne says, "No, just the opposite. Planning is not immune to wealth. Everyone should have a plan. When you have restrictive funds and those type of things, you're still a human being, and there are still resources that will be avail available to you. We need to really sit down and, again, document what those are. Look at your resources ahead of time. It doesn't matter if you have $5,000 to your name." Aging Solutions connects people across the United States with resources to guide you through aging challenges. Brynne Malone offers a free 30-minute consultation for listeners to Answers for Elders. Reach Brynne at 509-981-1520 or https://agingsolutionsnw.com/. Learn more* Brynne Malone: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/about/* Aging Solutions NW: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ See more* Articles and podcasts about <a...

A professional finance manager can craft a life book to document your assets, income, and expenses – or for your senior loved ones – and how it insulates mom and dad from feeling like they're sharing too much with their family. Brynne Malone, the owner and founder of Aging Solutions NW, joins Suzanne to talk about life books. Financial wellness, knowing you have resources to maintain your life, is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured in the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Brynne says, "The first step really is to employ a professional like myself to sit down with you, and go through and do what I call the Life Book. And the Life Book is where we put all your assets together, and we look at three categories. We look at what your income is. We look at what your liquid assets or stocks, bonds, bank, bank accounts, CDs, those kind of things. And then we look at your expenses. And then we can get the family involved in that. And it does two things. It insulates mom and dad from really feeling like they're sharing too much information with the children. But it also gives the child, when they see that this has been done professionally, it gives the child reassurance that mom and dad are being supported. And if I need to step in because I'm the power of attorney or whatever role they might be, I can keep up with it... It allows everybody to act as a family, and give that love and support, and allows a professional manager like Aging Solutions to step in and ask the right questions, and help the families prepare a plan." Aging Solutions connects people across the United States with resources to guide you through aging challenges. Brynne Malone offers a free 30-minute consultation for listeners to Answers for Elders. Reach Brynne at 509-981-1520 or https://agingsolutionsnw.com/. Learn more* Brynne Malone: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/about/* Aging Solutions NW: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ See more* Articles and podcasts about Financial Wellness: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/financial-wellness/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/ Image: © Can Stock Photo / rmarmionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brynne Malone, the owner and founder of Aging Solutions NW, joins Suzanne to talk about trip wires when it comes to the financial plan for your aging years, or the finances of your senior loved ones. Financial wellness, knowing you have resources to maintain your life, is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured in the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Suzanne asks, "What are the modern-day dangers to a senior's financial well-being, that could cause a situation where they could run out of money?" Brynne says, "If you're a child, and you're going home, and mom and dad's mail is piling up, they may be getting behind on their bills. A couple of things, just historically, that are impacting where people are financially is inflation, it takes a huge bite out of a person's buying power. So they're not really sure, you know what they can afford, they don't ask the question, can I afford this? And how long can I afford this? Some other contributing factors, there's a number of folks who are out there, and I hate to say this, but they're preying upon the vulnerability of our aging population... So you want to have some insulation and barriers, and I think that's where having a third-party professional like myself [helps]." Suzanne adds, "There might be an HVAC person, a roof person, cable, internet, a caregiver – not going through a private caregiver. But also family members. I hate to say it, but the statistics show the number one statistic of elder financial abuse is through adult children." To protect yourself financially, Brynne advises, "First of all, admitting that you need help. And that you can look to a professional that can guide you through that. And that's not necessarily your investment advisor or CPA solely, but the team of your investment advisor and your CPA, and then a professional that can also bring in what the health care costs are going forward... If a person reaches age 65 their medical costs – even with Medicare factored in is – are gonna be over $440,000.... People's money is not going as far as it once did. And that is a huge challenge for families." Suzanne asks what happens if someone gets a catastrophic illness like Alzheimer's? Brynne says, "It's going to have a huge impact. What I advise my clients is, you want to have your emergency medical fund set aside. And at minimum, you need $25,000 liquid in there. That would buy you some time to sit back and analyze, and get your team together, where are we going from here? And you can do some longer-range planning. But if you're sitting there with $5000 liquid, that could be gone literally in two weeks." Aging Solutions connects people across the United States with resources to guide you through aging challenges. Brynne Malone offers a free 30-minute consultation for listeners to Answers for Elders. Reach Brynne at 509-981-1520 or https://agingsolutionsnw.com/. Learn more* Brynne Malone: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/about/* Aging Solutions NW: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ See more* Articles and podcasts about Financial Wellness:...

Do you have a financial plan to move forward in your aging years? Do your senior loved ones have a plan? Sometimes it's hard to bring up those topics with them, but if you get asked to serve as power of attorney for a family member, it's your business to find out. Sitting down with a senior finance manager might be a great way to bridge you to this information in a non-invasive way. Brynne Malone, the owner and founder of Aging Solutions NW, joins Suzanne to talk about how to talk to your parents about their family finances. Financial wellness, knowing you have resources to maintain your life, is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured in the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. 45% of children do not know who their senior parents' doctor or health care provider is. Brynne says, "I think it's just kind of a lack of communication and more so than that, how to communicate how much do I want to put it on my children in these circumstances, particularly when it comes to finances... As people get older, there tends to be a role reversal, and sometimes there could be a lot of friction with that. Parents who are thinking I'm in charge, and I need to be in charge, but they don't continue that goal setting, that goal planning, because they've already met the goal of retirement. And the kids are like, mom and dad are taking care of themselves, and I don't need to intrude." 36% of adult children actually live more than 100 miles away from their senior parents. How can they be in touch on a day-to-day basis? Brynne advises, "I think the best way to do that is [for the parent to] know what your assets are, and know what your liabilities are, so you can have a position of power, and where to start to start having these conversations. If there's any ambiguity at all in speaking with your children, it'll get to a point where there can be some conflict. As the parent, you want to be as specific as possible. You're the bus driver, not the passenger. So know where you are, get your assets documented, get your income documented, and get your expenses documented." How do we begin discussing this topic with senior loved ones? Brynne says, "Just talking about finances is such an important thing and I think oftentimes it gets kind of tucked away on the back of the closet as we get older and we are retired. How I approach it with the families that I have the pleasure of working with is, let's ask mom and dad what their goals are. Are their goals to stay in the home? Are their goals to move to a supported living situation? Really, what are their goals? And then let's look at the cost of whatever those goals might be bringing in, in home care, or moving to an assisted living. And then being just really honest about where mom and dad are medically, and what that looks like. It's incredible how much life expectancies have increased since 1900. I mean, 48 years old was old in 1900. Here we are in 2023, and 83 is the new number, right? So it's a challenge." Aging Solutions connects people across the United States with resources to guide you through aging challenges. Brynne Malone offers a free 30-minute consultation for listeners to Answers for Elders. Reach Brynne at 509-981-1520 or https://agingsolutionsnw.com/. Learn more* Brynne Malone: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/about/* Aging Solutions NW: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series:...

Resident Diane Miller at Era Living's Gardens at Town Square retirement community joins Suzanne to talk about her story, why she moved into senior living, what surprised her most about moving in, the encouraging support she got from residents, and important things she was looking for in senior living. Diane says, "I moved to Seattle when I was in high school. And after college I married my husband, who had been born and raised in Seattle. We had a wonderful home, but ... we had to change. There were signs of dementia coming, very faint signs, but we knew it was coming. And I also knew that my eyesight was changing and I would have to give up driving. We'd lived in a place where we needed a car, and maintenance was getting harder. I did not want my husband climbing up that ladder one more day, which men tend to do. And so it was time for us to look around, while we were in charge, while we made the decision, and we could make up our minds what to do with our things." "One of the things that we that sold us here was that there's a lot of walking area. With fading eyesight, you need to be very careful where you walk. So being level was important, and we just had the freedom to come and go. We were in independent living, so that was our plan. It didn't turn out that way, but for two and a half years, that's the way it was. And we looked at several places. I think that's good to compare. I think one of the things that sold us here probably the most was the friendliness, not just of the staff, which was very friendly and very welcoming. But the residents themselves, and I think that spreads from the staff setting the example, and it was very easy to meet people. They were very, very welcoming and quickly got us connected with people, with activities. And that's another thing we have enjoyed so much. Not being able to drive, to keep up what we have been doing before, the activities that are offered are absolutely wonderful." Diane says, "I think you need to recognize that it's gonna be an emotional time, but you have a lot of support system and, and we had some help, a lot of help from our sons and grandchildren. And so breaking up a home you lived in for 50 years with all your stuff, and all your junk, things you had to give up. We had time to think about that, to make some choices. And I think having that time of thinking about it was very helpful." The Gardens at Town Square is located at 933 111th Ave NE, Bellevuw, WA 98004-4486. Learn more:The Gardens at Town Square: http://www.eraliving.com/communities/bellevue/Era Living: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/Era Living's website: https://www.eraliving.com/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network:: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From getting our daily dose of vitamin D to the mental health that comes from gardening, enjoying our symbiosis with the environment is healthy. Kelley Dennings from the Center for Biological Diversity joins Suzanne to talk about some of the health benefits that come from connecting with nature. Learn more:Kelley Dennings: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/about/staff/Center for Biological Diversity: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/ Hear other radio shows on this topic: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/environmental-wellness/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelley Dennings from the Center for Biological Diversity joins Suzanne to talk about how we can make a difference when families gather for holidays to live a more eco-friendly life. Suggestions include reducing decorations, using reusable dishware, and offering alternative gifts such as your time can be a win-win for everyone. Learn more:Kelley Dennings: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/about/staff/Center for Biological Diversity: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/ Hear other radio shows on this topic: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/environmental-wellness/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we know better, we can do better for our environment. Kelley Dennings from the Center for Biological Diversity joins Suzanne to talk about how we can individually make a difference with our pocket book to live in a way that's more supportive of the ecological sustainability of our world. Learn more:Kelley Dennings: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/about/staff/Center for Biological Diversity: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/ Hear other radio shows on this topic: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/environmental-wellness/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelley Dennings from the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity joins Suzanne to talk about the mindset of being eco-friendly, living a sustainable lifestyle that's supportive of our world's ecosystem. We're dependent on clean air and healthy foods. Environmental wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured in the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Living sustainably might not seem that important for one person, but it is for the collective whole of humanity. Kelley is the Center's Population and Sustainability Campaigner. She develops and executes advocacy and outreach initiatives addressing the connections between reproductive health, gender equity, endless growth, inequitable consumption, and the climate and extinction crises. Learn more:Kelley Dennings: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/about/staff/Center for Biological Diversity: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/ Hear other radio shows on this topic: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/environmental-wellness/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suzanne Allbee, CEO of Bee Organized Seattle, joins Suzanne Newman to talk about decluttering, particularly for those with challenges such as ADHD or mobility limitations. Suzanne Allbee says, "Someone may have a mobility challenge. Maybe they are now not able to walk up and down stairs as well as they used to. So that can dictate a change in their kitchen environment. Maybe things need to come down a level. Maybe we need to think about moving their primary bedroom from upstairs to the main floor. Maybe it's the floor plan of where the furniture is arranged, to create space for a wheelchair. Sometimes clutter can take over, and it affects us mentally, for sure. We're here to offer, not only education and knowledge about that, but also some tough love at times and a little bit of humor along the way doesn't hurt." Suzanne Newman says, "They helped me with the process of [realizing] I don't need 20 pairs of jeans. I don't need 50 tops. We got rid of so much stuff and it felt good. And I don't miss it. There are people out there that can use these." She adds, "Now everything is neatly in its own little cubby. I can see these things. Look at that, all of my clothes are organized. It's like every single thing is perfect in a drawer. Because everything's in its place, and I know where it is, I have this sense of pride over my environment, and it helps me maintain it. They've given me an ability to do that. "We do have seniors do have mobility challenges. They can't do what they need to do. If you have a family member, and it's something that you want to do special for your loved one, here's a wonderful gift for them. It's a wonderful way for you to step up and help a loved one, to say we're gonna hire Bee Organized and we're gonna help you. There's a way that you can live freer. That has helped me." Suzanne Allbee adds, "I think that a lot of people are hesitant to start the process because they think that an organizer is going to come in – or a downsizer, whatever you wanna call it – and just make them get rid of everything. That's not what we're there to do. We're not there to say you need to get rid of everything. We are there to help you identify what is the most special. How do we celebrate? What is the most special, and how do we get rid of the things that aren't useful?" Answers for Elders listeners get a free consultation and $100 off their first session with Bee Organized. Learn more* Bee Organized locations: https://beeorganized.com/about-the-company/* Bee Organized: https://beeorganized.com/* Suzanne Allbee: https://beeorganized.com/our_team/suzanne-allbee/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more* Podcasts with Bee Organized at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/tag/bee-organized/* Articles and podcasts about Environmental Wellness: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/environmental-wellness/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast <a...

If you've got too much stuff in your house, or a cluttered room, Suzanne Allbee, CEO of Bee Organized Seattle, talks about how to go about changing that. She talks about the first steps of their process. Environmental wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, a focus of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Suzanne Allbee mentions some signs people can look for to know it's time to declutter. "Some of the obvious ones are when someone's health is not doing so great, perhaps that they are struggling with energy levels, or they know that down the road they will likely need to move. That's an easy one. If you sit in your home, and you look around, and you're not comfortable with your space, or it's not making you happy, it's not sparking joy, there's an opportunity there. I tell everybody, it is truly a gift to your family and friends for you to take the time to go through your things while you are physically and mentally able." Suzanne Allbee says, "When someone is ready to start the process of decluttering or downsizing, the first thing is literally just to begin. Make a calendar date with yourself, start small. It doesn't have to be done overnight. Number two, engage an organizer, a third party to help. Sometimes if we rely on friends or family, we put a burden on them. They don't have the time for it, frankly. It's easier, sometimes, with a neutral third party. Number three, we always suggest a regular schedule, set up a cadence that feels good to you, once a month, once a week, once a quarter, whatever that looks like to you, that feels comfortable for you, at a pace that you can handle. And then lastly, I just say be ready. It's some decision making, it is emotional. You are going to be going through memories of your entire life. We're gonna choose what is the most important to celebrate and go on from there." Answers for Elders listeners get a free consultation and $100 off their first session with Bee Organized. Regarding the initial consultation, Suzanne says, "It could be Zoom, or it might be in person, depending on where you live and everyone's schedule. Honestly, Zoom at the very minimum, because I do want to see your space." Learn more* Bee Organized locations: https://beeorganized.com/about-the-company/* Bee Organized: https://beeorganized.com/* Suzanne Allbee: https://beeorganized.com/our_team/suzanne-allbee/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more* Podcasts with Bee Organized at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/tag/bee-organized/* Articles and podcasts about Environmental Wellness: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/environmental-wellness/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/ Image: Free Stock photos by VecteezySee <a...

Suzanne Allbee, CEO of Bee Organized Seattle, talks about a harsh reality: Your kids don't want your stuff. The idea of sorting possessions can be overwhelming, but there's a better way than piling everything into a storage locker. Bee Organized offers a short quiz that helps them understand how you relate to your stuff. This helps them understand you, so they can help you focus on how to celebrate what's special, while letting everything else go. Environmental wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, a focus of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Suzanne Allbee says, "Your kids don't want your stuff. They don't, it's the truth. That generation lives very differently, very much more minimalistic. They don't want the same things. However, there is a case for wanting to maintain a memory. My mother, my grandmother, and my aunt quilt. There's probably 100 quilts in our family. Do I need to save every one? No, but I can choose one or two to save and actually use, or showcase in some way, in my home, celebrate those special things. But you've just got to let go. It lifts a burden." Suzanne adds, "So many seniors think of downsizing as moving into a senior facility, or some other environment that isn't their home, but you can downsize in your own space. You can declutter and downsize and end up in a home that works for your needs, your new needs, perhaps, and also your lifestyle." Regarding the biggest challenges with seniors as a whole, Suzanne says, "It's a daunting task, especially if you have been in your home for 10, 20, 30, sometimes 50 years. The idea of going through your things is overwhelming. We get that. There's a sense of not wanting to burdening family or friends. It's the pride factor." "I don't know if I call it pet peeve, but it hurts my heart to think about the thousands and thousands of dollars that are being spent on storage lockers. People don't even know what's inside them. You know, it is one of the largest growing industries, that storage locker component, because the Baby Boomers are aging. What do I do with my stuff? I'm just gonna put it in here and deal with it later, and then later never comes. It becomes the problem of a family or friend." How does Bee Organize help people help decide what to save? Suzanne says, "Everyone is different. But we do have one tool called our organizing profiles, that we use quite often. It's a short quiz on our website that basically helps us identify how people relate to their stuff. They're holding on to something. Are you holding onto it for a reason, or maybe because you paid a lot of money for it, you can't rationalize getting rid of it, or maybe you're holding on to something just in case you might need it someday. So once we kind of have a better idea of why you're holding on to your things, we can help you go through those things, and we are really wanting to celebrate what's special and let everything else go." Answers for Elders listeners get a free consultation and $100 off their first session with Bee Organized. Learn more* Bee Organized locations: https://beeorganized.com/about-the-company/* Bee Organized: https://beeorganized.com/* Suzanne Allbee: https://beeorganized.com/our_team/suzanne-allbee/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/...

Suzanne shares her story of having ADHD, having to move, and hiring Bee Organized for a life-changing experience to help reorganize her stuff. Suzanne Allbee, CEO of Bee Organized Seattle, joins Suzanne to talk about living sustainably. Environmental wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, a focus of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Suzanne Newman admitted, "I had no idea how life changing it would be. It seemed to me, organizers don't want to take me on. I'm too embarrassed, I'm too overwhelmed. And I just sent a photo of the room that they worked on mostly, which we called Suzanne's junk room. Well, it was really great because Holly, one of the team members, said, 'It's not your junk room anywhere. We're gonna stop that kind of thinking.' So, it's now my hobby room. And the nice thing about it is, I am proud of my space now. I'm proud of my new home. I love how it's coming together. It was an investment in my sanity, in my self esteem. I don't think a lot of people understand specifically what professional organizers do, and they were life changing for me." Suzanne Allbee says, "Professional organizing isn't an old, aged industry. It's fairly new. I like to call us chaos controllers, we help manage the chaos. We are designed and put into people's homes to help them create an environment that benefits them, that makes them feel good, that makes them feel proud and that functions for them in a way that is sustainable or not about just making your house look pretty. It's about creating a functional system for someone. "Our process starts with just an initial outreach. Someone's calling in and they're talking to me 95% of the time, and many times that's with tears, a sense of shame, a sense of embarrassment about their environment. A sense of overwhelm happens a lot of times, and our whole foundation of what we truly believe, is that everyone gets to where they are in a different way. Life happens, right. We're gonna do everything with a compassionate heart, with confidentiality, being judgment free, because we don't know what's happened in your life." Suzanne Newman says, "I purged out a bunch of stuff and I'm asking myself, why didn't I do this before? I didn't have the ability in my head to get to that place. It was long-standing results that I think are gonna make a difference. It's made a difference in my marriage, because my husband is not frustrated [by the clutter]." Suzanne Allbee added, "As you go through your things and are looking at decluttering, you're gonna ask three questions. Does this item make me happy? Is it useful now or in the near future? Is it valuable or irreplaceable?" Answers for Elders listeners get a free consultation and $100 off their first session with Bee Organized. Learn more* Bee Organized locations: https://beeorganized.com/about-the-company/* Bee Organized: https://beeorganized.com/* Suzanne Allbee: https://beeorganized.com/our_team/suzanne-allbee/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more* Podcasts with Bee Organized at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/tag/bee-organized/* Articles and podcasts about <a...

Nancy Swanger, Founding Director of the Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living at Washington State University, joins Suzanne on behalf of Era Living to talk about Era Living's partnership with the Granger Cobb Institute. Dr. Swanger is an associate professor in the School of Hospitality Business Management and the Associate Dean of Inter-College Partnerships in the Carson College of Business at Washington State University, starting back in 2000. In addition to her administrative duties, she teaches various courses in the curriculum, and, most recently, a course in senior living management. "We have a major in senior living management, a minor in senior living management that is an online, on-demand professional development certificate program in senior living. It's just continued to grow and develop, but it had very humble beginnings." "Our goal is to educate the next generation of leaders who will be in communities. And we know for the next 40 years, the demand on the industry is going to be huge and quite frankly, demographically, the people who are sort of in a typical caregiver age — helping with a mom or a dad or a grandparent or another loved one in your home — that demographic is shrinking. And so our role is trying to encourage students who have that heart for an aging population to pursue this as a career option. And it's a real natural extension of our hospitality program, because at the end of the day, it is all about relationships, and trying to make a difference in the life of a resident. And if you really look at a community and a hotel as an example, operationally, they parallel each other. There's housekeeping, and food and beverage, and concierge, all these things. So the fit for us in hospitality was perfect. And so that's what we're trying to do, is help with this workforce crisis and dearth of leadership talent going forward." "We ended up having Matt Broman [from Era Living] on our steering committee, because this is a very industry-driven program. Everything we do through our industry partners, and Era Living is one of those partners. But then Matt has connected us with some other folks in the company. For example, in our class that we're teaching right now... we have Marla Becker who is the Executive Director of Aljoya Mercer Island. We've had Karen Norby as part of that, who has that role of Regional Operations for Era Living. "My very best part of the story was: When I very first started talking about this idea, I was introduced to a woman named Lynn Meyer. And Lynn Meyer is a resident at Aljoya Mercer Island, and Lynn and I hit it off like no other, and she's just a dear friend of mine now. Every time I get over there, I go see her. She's in class as well, all virtually, so the students get to hear from a resident. We've put together this little tour of Lynn's beautiful apartment. Every time we teach the class, spring, fall, we try to have Lynn and Marla, and sometimes Karen, as part of that class every time because their message is so important." Dr. Swanger adds, "We have folks with degrees in psychology, sociology, human development, we even had a construction management major last semester. I've got two construction management majors in class this spring. So this is an industry that employs everyone. I mean, there's a spot for people who are financing buildings, and maintaining buildings, and counting the money, and the nursing side, and the care piece, and all the operational pieces. Really, you could take your degree, sales and marketing, a huge one. You could take your major and apply it to this industry and population – there's a spot for you." Learn more: * <a...

Part D Might Be the MOST Important Part of Medicare To Toni King, the CORNERSTONE of Medicare planning is discussing Medicare Part D. In this Medicare Moments BONUS episode, Toni discusses why it’s so important to search for what is the most cost-effective Part D plan that covers all of your prescriptions. Did you know that if a prescription is not covered, whether generic or brand-name, then you will have to pay 100% out of pocket? Learn more by listening to the episode now! Subscribe to Medicare Moments: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/44MoguG Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7c82BS4hb145GiVYfnIRso Discover more great episodes of Medicare Moments: Treat Medicare Part B like GOLD: https://apple.co/3OYO1kW / https://sptfy.com/OSqs Big Mistake Enrolling in a Medicare Advantage Plan: https://apple.co/47h9cGX / https://sptfy.com/OSqo How to Appeal a Medicare Claim: https://apple.co/3Rfj4M9 The New Turning 65 Enrollment Rule: https://apple.co/46hV5QL Visit Toni’s Website: https://tonisays.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Allyson Schrier, founder and CEO of Zinnia TV, joins Suzanne to talk about Teepa Snow's four ideals for making the environment a safer place for those with Alzheimer's and dementia. Teepa says an environment should be Friendly, Familiar, Functional, and Forgiving. Environmental wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, a focus of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Allyson explains, "I want to look at the space through their eyes. And I want to ask myself, is this a space that's friendly to them? Is it going to seem familiar to them, if I'm moving a loved one into long-term care, and I'm creating a space for them in that long-term care setting? Is it going to be reminiscent of where they came from? Is it someplace that's going to appear friendly and familiar to them? And this can go with smells as well, bringing in flowers, bringing things that remind them of where they used to live." The basics of the four Fs are: "Friendly is an environment that feels comfortable and like I belong there. So just looking at the kitchen for instance, we would want it to be something that speaks to who I was as well as who I am. So a color scheme that I love and that I find comforting a color, uses solid contrasting colors for dishware and towels, so that they are easily distinguishable from cabinets, countertops, and appliances. High contrast switch plates, so that it's for me to find those. I also want to make sure to in this friendly vein that the light is really good. Add light strips underneath the cabinets for instance... "Familiar: I want to make sure that somebody is familiar with their space. We want to ensure that all food items are clearly labeled, that food storage containers are marked with contents, and a date. And we also think about removing some of the kitchen cabinet doors, using open concept shelving. So that is familiar, I'm familiar with all of the things that are in my kitchen.stripped down to its essentials, reducing clutter on the countertop. Use hooks to hang utensils on the wall, so that things are in plain view. "Functional: Reducing the quantity of items in cabinets and drawers to a minimum, stripped down to its essentials, reducing clutter on the countertop. I don't know how many appliances you have on your countertop – I have way too many. Use hooks to hang utensils on the wall, so that things are in plain view... That table that I sit beside when I watch TV, does it just contain the things that I really need the most, or there are many other things that are going to make it hard for me to find what I need the most?" "The fourth F is forgiving. I want to make this kitchen a safe space. This goes throughout the entire house... removing kitchen floor mats to prevent falls. Ensuring that cords on small appliances are in good working order and not a jumble. And maybe having like a power strip where everything plugs in. Creating laminated cards with basic instructions for simple tasks like how to make a pot of coffee, how to cook oatmeal, or how to heat mechanics." Learn more about* Zinnia TV subscriptions, with a two-week free trial: https://www.zinniatv.com/* Allyson Schrier: https://www.zinniatv.com/about* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more* Podcasts with Allyson Schrier at Answers for...

Allyson Schrier, founder and CEO of Zinnia TV, joins Suzanne to talk about how those with dementia and Alzheimer's are affected by different colors in their environment. Environmental wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, a focus of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Allyson says, "We'll talk about specific colors. We'll also talk about colors in general. People who are living with dementia have challenges seeing contrast. An example, the bathroom at my house has a white floor, white walls, and white toilet. My husband [who had dementia] would go into the bathroom and he would shut the door and he would urinate on the wall. Why couldn't he see the toilet? Because it's the same color as the floor, same color as the walls. So what do we do? We replace the toilet seat with a bright-colored toilet seat. "As far as colors themselves go, red is a color that's associated with warmth. And it's also an appetite enhancer. It is the most common color of a plate that is used in long-term care settings – it creates contrast, and because it enhances appetite. So if I give somebody a white plate and on that I put some white pasta or rice, it's very hard for them to actually see the rice or the pasta or the plate. Therefore, a contrasting color is really helpful. "Blue by comparison is considered an appetite suppressant. So maybe I wouldn't want to have blue plates. Blue is also a color that promotes peace and calm, and can lower blood pressure and anxiety. So if I'm going to have a snuggly blanket that I'm going to cover somebody with, if it's a red blanket, that kind of promotes thoughts about warmth. If it's a blue blanket, then maybe that would promote a sense of ease and calm. "Which is something that the color green also does. And I think that it has to do with the fact that these are the colors in nature, right? If somebody runs to high anxiety, maybe I want to dress them in colors that will promote calm and soothing. Maybe a green top, for instance, with patterns. Lime green green is a color that draws lots of attention. If I'm going to put labels on cabinets, for instance, or I want to put instructions next to the coffee maker, maybe I use lime green paper or lime green sticky notes." Learn more about* Zinnia TV subscriptions, with a two-week free trial: https://www.zinniatv.com/* Allyson Schrier: https://www.zinniatv.com/about* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more* Podcasts with Allyson Schrier at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/tag/allyson-schrier/* Articles and podcasts about Environmental Wellness: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/environmental-wellness/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Allyson Schrier, founder and CEO of Zinnia TV, joins Suzanne to talk about things in an environment that we should be mindful of if we have someone with dementia in our lives. Environmental wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, a focus of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Allyson says, "I guess I'll start with clutter. It becomes increasingly difficult for people to find things when they are living with dementia, and also decision-making becomes very, very challenging. So when I'm talking about clutter, I am talking about things like tripping hazards, of course... Obvious things that people could trip over... throw rugs are a very, very bad idea, especially when we have people who are maybe using a walker. "Also make it easier for people to find things. So if for instance, the things that my mom really uses all the time are maybe her TV remote and cell phone, for instance, then on the table next to where she sits should just be those two things. "Similarly, I think about a person's closet. In your mind, go into your own closet. I want people to be really, really successful in what they set out to do when they have dementia. And I want them to do as much as they can for themselves as long as possible. Maybe what I do, I just leave in the closet the four shirts that they most love, two pairs of pants that they most love. And as their dementia progresses, maybe I change that up, so there's just one shirt and one pants. So when I say, 'hey, why don't you go get dressed?' they can easily find the things that they need." Allyson cites a number of other helpful tips involving the kitchen, floors, and yards. Learn more about* Zinnia TV subscriptions, with a two-week free trial: https://www.zinniatv.com/* Allyson Schrier: https://www.zinniatv.com/about* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more* Podcasts with Allyson Schrier at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/tag/allyson-schrier/* Articles and podcasts about Environmental Wellness: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/environmental-wellness/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Allyson Schrier joins Suzanne to talk about how a brain with dementia works differently, and how to change our approach for communicating with someone with dementia. Allyson realized that slower-paced visuals, with music instead of words, or with the words captioned, would be easier for those with Alzheimer's to engage with. This led to her cofounding Zinnia TV, an app for mobile devices and connected TVs for people with Alzheimer's and dementia that creates engagement, reduces challenging behaviors, and encourages adherence to activities of daily living. Creating an environment that supports us is part of environmental wellness, one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, a focus this month for the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Allyson says, "What's really relevant for today's conversation is the changes that impact the way that I experience the world. So, as we know, our brains are our computers, right? They're input/output devices, and there are like 86 billion neurons that are constantly interacting with my entire body. In a very simplistic way, we can think about it such that when I am taking data in, there's a whole bunch of communication that's happening within my brain. Many, many, many neurons that are involved. Same thing when I am doing output, when I'm speaking, and the same thing when I'm thinking. One of the things that happens with all dementias is that those neurons, and the connections between the neurons, start to die. The brain is still going to try and have this communication, neuron to neuron to neuron. But what's going to happen is it's gonna go over here, and it's gonna go 'Ahh, bridge out, let me go this way.' 'Yikes, that bridge is out, this way.' And so the result is that our processing speed slows way down. It's not unusual for a person very early on in dementia to miss four or five words that's spoken to them. Because I'm working so hard to process word number one, I eventually start falling behind." "At a time when they're experiencing hearing loss anyway, when they're experiencing things like macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts... And so you add to that the visual and the auditory processing changes, and other visual changes that occur as a result of dementia. So it means that, to create a an environment that is friendly, that takes these changes into account, I want to avoid visual and auditory clutter. So I'm going to be successful having a conversation with somebody where there isn't a lot of competing noise. So, busy restaurants? No. While we're shopping at Target? Not necessarily. In a room where the TV is going and there are people talking? No. "I want to give people plenty of time. It can take somebody up to 20 seconds to respond to a question when they have dementia. So I want to make sure that I give somebody adequate time to respond. I want to slow down the way that I ask my questions, maybe use fewer words. The hearing range that we loose first is the highest range. So therefore, rather than using my high voice, I want to maybe use a lower voice when I'm talking." Learn more about* Zinnia TV subscriptions, with a two-week free trial: https://www.zinniatv.com/* Allyson Schrier: https://www.zinniatv.com/about* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more* Podcasts with Allyson Schrier at Answers

Courtesy of Athira Pharma, Psychiatrist and Medical Director Bernardo Ng of the Sun Valley Research Center joins Suzanne to talk about how they reach out to the community to find people to participate in Alzheimer's clinical trials, particularly in underserved groups such as Latino populations in the United States. Dr. Ng says, "We've done a lot of different things and we've learned as we go. What we do constantly is to participate in what's called health fairs. So the health department, some federal clinics, some schools, and the local community college periodically put together health fairs, and some of my people go there. It's old fashioned, mouth to mouth. And we do what we call a free memory test, which is a pen and pen paper test with questions. "We have a few long-term retirement homes. If the owners or the administrative team allow us, we go visit them and give them a talk and say what we do. That has been it is very hard to predict. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. "And then we suddenly discovered that Facebook works, and that this population likes Facebook. So we hired a firm that manages our social media, we run ads in English and in Spanish. So the same message we put it one day in English the other day in Spanish. If you click, it asks you, do you agree to be called by a prescreening team. There's these young people who are very good on the phone, and bilingual, and they're very kind and patient, and they talk to the people that have clicked. Those calls can get very long, and more times than not, they're very well received. The moment they hear the word 'research,' there is like a pause. So we, we've turned our people to be more informative about it. You know, you participate voluntarily, you can get out of the trial any time you want. Little by little, we're getting people to contact us that way." Contact the Sun Valley Research Center in southern California at (760) 545-0123. Learn more:* Sun Valley Research Center: https://sunvalleyb.com/* Athira Pharma: https://www.athira.com/* Bernardo Ng: https://sunvalleyr.com/ourteam/bernardo-ng-md/* Hear more Alzheimer's-related podcasts from Athira Pharma: https://answersforelders.com/athira-pharma/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courtesy of Athira Pharma, Psychiatrist and Medical Director Bernardo Ng of the Sun Valley Research Center joins Suzanne to talk about why Latinos are often hesitant to participate in Alzheimer's clinical trials. Dr. Ng says, "We were talking about access earlier on, and that's one of the things that we're trying to overcome, by settling in an area that has little services. Other highly populated Hispanic areas may not have clinical sites like that. "The other one is certainly the stigma that we have talked about. The fear of, or just the thought of, being a subject in the research trial, because that sounds wrong or sounds fishy. "And the other one is the denial, or fear of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Many people prefer to say that is normal aging, and a normal dementia for older people, which for years now, we know that that term does not exist anymore. I try to compare it with conditions like osteoporosis. You know, the bones become thin, it's normal that they become thin. Now, there is a point when the bones are just too thin, that's not normal, and requires treatment, because it carries health risks. So the same thing, being not able to memorize things, or to speak. Well, that's manifestations of the deterioration of the brain, and that's illness, and we call it Alzheimer's." "I think [eventually] society is gonna look at this a different way. It's not such a sentence now for, you know, people with cancer, right? Especially, for example, with breast cancer. The progress has been humongous. So I look forward to the day we're gonna get there with Alzheimer's." But there is a health care gap. Dr. Ng says, "The community I'm at is very peculiar, because it is 80% Latino, so it's very hard to compare how faster are the other 20% services. But I can tell you that a lot of these people that we're talking about don't have private insurance. Some of them are Medicare and Medicaid, and getting approved for surgery, for example for a knee replacement, they have to wait four or six months to get approved. I can't imagine now, with these antibody treatments that we have, how long it's gonna be to even get them approved. Which underscores the greater opportunity that it is to participate in a clinical trial, and will be sooner and faster than getting one of the approved treatments." Contact the Sun Valley Research Center in southern California at (760) 545-0123. Learn more:* Sun Valley Research Center: https://sunvalleyb.com/* Athira Pharma: https://www.athira.com/* Bernardo Ng: https://sunvalleyr.com/ourteam/bernardo-ng-md/* Hear more Alzheimer's-related podcasts from Athira Pharma: https://answersforelders.com/athira-pharma/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courtesy of Athira Pharma, Psychiatrist and Medical Director Bernardo Ng of the Sun Valley Research Center joins Suzanne to talk about specific challenges for the Latino community in signing up for Alzheimer's clinical trials. What are the specific challenges for Alzheimer's in the Latino community? Dr. Ng says, "One of the things about the Latino community is that they trust their doctors blindly, I'll trust whatever he or she tells me to do. And then when you put on the table, the option that we don't have any more treatments for you, or you keep on getting worse, or we detected that this is going on, this would be a good time for you to participate in a clinical trial, to confirm that you do have or don't have Alzheimer's. At that point they say, well, but why aren't you treating me with the usual things? Why a research trial? And the word research is very heavy, right? "We need to make a greater effort to communicate the fact that, if anything, clinical trials are even more strict. When a molecule has passed so many tests already, that it's proven to be safe. You're in a clinical trial. You're observed, supervised, your blood test or urine tests are done more frequently. Brain scans if necessary. But then it feels like it's too invasive, and it's hard. [It was just] until a couple of years ago that the first antibody was approved for Alzheimer's, and just this year, another one. Before that, we've been prescribing the same medications for about 20 years. So we're so excited and so optimists think about the fact that there are more trials going on. They have to prove that they work or not work, but there will be more options for our patients." "Let's say the medication doesn't work for you, or maybe we find out later on that you were on placebo, right? Whatever you did is already adding to the information, to the data, so that other people can benefit in the future. And you know what, the Latino population likes that they are able to help others. And that has helped us overcome some of the fears. And the people that do participate, they said, look, I'm gonna do whatever. I know this may not help me right now, but unless we do this, we're not gonna be able to help other people." Dr. Ng explains how a treatment gets developed to the point of being ready for a clinical trial. "This perfect chain of events that has to happen. Yes, some people in a laboratory somewhere, working with rats, figure out that there's this molecule. They are super genius people, right, they come up with these formulas, tested with electronic microscopes. And then they start pushing that molecule forward, right? Then [it's tested] with humans who are healthy and ok, well, you know, it's fine, it's safe. Let's move forward. By the time we participate, these are usually phase 3 studies, sometimes phase 2, but usually phase 3, molecules have walked a long pathway already. So at that moment, we know a lot about their safety, that it's tolerable, and maybe we participate in studies where they're trying to figure out the right dose. "And another thing I wanna mention about placebo, more and more the placebo phases of the studies have become shorter. That's only prove the concept. But from then on, most of the studies now have an open label section, where everybody sooner or later will receive the benefit of being on the active medication. And that also allow us to be able to see safety in the long run. So by the time I'm offering this to my patients. I'm very confident. A lot of molecules don't make it to phase 3 and, and the ones that do are worth moving forward and completing the whole process." Contact the Sun Valley Research Center in southern California at (760) 545-0123. Learn more:* Sun Valley Research Center:...

Courtesy of Athira Pharma, Psychiatrist and Medical Director Bernardo Ng of the Sun Valley Research Center joins Suzanne to talk about Alzheimer's clinical trials, particularly in underserved groups such as Latino populations in the United States. Dr. Ng is a Mexicali native who started his private practice in Imperial County in 1994. He became a Medical Doctor at the University of Nuevo Leon in 1987. After completing his year of social service in the city of Monterrey in 1988, he entered specialized training in Psychiatry, in El Paso Texas in 1989 and continued in San Diego California in 1992. Dr. Ng is currently the principal investigator for Sun Valley Research Center. Dr. Ng says, "Clinical trials are the core of progress in pharmaceutical treatments. Most medical conditions do not get treated only with medications. There are many other forms of treatment, but in the particular case of medications, it is only with medical clinical trials that prove or not prove that the medication actually works. And the problem with the the lack or the insufficient participation of Latinos in clinical trials, specifically in dementia, is impressive. As you know, Latinx are the largest minority in the US — 16 to 18% of the population. Participation of Latinos in clinical trials for Alzheimer's is anywhere from 1 to 2%. So that tells you how hard it is to ascertain that whatever is approved under those conditions will work the same both for efficacy and safety in the Latino population. “Participating in clinical trials has a component of not enough information, not knowing the importance of why it is to participate, and fear. Thought of participating in a clinical trial and voluntarily putting yourself through a medication that has not been approved may sound scary, but the reality is that that's how, number one: progress occurs, and number two: you can actually access a treatment years before it's available in regular pharmacies. The Latino population in this country feel distant to that." Suzanne says, "You hear the stories of decades ago ,when there were trials going on, a lot of the placebos and stuff went to people of color, which really is unfair." D. Ng replies, "I'm very glad that you mentioned that because any of us interested in participating in the execution of clinical trials have to go through rigorous training, even before being approved or hired for any of them, which is called Good Clinical Practices. And it speaks a lot about this history that you're talking about, how trials in the 20th century happened unethically, right? And how they put people of color through tests without having received their consent, without informing them of what was gonna happen. And yes, I think that has left a scar in our minority populations in the country. I think it's very useful that media like this can inform people of how much that has changed, evolved. Every single step is supervised by an ethical review committee, any step is approved by the FDA." "Alzheimer's is my passion. I've been treating older people for a long time, and there's some peculiar peculiarities about the Latino or Hispanic population in this country that they live longer, which is interesting. Some time ago, it was called the Hispanic Paradox or the Latino paradox. With less access to care, they live longer — how is that possible? But it turns out that when you look into the detail, they may live longer on average, but also with less quality of life, or more morbidity, with more level of disease, and among other things, lack of access. But then also lack of knowledge that some things can be treated earlier. In the case of Alzheimer's, many times they say, well, you know, it's part of aging that he or she starts forgetting things. And transmitting the message that what we're talking about is a disease that early on...

Founder and CEO of Real Estate 55 Plus Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about the unique services that her company provides for people over 55. Juli Anne says, "We know that in real estate, it's really about the relationships with the people. It really is not about the house, because it doesn't become a home until the people reside in and create the space that they want. So we come from a place of proactivity. The primary focus is to find out what the seniors' goals are. And then we create a road map for how they're going to age, and where they're going to live. And for the most of the people that we work with, they're gonna be selling their current home, and they're gonna be right-sizing. So they may move from a large home to a condominium. They may might move into multi-generational living. They may be exploring assisted living, retirement communities. "But one thing people don't know about what we do, is there are about 72 potential services that we can recommend and refer to a family and for seniors, so that they can make really good decisions. One of the examples is, as a necessity with COVID, we started offering estate sale services. It's not for profit. We just charge for the labor and the dump fees, and marketing promotion. Any proceeds we make go back to the family. We've created a system so we have realtors that are in different states, they can actually access that program and provide estate sell services to clients in their areas, or we're gonna tell them how they can partner within an estate sale company. "Oftentimes, what prevents a senior from moving forward is lack of funding. Some people want to move to a retirement community, but all of their assets are tied up into the equity of their home real estate. 55 Plus will pay that gap funding to the retirement community at no interest. And we get reimbursed from the sale of the proceeds from the house. So our goal is to get the person settled where they need to be. We will go as far as getting the whole place set up for them, and hiring the movers, and getting it all set up for that. It's not just a real estate piece of it, it has to do with the housing, and aging, and making sure people are in really good spaces." Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about home maintenance, which not only keeps a senior safe, it can defer expenses, or increase the value of our home. Maintaining a home can help seniors aging in place in their homes for as long as they can. Juli Anne is the founder and CEO of Real Estate 55 Plus. About maintenance, Juli Anne says, "It not only keeps the senior safe, but it also can defer expenses, or it can increase the value of your home. Oftentimes if we're coming in, doing an assessment, there's been lack of maintenance on systems and the property itself, which are gonna cost a lot more money than it would have had they been preventative. And as we age, we don't see smell or hear things that we might have when we were younger. They're giving us clues that there's an issue in our home. "The furnace is probably first, because we're going into the fall right now. Having your furnace checked is super important. You make sure that it, it's working properly, so you have adequate heat coming on. But you also want to make sure that you have your air ducts cleaned out, for two reasons. One is if your air ducts get clogged, especially your dryer, that can start a fire. Number two is, if you have allergies at all, and it's clogged in your air ducts or in your vents in your bathrooms, that can cause all kinds of havoc on your breathing. "With the roof, if you have an area that has a lot of moss, it's just ugly to look at, but it expands and contracts, and that's what causes the shingles to deteriorate. So having moss removed, having someone inspect your roof, looking for either cracked shingles, or flashing, or a rain cap that's missing. So that helps with any leak prevention, coming into your home. They can also take a look at your gutters and make sure that they're not full. Full gutters cause water spills. What do water spills do? They wreck havoc on siding and windows and intrusion into basements. "As far as walking with moss, it becomes very, very slippery and slick when it's wet. So making sure that someone's coming in and removing the moss from your sidewalks, and your stairs, and your decks, is super important to make sure that you have a clean space to be able to walk." Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about home safety, and a key aspect of this for seniors is fall prevention. Being injured in a fall is the number one reason seniors aren't able to go back their homes and live independently. 75% of home falls are preventable. It's the simple things that cause falls or tripping, there are easy things to do to prevent them. Juli Anne, founder and CEO of Real Estate 55 Plus, talks about how to assess your home for the future to "age in place" and "right-size" your living domain. Juli Anne says, "We work a lot with the Red Cross. The Red Cross actually has a Fall Prevention program, and they will come in and assess your home. So we follow their guidelines on what we can recommend to a senior, and we're teaching workshops, we will provide that information to them. "When we age, our sight changes, our hearing changes, our sense of smell, our balance, and our touch. So what we used to be able to see in front of us, now oftentimes it will look like a black hole. And so, walking through your home, you’re saying, am I seeing this as a continuation, or does it look like a stair to myself? So if you have carpets, rugs that are a darker or lighter color than your other flooring, you may want to consider removing those. Because at some point, you may think that's a hole, and you're gonna try to step over it, and you're gonna fall. We see that happen quite a bit. "Getting out of their bathtubs, you have all kinds of grab bars that come in permanent or semi-permanent installation, a whole package in a movement called Universal Design. So you can retrofit your home, so that you can age successfully as possible... If you have chronic arthritis and it's going to get worse, or you have a flare up, you want to make sure that doors and handles are easy for you to maneuver. So not a round handle, but a lever-style handle. "If you can spend five or 10 minutes a day on balance, there are some chair exercises that you can download online, or get a video for. You can also go to a local YMCA or gym that's going to focus on balance, and also your core. For many of us, when we start getting tipsy, if we have really good balance, it's gonna prevent a fall. And with our core, if we can have that strength, and we're back, it's gonna have a huge, huge impact on our being able to regain balance." Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Founder and CEO of Real Estate 55 Plus Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to kick off the topic of environmental wellness: surrounding yourself with an environment that brings you joy; being in an environment that supports you; living sustainably and being mindful of the world we live in. This is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, featured as part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Juli Anne says, "Let's specifically talk about environmental wellness for seniors. Number one, our home is where we create family and community and connection. And as we age, we're gonna be seeing people leaving our homes coming back and returning to visit us. And we're wanting to have a space that feels comfortable, brings back memories and that's gonna honor the senior themselves. So we're working with someone who's currently in their home and they're moving someplace else. We want to recreate that space for them. So it feels like home because home is a feeling it's the people around you. It's not necessarily the house itself. And what and what we know about real estate is it really isn't about the houses. It's about the people, and the people are what create a home. And that's the fundamental basis of where we start with the senior and their families, is what their priorities are. So we can make sure we help them make good decisions on that journey for housing and aging." Seniors have many options. "We teach Aging With Choice workshops, where we look at all the different options that are available to somebody. And there's a wide scope. Of course, we're gonna look at their financial, their emotional, spiritual, and physical, that's gonna help define really the base point of what they're gonna be looking for, and searching for, whether they want to age in their current home or move someplace else. The options are endless." Juli Anne adds, "When we sit down with somebody, we're looking at their uniqueness, and we're looking at what makes the most sense for them. Oftentimes you don't know what you don't know, until you sit down with us and we help you create that road map. Oftentimes people say, I wish that we had pulled you in a year sooner, because all of these resources we wish we had known about, because trial and error, we found our way. So we help seniors and their families create a road map, so that they can age and how successfully and have a sense of well-being, right? The home is the most important part of our lives, because it's where we live." Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonya Hilson at CarePartners Senior Living joins Suzanne to talk about how we can do better with our seniors to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. Tonya says, "So what sometimes we see happen often is that families um they become frustrated with caring for their loved one at home. So then they move to a senior community, they make sure they have everything that they need, they make sure everything is put in place before that arrive, and they welcome them there, and they kind of disappear. Not intentionally, but it's because of life, their own personal lives, they are caught up with building their own families, caring for their own families or they may be going back to school. They're trying to advance their careers or their business, need growth, or they're seeking their life purpose, but they become occupied, and they may call every now and then just to check on their loved one. But being there physically, or just even actually having the time to sit and have a conversation with them, sometimes it just doesn't happen." "Put yourself in your loved ones' shoes. Let's reverse the roles. How would you feel if no one is visiting you, or making time for you? How would that make you feel? Just for a moment, just switch and say, no, you're not the one that's out here working. You're the one that's at the at home alone or in the retirement community or just feeling like you don't matter anymore. How would you feel? What type of actions would you want those around you that you love and you took care of for so many years? How would you want them to treat you?" Tonya adds, "What we try to tell families is that, if they still have a pulse and a heartbeat, they want to still have you near them, whether they remember you or not. But your voice, that closeness, means so much to them. Some people just feel like they're not making a difference, but they really are. They are necessary, to be a part of that loved one's life." "One of my personal just mottos for me in this industry is 'make a senior smile'. And if I could do that, that just blesses my heart. So I would love to see other people in our community just take the time to make a senior smile." Tonya suggests, "Even going beyond the family members., let's say that you don't have a family member that's in the senior age. If you just have that time to volunteer — to help another senior who does not have anyone to come visit them, or someone to call them, or come and fix the puzzles with them — but you have some extra time on the weekends to volunteer or one day through the week, they don't have to be a loved one. Just say, you know what, here's a senior center here, or there is a retirement community. I want to go make myself available. Contact the director there and say, hey, I wanna make myself available for somebody who wants to have visitors, somebody who would love a bouquet of flowers, or make some cookies. They love sweets." Regarding ideas on how people can help aging parents and loved ones know that they matter, Tonya says, "For me personally, my grandmother was in a different state, and I just still wanted her to know I'm here for her. I support her. So I would just even use Amazon to deliver packages to her. and that would just make her feel so special. So she knew every month that the UPS guy was gonna show up and knock on her door and bring something exciting. Even with Uber eats, you can send them something yummy. So there are so many ways we can just get on our cell phones, open the app, set up an order, and send it to them, and it'll make a world of difference for them for that day." Tonya Hilson can be reached at (206) 412-3554. Learn more:* CarePartners Senior Living: https://answersforelders.com/carepartners-senior-living/* CarePartners website:...

Lori Hutson joins Suzanne to talk about honoring thyself, living your core values, as well as not overcommitting, not giving up yourself for someone else, being intentional with our lives, respecting boundaries, and knowing when to say no. These are an aspect of both spiritual and intellectual wellness, two of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured this month as part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Lori says, "This could be at work too, but in our personal relationships, if we're not setting those boundaries and honoring ourselves, we start building up hidden resentments. And I think a lot of women especially, and this could be men too, but we start building up these resentments towards the other person, they don't even realize what it's about. And then all of a sudden you're having a fight over, you know, the toothpaste tube or something, because you've got all these hidden resentments that you haven't laid out there your boundaries. And then all of a sudden you've got all these issues in your relationships. It's really healthy for relationships to set those boundaries." Lori provides a list of tips, some of which are to know your values, be assertive, starting small, practice self-care, communicate directly, respecting your limits. To see the tip sheet, download the pdf file at this link (you may have to right-click and save the file to your device): Tips for Setting Boundaries.pdfhttps://answersforelders.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Tips_for_Setting_Boundaries.pdf Lori is the owner of L.J. Hudson Insurance LLC in the state of Washington. Hear more:Lori Hutson episodes on Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/tag/lori-hutson/ Learn more about:Lori Hutson: https://www.hutsoninsurancesolutions.com/The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/Humana: https://www.humana.com/Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lori Hutson joins Suzanne to talk about brain health, an aspect of intellectual wellness, one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured this month as part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Lori says, "One of the main things would be what's normal and what's not normal as far as our state of mind, our memory, things like that. As we do get older, there are some ... small declines in memory, a slower processing speed. That's pretty typical... reaction time, decrease speed in learning – it might take us a little longer to learn things. I talked about the difficulty of doing more than one task at a time, and difficulty ignoring distractions. Abnormal things would be being unable to remember recent events, forgetting how to use common objects — again, we're looking at dementia — getting lost in familiar locations, being unable to follow directions. Another is neglecting safety, hygiene, and nutrition, and decline in the ability to socialize." Lori adds, "I know that it's important to utilize your brain in different ways, and to stretch the "muscles" of your brain to keep it active. Another thing is our diet and hydration. Hydration is a big one that I find with a lot of my clients is affecting their brain health. They're not hydrating – they're worried about incontinence issues. If they feel like I'm gonna have to get up and go to the bathroom five times during the night, they don't want to drink water. That causes UTIs, which actually can affect dementia and escalate it. Our diet can be a factor as well. So if you're eating TV dinners every night, that affect the brain health. And you think about the Mediterranean diet, or something like that, where they're eating a lot of oils and fats, our brain is fat. So if we're not getting those healthy fats, then that can really affect our brain health." Lori is the owner of L.J. Hudson Insurance LLC in the state of Washington. Hear more:Lori Hutson episodes on Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/tag/lori-hutson/ Learn more about:Lori Hutson: https://www.hutsoninsurancesolutions.com/The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/Humana: https://www.humana.com/Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lori Hutson joins Suzanne to talk about our connection to people, particularly intimate connections. A lot of people over 60 may have lost a spouse, and they're at a time in their life where they haven't dated in decades. A core need of everyone is to have that sort of connection. This is an aspect of spiritual wellness, featured this month as part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Lori provides a list of tips for navigating the field of dating in the 2020s for those over 60 years of age. Download the pdf file at this link (you may have to right-click and save the file to your device): Tips for Dating After 60.pdfhttps://answersforelders.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Tips_for_Dating_After_60.pdf Lori is the owner of L.J. Hudson Insurance LLC in the state of Washington. Hear more:Lori Hutson episodes on Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/tag/lori-hutson/ Learn more about:Lori Hutson: https://www.hutsoninsurancesolutions.com/The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/Humana: https://www.humana.com/Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lori Hutson joins Suzanne to talk about how find something to be grateful for, no matter where we are in the world today. This topic is part of spiritual wellness, featured as part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Lori says, "Especially in these times we're living in now, we're just bombarded with the news cycle, and you can really go down rabbit holes, and you can really look for some things to get to depressed or down about. There are strategies to really live having an attitude of gratitude, to find something to be grateful for no matter where we are." Lori adds, "One of the best ways is just to get in the habit of looking for those things, and having a gratitude journal... You write what you're grateful for, what your intention is, and then what you're going to let go of. If you just get in that habit, the first thing is five things that you're grateful for. Sometimes it could be the same things you were grateful for yesterday, or it could be just the tiniest thing. And especially it you're going through a hard time, it could be that ou're grateful that you have a comfortable bed to sleep in, you know, the smallest things. Once you get your mind focused on that, then you start recognizing, and then it opens up to all these things that you just take for granted, or haven't noticed." Lori provides a list of tips, which includes being mindful of living in the moment. Also, going out and looking at things like you've never looked at them before. Download the pdf file at this link (you may have to right-click and save the file to your device): Having Attitude of Gratitude.pdfhttps://answersforelders.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Having_Attitude_of_Gratitude.pdf Lori is the owner of L.J. Hudson Insurance LLC in the state of Washington. Hear more:Lori Hutson episodes on Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/tag/lori-hutson/ Learn more about:Lori Hutson: https://www.hutsoninsurancesolutions.com/The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/Humana: https://www.humana.com/Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Founder and CEO Susan Black joins Suzanne to share some amazing travel stories from Wowzitude. Vitual tour visits is part of intellectual wellness — expanding our minds, learning — one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, featured this month as part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Susan says, "One of my favorite ones was for Anna. Anna was in her assisted living home and she mentioned to her activity director, because she knew we were going to Paris next week, that she loves Paris. She's been there many times. And as a matter of fact, her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren were going to be in Paris. What a coincidence. Well, we got to work with her activity director and guess what we did. We made sure that our guide Patrick was meeting with her family. And even though we had over 400 people, all of a sudden, we had a surprise for Anna, and there were her kids, and her grandchildren, all waving in the background, saying we love you Nana, and we're so glad that you're on our tour with us. So that was a wow moment. I have to tell you, the activity director, Cheryl, made it all happen. So we worked with people, and we try to make these wow moments. We're always connecting anniversaries, and birthdays, and red letter days, and doing shout-outs. So we're encouraging people to tell us before or during a trip what is meaningful for them." Here more Wowzitude stories in the podcast and see more at https://wowzitude.com/travel-stories. Podcast listeners are eligible for a special promotion. Susan says, "If you sign up before October 1st, we will give a free Christmas market special tour, to all of your listeners, and only your listeners, as a special promotion on this podcast. Sign up at https://wowzitude.com/." Learn more:* Wowzitude: https://wowzitude.com/* Susan Black: https://wowzitude.com/susan-black%2C-founder* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Intellectual Wellness: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/intellectual-wellness/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Making connections unites us all. Wowzitude's live-stream tours with licensed guides are able to zoom into areas that regular groups can't go to. Imagine going somewhere in real life with 40 people behind you and trying to hear what the guide is saying. You also have a front-row seat at every tour. Wowzitude's founder Susan Black joins Suzanne to describe some of the destinations. It's part of Intellectual Wellness — expanding our minds, learning — one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, featured this month as part of The Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Susan says, "Community is the most important thing for Wowzitude, it is this sense of connection. We want to mitigate social isolation. We want to connect people, whether it's intergenerational, whether it's people in our travel club... you hear the questions from the people all the time. You get to participate. It's all about connection, and we're connecting with our guides from all of these destinations, 140 destinations around the world in all. So we're connecting, to learn about what's education like. Every question you may ever have is a connection. It's a warmth. You see the guy's face and then he flips it around. So you see the beautiful areas we're walking in. So we are all about and community." Susan adds, "It's so important to us to honor different cultures here in the United States. So for example, Black History Month, Women's History Month, all sorts of demographics, communities and groups, we celebrate them. We honor them. We believe in heritage, so we do a lot of heritage tours of every ethnicity and religion that we can think of. We tie it in and with celebration, so there's a greater understanding. But when you're connecting people and you're connecting communities around the world, that gives us such a great understanding of where people are from, and where they're coming from, and the background, and it just unites us all together." Podcast listeners are eligible for a special promotion. Susan says, "If you sign up before October 1st, we will give a free Christmas market special tour, to all of your listeners, and only your listeners, as a special promotion on this podcast. Sign up at https://wowzitude.com/." Learn more:* Wowzitude: https://wowzitude.com/* Susan Black: https://wowzitude.com/susan-black%2C-founder* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Intellectual Wellness: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/intellectual-wellness/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See <a...

Take virtual tours of 140 destinations at Wowzitude, expanding your mind through exposure to new cultures via immersive live-stream experiences. Founder and CEO Susan Black joins Suzanne to describe some of the destinations. It's part of intellectual wellness — expanding our minds, learning — one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, featured this month as part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. The trips come with trip kits. Susan says, "We love our trip kits. First we started with recipes. Each of our recipes is submitted by each of our guides, our, our 97 guides. So it's a family recipe, or it's a recipe that they have from one of the restaurants they bring us to. Can you imagine we actually go to a bakery in Porto, to see how they're making the very famous custards that they're known for? The baker has given us this great recipe to follow. So we try to tie this in, because who doesn't love to eat and tour at the same time? We have downloadable music, and by the way, the music can be upbeat or it can just get you in the mood, and we always start our tours with music, and slide shows, and everything else to get people in the mood. But we give that music in our trip kits. We also have book recommendations, so that you can do a reading group around it. You can have book club around it. We want to get groups together... movies. If you just want to have an immersion, that it's either filmed in that location, or it's about that location. And of course, fun facts. Some maps, and we love sustainable travel. So what that place is doing in terms of sustainability, and responsible travel, all that goodness in a single tour." Wowzitude is working with research groups to assess the benefits to our wellness, our curiosity, and sense of purpose. Susan says, "We've actually done surveys and we're working with two different research groups right now to see what the benefits are, what all this good stuff means to people. Once they go on a live-stream tour, they're able to engage. Even if you listen to other people's questions — you don't just have to ask your own — oftentimes your question's being asked, but it's very immersive and engaging, and what that level of group engagement means to wellness, to your mood. We're in the process right now of doing a full evidence-based research about the effects, particularly on older adults." Podcast listeners are eligible for a special promotion. Susan says, "If you sign up before October 1st, we will give a free Christmas market special tour, to all of your listeners, and only your listeners, as a special promotion on this podcast. Sign up at https://wowzitude.com/." Learn more:* Wowzitude: https://wowzitude.com/* Susan Black: https://wowzitude.com/susan-black%2C-founder* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Intellectual Wellness: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/intellectual-wellness/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See <a...

Wowzitude Founder and CEO Susan Black joins Suzanne to talk about continuing to be culturally curious in our senior years, by taking virtual tours to 140 locations across the world. It's part of intellectual wellness — expanding our minds, learning — one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, featured this month as part of The Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Susan says, "These are live-stream guided walking tours. The way we work it is, our guides have a stabilizer called a Gimble and a camera, and everything that they see you see live, while it's happening. It's not a television program, it's not video. It is a live-stream walking tour. And to make it even more immersive, everyone can ask questions in real time. We only do group tours. We have the same people on our tours all the time, because it's a subscription service. We go to 140 different locations, places from cities that everybody loves. Rome, Paris, New York City, all the way to off-the-beaten-track. As a matter of fact, we're doing a tour to Machu Picchu. So if you didn't think you could climb Machu Picchu, we'll be in Peru doing that. So all the places that people have perhaps visited, and want to revisit, or places that they've always wanted to go, and ask questions about... And it's doing it with a group, so you're always hearing other people's questions. You're part of this great travel club and we meet twice every week. We do eight or 10 tours every month, whether it's four weeks or five week-months. We have trip kits that go with each one. So there's book, movie recommendations, recipes, maps, fun facts, all things to become even more immersive, but to really, really inspire you and get your mind clicking. Susan explains how the trips stimulate our minds. "We always say, we really cater to the culturally curious, which never ends at any age, because we talk about food, and we talk about what it's like to grow up there, and we ask questions, and we're learning from the locals, and we're hearing them. And they're the questions that our audience wants to ask. No two tours are alike, they're all unscripted. So we are expanding the mind in terms of learning something new every single day. So every trip, you're always gonna learn something new: politically, what's happening with the economy... You might read about it in the papers, but isn't it fantastic to talk to a local about what's happening now?" Podcast listeners are eligible for a special promotion. Susan says, "If you sign up before October 1st, we will give a free Christmas market special tour, to all of your listeners, and only your listeners, as a special promotion on this podcast. Sign up at https://wowzitude.com/." Learn more:* Wowzitude: https://wowzitude.com/* Susan Black: https://wowzitude.com/susan-black%2C-founder* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Intellectual Wellness: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/intellectual-wellness/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Answers for Elders...

Shirley Hofmeister, a resident of The Lakeshore near Renton, Washington, joins Suzanne to provide a resident's perspective of what a typical day is like at an Era Living retirement community. The Lakeshore is located at 11448 Rainier Avenue S, Seattle, WA 98178. Shirley was a stay at home mom for adopted children then had a 30-year teaching career and did some fitness work with Jackie Sorenson. Describing the process of deciding to move to retirement living, Shirley says, "My husband and I had already given up our house and moved to a condo. And he said, one of us is going to be left alone someday. Why don't we start looking at senior communities, so the one who's left alone will have a community, we'll have activities, we'll have friends who will be along. And so we went out looking, we viewed a couple places in Vancouver, Washington, and we ended up in a community that we loved very much. And just before my husband passed, the community was bought out. So things changed there. My daughter said, 'Mom, why don't you come close, live close to me and see Seattle.' My apartment was empty without my husband, so it was time to move on. She brought me to five communities in the west Seattle area. She showed me Lake Shore, and after every community I went to, I said 'Lake Shore.' So I came in, did my walk-through, found the room that was perfect for me, put my money down, and here I am, and loving every minute of it." She talked about the moving process and hardest thing about the transition. "My husband and I did a big purge, letting go of some things that we thought were so important. And they aren't — your life is your activities and all those things that were so valuable, you don't even miss. Probably the most difficult thing for me in the end when we got into senior living was, 'Oh dear, it's Thanksgiving. How can I host? My kids can't come home for Thanksgiving. I don't have a home for them to come.' But that's wrong. I did have a home, and they were very open to giving us one of the rooms reserved for my family. My daughter brought the turkey down from Seattle and she cooked it in my kitchen and we hosted. So now, I get to Lakeshore, and sure enough when my family wants to meet, Lakeshore has provisions to let us still celebrate as a family." Shirley describes a typical day, "I have so many friends, it's wonderful. Four of my friends like to walk, and I also like to walk. And so at 7:30 in the morning, those who can walk that day meet downstairs, and we head out for an hour's walk. And then when we get home it's time to look at the calendar. What are we gonna do today? Yesterday was Bingo, and yesterday was Watermelon Wednesday, a wonderful thing during the summer to keep us hydrated, we went on a porch and we ate watermelon. It's a social time. I like to play Bingo too, do all of the activities. I'm not very artistic, so I haven't gone to the arts and crafts, but that doesn't mean I won't. And they need volunteers today to get ready for the luau. And there's an arts and crafts project. I may go down. I just love being with my friends." For those considering senior living, Shirley says, "If you're a senior, it is time to move to community where you have your friends, your activities — you don't have to mow the lawn anymore. You don't have to think, 'What am I gonna cook for dinner?' anymore. Those are big things when you're a senior. All of a sudden, I don't wanna cook dinner anymore. I want to go to a beautiful dining room and sit with my friends and eat well. We moved in our seventies because, number one, we made our decision and it's kind of fun to make our own decision rather than the kids say, 'ok, you're losing a mom, you're going to put you someplace where they can take care of you.' We didn't have to go through that. So my advice is make your decision while you're young and able and, and enjoy the community living." <a...

Era Living's Human Resources Director Matt Bromen joins Suzanne to talk about recruiting staff, and his secret sauce for keeping staff members for a decade or more at the company. Matt says, "I don't know if it's a secret so much as really great people. The secret is the people. I would love to take credit for the cement... the cement really started with Eli and Rebecca Almo, and the mission and values. And I know it's cheesy, and any HR Director is going to get on a podcast as say how important their mission and values are, but our mission and values are extremely important to us. That is the cement that binds us together, staff, mangers, home office support, we are all here because of our mission and values." Matt adds, "When we're interviewing people, we're really interviewing with our mission and values in mind, respect, integrity, innovation/improvement, teamwork, and excellence. Those things we interview for, particularly when we're looking at leadership positions, knowing that if you hire the right people in management roles, then staff stay with those managers. Staff don't generally stay with companies, they stay with managers." Hear more podcasts about Era Living at Answers for Elders, including conversations with other residents, at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/ Learn more about:Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/Era Living's website: https://www.eraliving.com/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ageless Grace's Denise Medved joins Suzanne to talk about caregivers and family members doing brain exercises together to improve cognitive health. Denise says, "The program can help you maintain your cognitive health. It can help you improve your cognitive health and it can delay any decline that has already started. It won't cure it, it won't go back and fix it, but it will delay it. We've had some research studies that show even in eight weeks of doing it three times a week, as opposed to every day, that they improved or maintained their cognitive function. Most improved." "Mass. General Hospital in Boston has created a program to support caregivers, not professional caregivers, but family caregivers. And the program that they use is Ageless Grace. They help the caregivers learn a few tools they could use with their mom or their dad or whoever they're caring for. But more importantly, the caregivers gets to do what I call blowing off some steam, uh releasing some stress and feeling good yourself." It works well with two people doing it together. "We even have some of our educators — which are people have gone through a 14-hour certification to be able to teach the program and then they re-certify every year — we have had many of them practice on their loved ones. One educator I'm thinking of in particular would call her mother every single morning at a certain time. And on Zoom, she and her mother and her sister, they would do Ageless Grave, bring health together. And that was a way of them connecting, and that was a way of them also supporting their mom in being able to maintain cognitive function. And they just did it for 10 to 15 minutes every day." Ageless Grace has live classes hosted across the country, as well as Zoom classes, and videos. Denise says, "You practice this 10 to 15 minutes a day, which isn't very long, and you'll not only maintain cognitive function but can improve it and lift your spirit." Find locations at their website https://agelessgrace.com/. Learn more about:* Denise Medved: https://agelessgrace.com/denise-medved/* Ageless Grace: https://agelessgrace.com/about/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.