As an adult child, you might not feel it’s your place to step in and dictate what your senior parents should do with their lives. But encouraging them to plan their future early will help you make sure that their desires and needs are met later on in life when your personal role might increase, and they might not be in a position to dictate their lifestyle.  Plan early and address the following areas that will help secure your loved one’s future:

1. Look at all resources –in order to help a senior plan for the future, take a look at all of the options by considering family who may be able to provide help, finances and other assets that could contribute to an aging loved one’s future

2. Understand that plans can change – when planning early, a guideline might be put in place. You might decide with the senior in your life that you will be a full or part-time caregiver. But, by the time they actually need help you might not be in a position to follow through. Accept that plans can change, be flexible, and have backup plans in place

3. Enlist help – a geriatric care manager or a senior care provider can help evaluate the future needs seniors may have to aid in planning

4. Organize the legal aspects – encourage your elderly relative to create a will, draft an advanced directive, establish a power of attorney, and go through the estate planning process

Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.

There are many seniors who spend their later years traveling. They wish to see all that they can while they have the time after retirement. Doing this can sometimes be costly, but by following a few suggested tips, senior travelers can find many discounts. When planning a trip, it is important to begin as early as possible. Doing so will allow your travel agent the time needed to find what discounts are available during the time you will be traveling.

1. Make sure to know personal preferences before contacting a travel agent. These requests should be made in advance. Some common requests for traveling seniors include aisle seats on airplanes, morning flights and non-smoking accommodations.

2. Be sure to deal with a travel agent directly. Many travel agents have personal assistants that relay messages. If possible, try to arrange to speak with the agent directly.

3. If there are time constraints, make sure to have a back-up plan. Use a calendar to plan for schedule changes. Often times, a change in time could mean a greater discount.

4. Inquire about car rentals and hotel rooms. Your travel agent may be able to book a complete package which would offer additional savings.

Source: www.ehow.com

Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.

If you’re dreaming about an early retirement, you might want to think again, because studies have proven that seniors who remain in the work force part-time and transition from full-time career to retirement actually have better health. Since so many seniors are forgoing retirement around age 65 there was a study conducted to see how this is likely to affect their health. The results were rather surprising, since it indicated that there are actually extensive benefits. Seniors can work for as long as they want, and rest assured that they are not doing themselves any harm; with health benefits like these, they might just live a little bit longer!

Benefits of Work on Senior Health:

• With a transition period from full-time work into retirement with part-time work, temporary work or work at home, seniors find it’s less of a shock to their mental health. Seniors who immediately retire from full-time work can find that feelings of loss of purpose can cause anxiety and depression

• Seniors who remain in the workforce longer, even part-time are more functional, and often have greater mobility while remaining active members of society

• Instances of high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, lung disease, heart disease, and stroke are some of the common medical problems that are reduced in working seniors

Via: Home Instead Senior care

Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-9688.

With a career and family life behind you, moving overseas can be a reality for your senior years if that’s what you’ve always dreamed of doing. You might not feel like you have the funding to maintain a life in the destination of your choice, but with some research and planning, it can be an affordable move. Before you make the decision, here are some things to consider:

1. Consider the cost of living – the cost of living varies from country to country and city to city, so make sure you do your research and choose one that has a cost of living that is lower and well-suited to your retirement budget

2. Find out the regulations for living in a country where you’re not a citizen – in countries like Mexico, retired seniors can receive residency permits that can be renewed annually; or for those with their own homes there, with a monthly pension of $1000 a permanent residency status can be granted

3. Think about your health – the climate and environment of various places abroad can have an impact on your health. Also look at the type of health care system in the countries you’re considering retiring to; some developing countries do not have the same standards as those we’re used to in the US while others have even more comprehensive health care systems

4. Choose your lifestyle – depending on what you’re looking for from your retirement, different destinations can meet your requirements. If you dream of senior years on a beach, Mexico, Spain or Italy might be a good choice; but if you want a historical experience look at Greece or England

Via: Retirement Story

image: heritagecommonssl.com

Home Care Walnut Creek, CA delivering home care and elderly services to seniors in the Contra Costa area including Concord. Call us 925-280-968