You can apply online for retirement or get estimates of your future retirement benefit

If you’re planning on retiring the most convenient way to apply for Social Security benefits is online—from the comfort of your home or office. Just go to www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline.

Before you start your application, we recommend you get an estimate of your retirement benefit. This too, you can do on the Social Security website at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator. The Retirement Estimator uses your personal employment history to estimate your retirement benefit. It also will help you to answer some of the questions on the retirement application.

Social Security offers an online retirement application that you can complete in as little as 15 minutes. It’s so easy. Better yet, you can apply from the comfort of your home or office at a time most convenient for you. There’s no need to drive to a local Social Security office or wait for an appointment with a Social Security representative.


In most cases, once your application is submitted electronically, you’re done. There are no forms to sign and usually no documentation is required. Social Security will process your application and contact you if any further information is needed.

Not ready to retire yet? It's never too early to start planning. Use the Retirement Estimator to obtain immediate and personalized estimates of your future retirement benefit.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator/

The Up Side of Old Age

This article is from an article in The New York Times.

I know it’s not ‘politically correct’ to describe people as ‘old,’ but I use the term intentionally and I mean no disrespect. In fact, quite the contrary.


When I say, ‘old,’ here, I mean whatever  YOU  consider ‘old.’ If you ask an 8-year-old, “How old is old?” They might say 12. The pre-teen will likely answer, ‘16.’ High school juniors will say that 21 is old and college students cannot imagine being as old as 30. Folks who have weathered 3 or 4 decades start looking at 50-60 as old, but most new retirees will consider 70 or 80 to be old. And, of course, if you ask an octagenarian how old ‘old’ is, they’re likely to give you a wise, number-less answer like, “You’re as old as you feel,” or “My daughter is old, that’s what old is, she never has anything good to say and she’s wasted all her opportunities.”

Dr. Marc E. Agronin explores how often we make the wrong assumptions about old age. He tells the story of an elderly woman in a nursing home. He expected her to be grieving for her late husband, but instead found she had thrown herself into new activities and relationships.


All of us lapse into such mistaken impressions of old age from time to time. It stems in part from an age-centered perspective, in which we view our own age as the most normal of times, the way all life should be.

At 18, the 50-year-olds may seem ancient, but at 50 we are apt to say the same about the 80-year-olds.

"So what’s it really like to be old?” he  often ask his  patients, who are mostly in their late 80s and 90s, and the responses are unexpected.

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Tips to Help Seniors Sleep Better

Do you find yourself having a harder time falling asleep now that you are older?  You're not alone.

Click here to access some tips from AARP

Baby Boomers Time Machine... Forgotten Photos

A trip down memory lane.... Click here

Take a peek inside the "Idea House" - to see Aging in Place Technology

Take a peek inside to see a video of "The Idea House".  It shows what is new on the market to help people age in place - 90% of the products are on the market today. It shows some healthcare technology to help people monitor their health issues on their own or with their caregiver as well as products that just make life easier for people as they age.

Take a peek inside by clicking on the links below

Idea House Part 1
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid47006157001?bclid=49952798001&bctid=51064163001

Idea House Part 2
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid47006157001?bclid=49952798001&bctid=51064163001

10 Ways the New Healthcare Bill May Affect You

This article comes from Yahoo Finance - 

Click here to be taken to the article

Albert Lea, MN's Vitality Project for a Healthier Community

Using secrets from cultures where people live the longest, the residents of Albert Lea, Minnesota, transformed the way they live as part of the Vitality Project: an unprecedented longevity study that energized bodies, spirits, and lives. From walking groups and community gardens to purpose seminars and healthier meals, find out how folks got strong, lost weight, connected with their community—and added years to their lives, in just five short months. Find out more about this town’s remarkable transformation.

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Discount Cruising for those 55+

Age 55 or older?
Pay up to 75% less for your cruise


One of the great perks of reaching age 55 is having the time to travel the world. Now there's a new benefit - saving up to 75 percent on cruises.

A growing number of major cruise lines now offer special discounts of up to 75 percent for passengers age 55 and older. How do you find out about these deals? You need to work with a special source within the industry.

Vacations To Go has helped customers save unbelievable amounts off the regular price of cruise tickets.  Over the years, the company has built up a special relationship with the cruise lines. Through this unique relationship, the company gets the best deals, many times before other companies, and sometimes even exclusive offers like special discounts for those age 55 and beyond.


All you have to do to find this information is sign up for Vacations To Go's free weekly newsletter at http://www.vacationstogo.com/. Now you have a secret source for finding the best cruise deals.

10 Ways Baby Boomers Will Reinvent Retirement

The baby boomers’ retirement will be much longer than their parents’ retirement. The number of seniors ages 65 and older in the United States is expected to more than double from 39 million today to 89 million in 2050. Some seniors will be retired for more years than they spent in the workforce.

Click here 10 Ways Baby Boomers will reinvent retirement

New health care law helps Baby Boomers, seniors

The new healthcare law is just about a done deal but what does it mean for boomers and seniors?


Read this point of view....

The Boomer Home in 2010 - A Multi-Generational Boarding House?

Are Boomers being hit the hardest in this recession?  Their jobs are disappearing and they are the last to be rehired due to age and the cost of health insurance....  add to that their homes may now be a full-nest as opposed to the empty nest as children return home and aging parents need help.

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The Positscience Brain Fitness Program

As we age we all fear losing our "mind", our memory. Even people in their 30's often remark that their memory isn't as sharp as it once was.

Doctors and researchers in the field of aging now know that something can be done to keep our brains active and with the right training, the brain can rewire itself.  This program is built on research to improve the brain.

The best way to enhance memory is to focus on listening and sharpening your listening skills. It was created to improve memory by increasing oral perception....using the principles of "brain plasticity" this program will help you learn to listen more accurately while building new neurons that retrain the brain to receive, process and restore imformation it more accurately.

Several years ago, the Discovery Channel did a special on Positscience's Brain Fitness Program that showed the benefits gained last about 5 years even if they never do it again. 

 I've personally tried this program and after a session the brain is tired... you can feel it working.





It's an exciting time in medicine especially when it comes to the research that deals with our amazing brains!

Alzheimer's Disease - Challenges for both the caregiver and the patient

Virtual Dementia Tour - Teaching Tool

To get a taste of what life is like for a spouse or parent with Alzheimer's Diesease and see what their world is like.......that is the reason for the virtual dementia tour.

Those who elect to take the "tour" slip on gloves with the fingers taped together, they wear goggles that are clouded on the side with magic marker  and have a large blacked out dot in the center of each lense. But that is not all they will be putting on in preparation for their virtual dementia tour. They also get a headset playing random voices and noise and prickly inserts for their shoes.

This Virtual Dementia Tour - complete with "accessories" was created by Second Wind Dreams, a national organization that offers educational tools for caregivers. The tour tries to help people get a glimpse of what it's like to have various forms of dementia, along with other ailments that come with aging.

Once ready, they were sent into a semi-darkened room to perform 5 simple tasks in 3 minutes.

Those on the tour knew they only had to endure it for a short period of time but for those who have the various forms of dementia, and their loved ones, their is no escape, it is their reality.
Most came away from the experience humbled because they couldn't finish the tasks, even with all their pistons firing correctly in their heads. The gloves were worn outside in with ruber grip bumps attached and a few fingers taped together to simulate arthritis.

The goggles helped participants understand macular degenerative disease.

The headphones with the voices  because for someone with dementia they can't always focus on what you're saying - you may be asking them to do one thing and thYou may be telling them one thing but their mind may be hearing the television or the radio or the conversation next to them.

They wanted people who still have clear minds  and good hands to see first-hand how difficult it is for someone who is not fully cognizant - how much harder it is to live in their world.

Alzheimer's disease and similar illnesses slowly eat away a person's memory, destroying short-term first, then erasing older memories before death.




God bless the caregivers - they are our unsung heroes and are truly doing His work.

Your Amazing Brain - Test Yourself

Your brain has areas for different skills, and you can develop a range of talents.


Did you know that you  have areas for music and math, language and physical ability and even an area for imagining things in three dimensions?

Tease your brain and find out what you're good at.  Click here

Don't forget to tell us in the comments how you scored! 

Ohio Parks FREE during the recession

Ohio remains one of only seven states not to charge its park admission fees. The state is keeping all of its 74 parks free and open during the recession.

Last year their Getaway Rentals  were very popular and they anticipate they  will be even more so this year... they cover a gamut of possibilities, from canvas teepees and yurts to cedar cabins and Rent-A-RV.

They are for people who  like to camp, but they don't have the equipment. It's midway between staying in a cottage and tent. Getaway Rentals - Basic package has futon bunks, a microwave and a dorm refrigerator at a campsite. Prices are $35 to $100 a night.

Ohio Parks are even offering a rewards card - it's free to sign up.

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Heart Disease, Stroke and You

All Americans should be well versed in basic first aid, CPR, and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) skills. If you are caring for someone over 65, your chances of needing such skills increase dramatically. The good news is that training classes are readily available throughout the United States and there is also a wealth of information online and on video blogs.


The American Heart Association is a national voluntary health agency to help reduce disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

Heart disease continues to be the Number 1 killer of Americans - take time to visit their web site, get educated, enroll in a CPR class, etc.  The life you save could be your loved ones or your own - it is time well spent.

Click here to be taken to the patient portal of the American Heart Association.

Boomer Golfers - Golf Past 50

Did you know approximately nine million baby boomers are golfers?

According to industry analysts the average rounds of golf Boomers play will increase significantly as we age.

This is just one of the many web sites for golers who have reached the "Better Side of Life" - it offers tips, discounts, videos, articles etc.   GOLF Over 50


GOLF NOW is a web site that allows you to search for golf deals on tee time 24/7 according to location and availability. Be sure to click on their tab for "Golf News and Resources" for several golf links and blogs.
Want to maintain the handicap you had when you were 30-year-old? You may want to pick up a copy of “Golf Past 50.”

.

Golf Past 50 is rich in advice on how to maintain your handicap and, equally important, advice on how to stay injury free.

Other golf books for Boomer Golfers- (Used books on Amazon are VERY inexpensive)
 

Click here to be taken to a link to these books on  AMAZON.COM

(Disclaimer - I am not a golfer but I like to drive the carts)

National Library Service Talking Books

I can't say enough about what a wonderful service this is. My grandmother became totally blind at the age of 81 from bilateral temporal arteritis, she loved to read and keep her mind active, this program allowed her to "read" books and "see" as she "read".

Through a national network of cooperating libraries, National Library Service administers a free library program of braille and audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States by postage-free mail.

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS)

Library Service Is Local

Building on a basic collection of audio and braille titles that we provide, regional and subregional libraries try to add books and magazines of local interest. Some libraries loan videos with audio descriptions designed for those who cannot see. During the summer, libraries try to offer reading programs for young, school-aged readers. Readers register with the library that serves their area and can take advantage of these local services in addition to the basic national collection provided by NLS.

•Address list of regional and subregional libraries

You may call 1-888-NLS-READ (1-888-657-7323) and be connected with the library serving
your area

•The National Cooperative Network, one of the NLS Factsheets

Ways to Save Money at the Grocery Store

All of us want to save money at the grocery store, not just seniors, but are you overwhelmed when you read those "how to" articles about coupon clipping and all the lingo that goes with it?

Me too!

The Simple Penny Pincher blog has several videos that explain the art of "couponing" and how to get the best deals using store specials, store coupons, manufacturers coupons etc -   perhaps, you'll be like me - once I watched these videos, the process seems to be much easier to implement than I had anticipated. 

Many people use their special deals to donate to food pantries or those less fortunate.

Visit Simple Penny Pincher and be prepared to keep more money in YOUR wallet!  Click here

New Social Security Disability Benefits for those with Early Alzheimer's Disease

According to the Administration, approximately 200,000 people under the age of 65 currently suffer from the symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease is one of 38 degenerative conditions recently included in the Social Security Administration’s  Compassionate Allowances program. This decision to add early-onset Alzheimer's to the Compassionate Allowances Initiative list is a major step forward for individuals with Alzheimer’s and their families. Disability determinations for Social Security Disability programs can now be decided within weeks rather than months or years


This system is designed to move quickly, aiding patients and their families, as they move from diagnosis to benefits. Expediting this process aids in reducing stress associated with waiting for the lengthy approval process, and trying to plan the next stages of life while in a state of limbo. With this new program, it is estimated that tens of thousands of younger Alzheimer’s sufferers will now qualify in a matter of days rather than the traditional months or years it often took in the past.

The Social Security Administration’s proactive efforts to “fast track” certain conditions will help to reduce the backlog of disability claims and, more importantly, ensure those claims that fall under this initiative will be decided within days instead of months or years.

According the the Administration, many of these younger patients–most in their 30s and 40s–are still working and have more extensive financial responsibilities than the traditional Alzheimer’s patient.
 
Effective March 1, 2010, the Administration will be able to electronically target and make prompt decisions in the best interest of the disabled patients.

For more information about this new Social Security Benefit please click here

Checklist for Applying for Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security


To be taken to the Social Security Page that lists the conditions included in this program, click here

ADVOCACY is important -
When the needed changes are implemented, it is important to thank those who were instrumental in the process, let them hear your voices and read your letters - it not only thanks them but it encourages them to do more in the future.

To sign an online THANK YOU card to the Social Security Administration for this recent action, please click here  A pre-printed form will pop up and you simply fill in your contact information and click send.

Senate rejects Social Security bonus payment - Yahoo! Finance

Senate rejects Obama proposal for $250 Social Security bonus payments"
Senate rejects Social Security bonus payment - Yahoo! Finance:

President Obama asked Congress to approve the $250 Social Security payments to compensate for their benefits not increasing this year but the Senate rejected the increase by a vote of 50 to 47.  This proposal would have given 57 million elderly people, veterans and persons with disabilities a $250 check.  The powerful senior's lobby and millions of Americans view this rejection as a major setback. 

Are you a senior? If so, what are your thoughts?

The Art of Traveling Lightly - How to Lighten Your Load

This is a GREAT web site and hopefully it will help you eliminate the number one travel mistake - OVER PACKING!  Gone are the days of two free bags and a carry on when you fly, now we pay dearly for extra baggage.  Our cars are smaller too!  Have you ever arrived at your destination and discovered that your luggage does not fit into your rental car?  I have. I no longer take "extra outfits" - lugging suitcases around Scotland cured me - that and the fact that our luggage did not fit in our rental car without some major work.
Of all the travel skills you might acquire, traveling light is the one most likely to result in an enjoyable, productive, stress-free travel experience - without a backache!

The web site is even entertaining!  Click here 

Genealogy - Building Your Family Tree

Building your family tree is great, in theory. But how do you fill in the missing branches when you don’t have all the information? Look no further than Geni, a free genealogy tool  that works by tapping the collective wisdom of your relatives.
To begin, simply add information about yourself and at least one of your parents. (There’s space for photos, birthdays and a myriad of other custom fields).


Geni enables families to connect, share, and preserve their lives.


Users can build their family tree through our fun simple interface. Relatives who are added to the tree can join Geni and add other relatives. This makes it easy to grow your tree.

Everyone in the tree has a profile which shows more about them and enables other family members to stay in touch with them. Families can work together to build profiles for common ancestors.

Family members can also share photos, videos, events, discussions, and more. A family timeline shows the history of everyone in the family.

Geni is private. Only the people in your family tree can log in to your tree and your profile. Geni will not share your personal information with third parties. We will not sell your email address or spam you. Users control which communications they would like to receive from us.

Geni was founded by former executives and early employees of PayPal, eGroups, eBay, and Tribe, and is backed by venture capital firms Founders Fund and Charles River Ventures.

Geni is private and secure, only the people in your family can see your family tree. Start building your family tree. Click here... did I mention, it's FREE?

The Size of the Boomer and Senior Markets

In years past, older adults were often ignored by marketers and advertisers but those days are history. The Boomer and Senior Markets are a force that can not be ignored.

 

Size of the Boomer and Senior Markets:

• 77 million people were born between 1946 and 1964, which is defined as the baby boomer era (U.S. Census).
• The first baby boomer turned 60 on January 1, 2006.
• An American turns 50 every 7 seconds—that's more than 12,500 people every day (U.S. Census).
• As of 2009, 48 is the largest age group in the United States (U.S. Census).
• By 2015, those aged 50 and older will represent 45% of the U.S. population (AARP).
• By 2030, the 65-plus population will double to about 71.5 million, and by 2050 will grow to 86.7 million people (U.S. Census).

Wealth of Baby Boomers and Seniors:

• 78 million Americans who were 50 or older as of 2001 controlled 67% of the country's wealth, or $28 trillion (U.S. Census and Federal Reserve).
• Households headed by someone in the 55-64 age group had a median net worth of $112,048 in 2000—15 times the $7,240 reported for the under 35 age group (U.S. Census and Federal Reserve).
• The 50+ have $2.4 trillion in annual income, which accounts for 42% of all after-tax income (U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey).
• Adults 50 and older own 65% of the aggregate net worth of all U.S. households (U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey).
• Spending Habits of Adults 50+:
• Adults 50+ account for an estimated $2 trillion in total expenditures for 2005.
• This group has $2.3 trillion in disposable income.
• Between now and 2010, the total spending for 50+ households will increase by over $900 billion.
• By 2010, adults 45-years-old and older will out-spend younger adults by $1 trillion annually.
• In 2004, people aged 50 and older spent an average of 47.6 percent of their family's budget on "nonessentials" (Bureau of Labor).
• 50% of baby boomers plan to buy a new home after retirement (Del Webb Survey).
• As of January 2007, baby boomers are 27% more likely than any other generations to embark on a major home improvement or repair in the next 6 months (Consumer Intentions and Actions Study).
• 96 percent of baby boomers participate in word-of-mouth or viral marketing by passing product or service information on to friends (ThirdAge and JWT Boom).

Online Habits of Adults 50+:

• One-third of the 195.3 million Internet users in the U.S., adults aged 50+ represent the Web's largest constituency (Jupiter Research).
• Two-thirds of Americans age 50-64 use the Internet (SeniorNet).
• Email is the most popular online activity among 50+ users, followed by web browsing, research, and shopping (ThirdAge and JWT Boom).
• 72% of baby boomers have broadband Internet in their homes (ThirdAge and JWT Boom).
• Adults 50+ spend an average of $7 billion online annually (SeniorNet).
• The Internet is the most important source of information for baby boomers when they make a major marketing purchase, such as automobiles or appliances (Zoomerang).
• 42% of all travel industry purchases happen online, and adults 50+ account for 80% of all luxury travel spending (Pew Internet and American Life Project).
• 82% of adults aged 50+ who use the Internet research health and wellness information online (Pew Internet and American Life Project).
• By the end of 2007, the number of mature social networkers is expected to top 20 million (Deloitte).