Hearing Aids Is It Time?

Can you think back to the days when you and your childhood friends shared the same phone?

The generations that followed after the phone was discovered, were all familiarized with this game and it represented a playful imitation of the veritable phone. On the other hand, this game was the cradle and the inspiration for the first hearing aids varieties. Having brought some release with it, ‘the ear trumpet’ as they called the first hearing aid, was nothing more than an archetype of the current hearing device - it is astounding to see the difference between them!

Hearing signifies the sense by which sound is received and the loss of this capacity is called ‘otosclerosis’ in medical terms. A good hearing aid that you can rely on is the solution to the communication problem when this occurs due to poor hearing. No one likes to be made fun of for such reasons.

A child this situation can be extremely discouraged not only by the physical barrier, but also by the inherent emotional part of the problem. You can offer your hearing impaired child tremendous help by providing him with a hearing device, it will surely cut the stress drastically. Alternatives as sign language and lip reading are a part of the practical solution for numerous hearing impaired people - however they cannot be applied in all situations as they might not be suitable for every person.

Once you’ve come to realize that a hearing aid is the key in your case, pay attention to several things. Has only one of the ears suffered a certain amount of hearing loss or have both been affected’ If so, to what extent?

Extra points are finding the right provider, asking the prices of the device itself, of the service, of the typical ear testing and of the batteries that go along as well as their availability.

As parents you won’t be satisfied with a simple hearing examination performed by the nurse at school as to establish the level of your child’s hearing loss and his specific needs. To procure a the best hearing aid for children these days has not only got the potential to offer significant help in the hearing loss advancement but also the aids are specifically built to be fun for the children.

Here are some of the most important companies present on the today’s market: Starkey, Rexton, Sonic innovations, Phonak, Unitron,Sebotek, Siemens, Beltone and Widex - the Miracle Ear has become so popular that almost everybody found out about it!

The advertisements for hearing aids are found in: publications that focus their content predominantly on seniors, doctor’s office leaflets, or simply by asking contacts. Although the elderly are the first in thought when aids come to mind, anyone at any age can develop a need for one.

Regardless of age, it has been demonstrated that any person can encounter this kind of difficulty, not only seniors.

It is always helpful to learn from someone who has ‘been there, done that’ - it will give you a better idea of the ideal hearing aid you actually look for. A quality hearing device is always accompanied by: a good service contract, instructions and the telephone numbers of the service centers as well as extra batteries, a case to store it in and an instrument for cleaning the ear wax.

Long Term Care Insurance

If you think that you won’t qualify for Medicaid or full Medicare benefits due to large savings, assets or a high income, then long term care insurance could be the program for you. You don’t want to end up relying on your children to help pay for these expenses.

With long term care insurance it will at least enable you to leave your loved ones a little something instead of sucking all your assets dry. Another plus is that if you can afford to pay the premiums you probably won’t qualify for assistance so would truly benefit. If you currently have chronic health issues or have a family history of a long-term illness you would be far better off purchasing now rather than waiting. It will be too late to get an insurance policy after you have already developed a long-term illness or disability.

Should you at any point think that you might fall into any of these categories you might want to consider getting a plan earlier to be safe and covered. Most large insurance companies offer long term care insurance policies. As always, every state has different insurance regulations, therefore it is best to check with your state on specific determining factors and qualifications.

Long-Term Care Insurance is still fairly new on the market and many people don’t even know that it exists or what it covers. Even those who have heard the term don’t always know when benefits are paid, how they are designed, and who qualifies or needs coverage. Many people wait till they are past retirement age and closer to needing benefits before thinking about this type of insurance, by which time it is too late to get a great rate and qualify for higher benefits.

You need to start thinking of investing earlier in order to maximise your options. Nowadays it is becoming more common for people to start thinking about what will happen 30, 50, or more years ahead. Many people invest in 401Ks, IRAs, stocks and bonds, and other types of investments to prepare for the future thinking that this will pay for future living expenses and leisure activities once retired. Unfortunately things don’t always go according to plan.

Picture the following scenarios.

1. You have an accident and need day to day help getting about your daily activities. Who’s going to pay for that?

2. As you get older you require home help. You may decide you would rather live in your own home for as long as possible and therefore you would need to have enough money to pay for personal home care.

3. Some seniors enjoy assisting living facilities that provide 24 hour nursing care, but still let you be as independent as you can.

4. Then there are those instances where nursing home facilities are needed to tend to varying degrees of illness.

5. You may need long-term care to provide help due to a long-term illness or disability.

The average cost of these types of care can vary in cost from around $40-$100 thousand per year and sometimes more. This will very quickly eat into your savings and social security benefits. If you think Medicaid or Medicare will help, think again. Even if and when you qualify, your savings are now gone and they will only pay up to 50% of the cost, therefore someone has to come up with the rest. Long-Term Care insurance can help with these costs in the unfortunate event that you require nursing care.

This coverage will help provide nursing home care, home-health care, personal or adult day care usually for individuals above the age of 65 or those with a chronic or disabling condition that needs constant supervision. All of these types of long term care can be very expensive, that’s why most people need insurance. Long term care insurance offers more flexibility and options than many public assistance programs.

For example, on average facilities that provide skilled nursing care typically charge from $150 to $300 per day, or over $80,000 per year or more. Even custodial home care can cost over $9,000 a year if used three times a week. Most long term care insurance policies will cover only a specific dollar amount for each day you spend in a nursing facility or for each home-care visit. Therefore, when you are thinking about getting an insurance policy, it’s essential that you read the policies carefully and compare the benefits to determine which long term care policy will best meet your own needs.

Protect Your Aging Parent From Harmful Prescription Drug Reactions

Found this great site to check out harmful drug-drug & drug-food interactions. It can be a life savers for seniors: http://twurl.nl/34jbu4

Caregiving With No Regrets?

David Solie hits the nail smack on the head again with his latest post appropriately titled “Second Thoughts”.

This time he’s commenting on the “new kind of work” we take on. Not the paper work chores and the job of cleaning out the house, but the psychological process of sorting out the experience of the death of mom or dad.

His second point - regrets - got me to thinking about my dad. Today on the way to the office, I started suffering from “anticipatory regrets” about the time I’m not spending with him and mom. His post helped me decide it’s time to start taking some of those actions I only think about but never get around to doing.

How about you? Any regrets you want to avoid? Better do it now why you have the chance.

Alzheimer’s and Nutrition: Eat Your Greens!

Celery, green pepper, and chamomile each contain a flavonoid called luteolin recently determined to be an anti-inflammatory chemical that could help treat brain
disorders like Alzheimer’s Disease.

While more research is required, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reports it used luteolin to reduce brain inflammation (beta amyloids) in the brains of research mice.

So it can’t hurt to crunch down on celery sticks, strips of green bell peppers and enjoy a cup or three of chamomile tea every day.

Sniff. Sniff. Nasal Insulin Sprays Could Put Brakes On Alzheimer’s

Came across an article about the efficacy of medication delivered via nasal sprays in the British newspaper “The Indepedent”. While following my nose on the subject, I learned about other studies specifically relating insulin to Alzheimer’s Disease and the investigation of using nasal sprays as a delivery system.

Very promising stuff.

Check out these stories:

Project LifeSaver Tracks and Finds Alzheimer’s Wanderers

An electronic tracking device is helping save the lives of Alzheimer’s sufferers, the emotional strain of caregivers and the budgets of local sheriff’s departments.

Project LifeSaver, offered by Sheriff offices in numerous communities around the country, is a program that equips those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or other cognitive disorders with a mobile locator bracelets that allow them to be found in case they wander off.

Typically, people are found within minutes rather than days which brings great peace of mind to families. Not only is it a great emotional relief for worried families, it’s a huge money saver for local law enforcement.

Traditional searches without Project LifeSaver requires scores of people, tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars per search and could take days. This system costs a fraction of that, uses far fewer people and takes hours.

To find out if your community is enrolled in the program, contact your local Sheriff’s department or the folks at Project Lifesaver.

Caring For The Caregivers Heart

It’s no secret that caregivers have big hearts. It takes love and concern to accept the rigors that come with providing care to an aging parent.

But caregiving is a tough job. It can take a physical and emotional toll on the caregiver.

Yahoo Health offers these 7 tips to keep your heart healthy.

Crossing the Eighty Something Frontier

David Solie has another thought provoking post at Aging Parents Insight. This one is on the impact of a parent crossing over the 80 year old mark. It’s well worth reading.

Martin

Using Caregiver Technology To Make Your Life Easier

This week’s “Ask Mr. Eldercare” talks
about how to use the latest advances in
caregiving technology to make your life
easier as a caregiver.

I’ll be talking about really cool items that
enable your mom or dad to “age in place”
safely with a lot less worry on your
part.

The show starts at 10 am central.
You can listen on your computer or on your
phone at 646-595-3880.

Hope you can join me!