Sherry

Sherry L. Christensen is a retired high school teacher. She designed and built this blog site to inform and inspire others in an effort to build a community of solo retirees. You can reach her at livingliferetired16@gmail.com.

“Get the flu shot, even if you think you don’t need it”

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What’s New for the Flu in 2016Learn what to do about the flu and why people 65 years and older are at greater risk of serious complications from the flu.

Older adults have another option for the vaccine this year

by Emily Gurnon

October 19, 2016

“You probably know that the flu vaccine is a little different each year. Manufacturers alter it to make it as close a ‘match’ to the currently circulating viruses as possible. There are some other changes you should be aware of for the 2016 flu season, too. But the most important thing to know, experts say, is: Get the flu shot, even if you think you don’t need it.

‘The more people that get the vaccine, the better it is for everybody — and in the process, you protect yourself,’ said Dr. Jesse T. Jacob, associate professor of medicine at Emory University and hospital epidemiologist at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta.

Potentially Deadly

The flu can be a very serious illness, especially for those 65 and over and for children. About 90 percent of flu-related deaths occur in those 65 and older, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Over three decades between 1976-1977 to 2006-2007, the flu and associated illnesses like pneumonia killed between a low of 3,000 and a high of 49,000 people per season, according to the CDC. Exact numbers are not known, because states are not required to report influenza deaths in adults.”

Read more at http://www.nextavenue.org/whats-new-flu-in-2016/

“Bottom line: Don’t risk letting yourself get sick, and don’t be the source of an illness for someone else. Get vaccinated.

To find out which shots are available in your area, go to Vaccine Finder and type in your location.”

Emily Gurnon is Senior Content Editor covering health and caregiving for Next Avenue. She previously spent 20 years as a newspaper reporter in the San Francisco Bay Area and St. Paul.

Common sleep disorders as we age

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Image result for elderly sleep disorders imagesSome of my neighbors and I were discussing the difficulties of getting enough sleep as we age, so I decided to do a little research on common sleep disorders:

In an article titled Sleep Disorders in Older People (Age and Ageing 2002) author Joseph Harbison revealed these key points:

  • Sleep disorders are very common in older people, particularly those living in long-term care, and may be markers for other diseases.
  • Doctors are sometimes unaware of the propensity for commonly used drugs to cause sleep disturbance.  Insomnia is often multifactorial in elderly people.
  • Benzodiazepines should be used to treat insomnia only when it is severe, disabling, or subjecting the individual to extreme distress.  Try non-pharmacological method instead.
  • Circadian rhythm disorders, parasomnias, and sleep related movement disorders are all common amongst older people and are often easily treated.
  • Older people should be warned that they need longer to adjust to long haul flights.

Read the full report and see a table of Commonly Used Drugs Causing Insomnia and Sleep Disturbance

From the Center of Retirement Research…Medicare Benefits

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Medicare Enrollment Help is PlentifulImage result for medicare images

October 13, 2016

“Open enrollment starts Oct. 15 for people who’ve signed up for Medicare benefits and must buy into or change their supplemental Advantage or Part D prescription drug plans.

The Medicare Rights Center in New York tells me that you can ‘make as many changes as you need during this period’ and that ‘only your last coverage choice will take effect Jan. 1.’

A long list of resources appears at the end of this blog to help Medicare beneficiaries through the enrollment process. But there’s a lot of hoopla around the Oct. 15-Dec. 7 enrollment period, so it’s important to know what Oct. 15 is not about.

One’s birthday – and not a date on the calendar – determines when people should initially enroll in the Medicare program. Most people turning 65 who are not covered by their own or their spouse’s employer health insurance at work are required to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B during a seven-month period that starts three months prior to their 65th birthday. During this seven-month window, new Medicare participants must also sign up for their Part D drug plans – or risk paying a lifelong penalty. Oct. 15 is not the trigger date for selecting Medigap plans either.”

Read more at http://squaredawayblog.bc.edu/squared-away/medicare-enrollment-help-is-plentiful/?shareadraft=baba14345_57eaaf8795dfa

Baby boomer generation retirement research

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Not Your Mother’s Old Age: Baby Boomers at Age 65

by Rachel Pruchno, Ph.D.

The Gerontologist (2012) 52 (2):149-152

“Nearly 79 million people now living in the United States were born between 1946 and 1964 (Haaga, 2002). In 2011, the first of the Baby Boom cohort reached age 65, and for the next 17 years, close to 10,000 people a day will celebrate their 65th birthday. The generation raised according to Dr. Spock, the generation whose motto once was ‘trust no one over 30,’ now find themselves knocking at Medicare’s door. Baby Boomers redefined each stage of life as they experienced it, modifying fashion design and hair length as well as key societal institutions. They questioned the underlying values and attitudes of society. They influenced education, music, race relations, sex roles, and child rearing. They are about to change what we know about old age.

The Baby Boom generation is significant for its size as well as its distinct social and demographic characteristics. Baby Boomers are more highly educated, more likely to occupy professional and managerial positions, and more racially and ethnically diverse than their predecessors (Frey, 2010). They have higher rates of separation and divorce, lower rates of marriage, and gave birth to fewer children (Hughes & O’Rand, 2004). On average, they are healthier and have longer life expectancies at age 65 (Freedman, Martin, & Schoeni, 2002; Manton, 2008). They have had more varied work histories, longer transitions out of the labor force, and work for more of their adult years (Quinn, 2010) than previous generations.”

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Making your retirement nest egg last as long as you do

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Image result for nest egg images
gettyimages.com

How to Avoid Going Broke in Retirement:  

Try these tips for making your nest egg last as long as you do

by Andrea Browne Taylor

May 4, 2016

“It’s no surprise that the biggest worry among retirees is running out of money. People are living longer than ever, yet pensions for life are a thing of the past. While you can’t guarantee your nest egg will last as long as you do, you can take steps to lower the odds of going broke in retirement.

If you’re already retired, spend less. Nearly half of retirees spent more in the first two years of retirement than they did just before retiring. A simple household budget goes a long way.

There are plenty of other things retirees can do to make their money last a lifetime. Take a look at even more ways to avoid going broke in retirement.”

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What everyone needs to know…

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…About Estate Planning

A Financial Planning Association brochure “shows why you need an estate plan and highlights some of the basic components of an estate plan.”

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A clock chime…a loving remembrance

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dscn5404When my Dad retired in his mid-40’s, he received a mantle clock with a gold plate inscribed with his name, Jerry D. Oellrich, and the quote, “In Appreciation of Twenty-Five Years of Loyal and Valued Service to the Cargill Companies,” signed by the company president.  This treasured keepsake sat on top of the living room television in the farmhouse I grew up in.  He worked many long hours at Cargill working his way through the union ranks as a maintenance man and electrician to ultimately become a plant maintenance supervisor.  I looked up to my Dad.

In my freshman college composition class I was assigned to write a paper about whom I admired most.  I wrote about my Dad.  He was a hard worker and came from very meager means.  He was from a large, close family and he left high school before graduating to begin working full-time in a factory.  My Dad and Mom married and raised seven children together; all of them girls except the youngest.  He was also a farmer.  In my opinion, he had accomplished a lot with very little except hard work and determination.

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