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Joan’s Boomer Blog

Helping Boomers Find Wealth, Health and Happiness in the Second Half of Life

Archive for the ‘Long term care planning’ Category

Elderly See Obama Health Care Reform as Assault on Medicare

Posted by JE Jones on Aug-12-2009

New polls show that overall public support for Obama’s health care reform plan are slipping, being most strongly opposed by the elderly. American’s over 65 oppose the health care plan 39 to 56%, with almost half of those polled saying they “strongly oppose” it.

Overall public support has also fallen, with 42% supporting the health care reform and 53% opposing it. The group most strongly supporting the plan are voters under 30 who support the health care plan by a 67% approval rating.

Do you think Socialized medicine is working great in countries who have it? If so, do a YouTube Search for Daniel Hannan health care reform. Daniel Hannan, MEP with the British parliament, has been making the rounds in America, warning us that we do not want to go down the same road as his country with health care.

Read more about Obama’s Health Care Reform at Dick Morris.com

If you have a chance, attend one of the Town Hall meetings, and see for yourself whether or not the protest is “orchestrated.” Ask your representative how this health care reform is going to “save money?” Ask who is going to pay for this -where is the money coming from if not from our tax dollars?

Here is a list of upcoming town hall meetings by state. Maybe you should go and see what all the fuss is about.

President Obama faced a fairly tame crowd at his own town hall meeting - but there they couldn’t do anything about the protesters who lined the street outside.

As long as they have a good product and the government plan has to sustain itself through premiums and other non-tax revenue, private insurers should be able to compete with the government plan, Obama said.

“They do it all the time,” he said. “UPS and FedEx are doing just fine. … It’s the Post Office that’s always having problems.” Isn’t the Post Office the only one of the 3 that is government run? Not a very good example in my opinion!

Take a look at these videos from recent town hall meetings and form your own opinion about them. One is from an AARP town hall meeting! The AARP doesn’t seem comfortable listening to the views of it’s own members. If you’re a baby boomer and a member of AARP, make your opinions known to them today.

With 40% of the savings in medical spending coming from Medicare, the senior citizens of America are coming to see the Obama proposals as an assault on their health care system.

Posted in: Baby Poomer Issues, Boomer Living, Boomer News, Long term care planning, health care reform
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Who is the Angry Mob Opposing Obama’s Health Care Plan?

Posted by JE Jones on Aug-10-2009

Just who makes up the “angry” mob protesting ObamaCare? Is this seemingly spontaneous gathering “orchestrated” as much of the mainstream media claims?

Visit one gathering of the Angry Mob and find out just who is attending?

As a baby boomer who started out to build a work at home resource blog for boomers, I have somehow stepped into some political issues relevant to our generation. I never intended to write a political blog but some issues, like health care reform, are vitally important to those in their boomer years.

It’s also bugged me over the years, that much misinformation is out there in the mainstream media and any in the US don’t bother to read websites or watch television news that offers both sides of an issue. They watch Charlie Gibson on ABC news and think that is the real scoop and that’s all there is. Their vision of what is happening in the world gets to be very one sided.

Lots of people don’t like Fox News but it’s mostly, I believe, people who never watch it. On Fox News, a conservative and a liberal are labeled as such. On most all issues, in almost every interview I’ve seen, both sides are represented and the viewer knows who is who.

In the mainstream media, interviews are presented and statements are made but you never know if the person speaking has an agenda behind their words. Who do they represent? What do they base their statements on? Nobody questions these things. Statements are presented as facts and not too many hard questions are asked.

On Fox, everybody gets grilled and every person is identified and asked what their agenda is up front so viewers know if someone has an axe to grind or not. I hear dozens of small newsy items on Fox news that never see the light of day in mainstream news media because the items don’t fit into their concept of what viewers should know about.

Another good place to subscribe to if you want to know about what’s really going on in the media is The Media Research Center, which tracks liberal news bias with film clips and more, taken from mainstream news broadcasts. You can sign up for their daily alerts too for free.

I believe that baby boomers need to cultivate a source of news that shows both sides so we can decide for ourselves just what we truly believe.

Posted in: Baby Poomer Issues, Boomer Living, Boomer News, Long term care planning, health care reform
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What’s New in Obama Health Care Reform Debate

Posted by JE Jones on Aug-5-2009

Check out some of the latest info on ObamaCare:

1. Is People’s Wrath Over ObamaCare “Orchestrated?” The Media Research Center put this together on what major networks are now saying over the anger expressed at recent town hall meetings when the topic was health care reform.

2. What Britain’s MEP Dan Hannan says about the success of universal health care in Britain. Is Universal Health Care a success in Britain? Should we go down the same path?

3. President Obama’s Choice - Listen to America or Listen to Barney Frank In recent polls and in town hall meetings, Americans are sending a message. Is President Obama listening? I guess if the protests can be written off as “orchestrated” then he won’t have to pay attention.

If the protest over health care is orchestrated, then it’s probably the first Conservatives have come together in a big way for anything. Personally, I think it’s a spontaneous anger that’s burst forth from Americans who are saying “This is enough!”

Recently, I listened to Danial Hannan talk about universal health care in Britain. Ninety percent of Britains want private health care but the National Health Service squeezed out the private insurers. “Rationing is intrinsic in the system,” Hannan said, adding that cortisone shots aren’t allowed on the national health care plan now. If people do want to purchase a more expensive drug not allowed under national health care, then the government withdraws all money for treatment.

If the British don’t even like their own system, why should we implement one just like it?

Here’s another YouTube video on Britain’s Health Care system.

Health Care Horror Story

Posted in: Baby Poomer Issues, Boomer News, Healthy Living, Long term care planning, health care reform
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Polls Show Those Over 65 Oppose Obama Health Care Reform

Posted by JE Jones on Aug-2-2009

A recent Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll, found voters over 65 are opposed to the the Obama plan by 35-47. Those over 65 believe that Obamacare will cost them money, rather than saving them money and 45% believe the quality of care will be worse under health care reform.

Elderly voters also believe by 65-29, that it is impossible to have health care reform without raising taxes and they fear a rationing of health care services or denial of care under the plan. According to an article by Dick Morris, Elderly Lead Opposition on Obama Health Care, this could have a serious impact on the 2010 elections as seniors, fearful of health care changes, join the ranks of Republicans who refuse to go along with the health care reform plan.

Baby boomers, or those born between 1946 and 1964, will be 65 soon enough and considered then among the “elderly” voters of America. Most will rely on Medicare, if it still exists, for medical treatment, and therefore they will be relying on the government to make their medical decisions. It’s probably one of the most important issues facing boomers right now.

On the flip side too, it was reported today that Americans spent $34 billion on alternative health care which covers everything from acupuncture, yoga and meditation to chiropractics, herbal medicine and others. There still needs to be “more study” on the effectiveness of these treatments, many of which will no doubt be found to have “little value” by the medical establishment.

As to alternative medicine’s effectiveness, the thousands who have found relief through acupuncture and chiropractics, or self health methods like meditation or simply lifestyle changes like diet and exercise, would no doubt take issue with such findings but conventional medicine always thinks that popping a pill - which may have serious side effects - is better than taking your health into your own hands.

If you have a serious medical issue, you should always consult a physician but finding relief for pain through acupuncture or taking up yoga, can only enhance what modern medicine can do to heal. Conventional medicine treats the symptoms, while many alternatives treat the root cause of the illness. These two things don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

If health care reform passes, and people are refused treatment or treatment is substandard or hard to obtain, more and more people will be seeking alternative medicine. If you’re interested in alternatives, do your research, become educated as to the pros and cons and make up your own mind as to what you want to do. This will no doubt be the one element lacking in health care reform - personal empowerment about health care choices.

Posted in: Baby Boomer Health & Weight Loss Tips, Baby Poomer Issues, Boomer Living, Boomer News, Healthy Living, Long term care planning, health care reform
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Baby Boomer News: Are Older Drivers a Danger on the Road?

Posted by JE Jones on Feb-26-2009

As baby boomers age, the question of when to take the keys away will have to be made by spouses, children and even the DMV. My own father is 84 years old and recently had his license renewed by the DMV for 10 years!

Tom Vanderbuilt’s blog, “How We Drive”, recently had an interesting article entitled “What’s the Real Risk of Older Drivers?” In the article he concluded, based on recent research, that although crashes involving older drivers make the news, it’s wrong to demonize older drivers when statistics can’t be matched point by point between older and younger drivers.

Older drivers know that one serious mistake will get their license suspended forever, while younger drivers tend to feel “it can’t happen to me.” Younger drivers are more likely to be engaging in risky behavior, such as texting messaging, talking on their cell phones or being distracted by a carload of friends or by their own young children.

Older drivers for the most part also drive less miles than younger drivers and stick to more familiar surroundings where they know the roads and feel comfortable.

Deciding when to take the keys away from a parent is a huge decision because, in many cases, their car and their ability to drive gives them independence. As families scatter around the country, older drivers are less likely to have friends or relatives who can take them where they need to go.

My own dad limits his driving to taking my mom to get groceries or her hair appointment mostly but when the time comes that he can’t drive, it also means my mom loses much of her independence too because she hardly drives at all anymore, preferring to leave it to my father. I know for a fact that my dad’s reaction times aren’t as quick as they once were.

The fact is, though, I live a thousand miles away and both my sisters, who live near my parents, are still working. One of my sisters has a child in elementary school, as well. This past year, when my dad had to have a hip replacement, I went home to help care for him as my sisters aren’t able to take the time to do it.

If my dad has to quit driving - what then? As an old marine from WWII, my father hates each further loss of independence he suffers because he knows he’ll never get it back. Baby boomers are increasingly being put into the position of caring for aging parents and making these types of decisions for them.

When to stop driving is a major decision looming for baby boomers as they get older, for both themselves and their parents.

As to whether or not older drivers are the biggest danger on the road, in my opinion, they are not. I live in a large metro area and most of the major accidents in the news here are caused by drunk drivers, not older drivers. If there is a push to be made for taking risky drivers off the roads, I think the emphasis should be placed there, not on elderly drivers.

How do you feel about older drivers on our roads? Have you ever had to face the decision to take away your parents car keys? If so, how did you handle it?

Posted in: Baby Boomer Health & Weight Loss Tips, Boomer Living, Boomer News, Boomer Travel, Healthy Living, Long term care planning
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Boomer Years - 7 Habits of Long Term Care Planning

Posted by JE Jones on Dec-8-2008

This article is by guest author Carol Marak

By applying the principals that can be found in Steven Covey’s books, adult children seeking Austin home care for elders as well as in other cities can be empowered in the unique role of a family caregiver. Families can utilize these seven habits as a compass for back-to-school stress.

1. Take a proactive approach. A child’s school schedule, coupled with your aging parent can be stressful if you fail to plan. By planning ahead and taking initiative, you can avoid the stress that comes with dual responsibilities. Begin early with conversations with your mom and dad about how they want to live out their lives; home care or community care?

2. Begin with the End in Mind. Evaluate what’s important to your life, and if family is most important then devote the resources of time, energy and talent to that end. Help your aging parent plan for their future. Many seniors and elders alike, assume they will be able to care for themselves in the future even when they become frail.

3. Put First Things First. Work with your family on a daily and weekly basis in planning goals, appointments, and obligations. Organize all information as a means to focus and plan the goals. It would be great to have a planning session like this with mom and dad before they become elderly. This will help them ease their fear of being forced out of their home in their later years.

4. Think Win/Win. Instead of looking to caring for your kids and elderly parents as a source of stress, approach it with a positive mindset. Your positive attitude will rub off on family members, and in turn, they will feel loved and important. Establish everyone’s roles from the outset so as to make everyone feel a part of the caregiving situation.

5. Seek First to Understand and then be understood. Covey teaches the idea of mutual understanding between people, and this can certainly apply with Grandma and children. Be empathetic when they express their differences and concerns. If your child or parent is being ornery towards you, listen to what they are saying, and try and get to the root of the problem.

6. Synergize. Come up with creative ways to get all family members involved. Perhaps your teenager can play a board game with Grandma while Mom can make dinner. Or Grandpa can teach a youngster a history lesson that applies towards homework. Make use of everyone’s differences to benefit the family as a whole.

7. Sharpen the Saw. There’s much to be said for balance, and thus a family caregiver must take strides to take care of his or herself. Be sure to renew yourself in all facets of your life, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and keep on giving.

When applying Covey’s teachings, the family caregiver will find the experience rewarding, creating a feedback loop that makes all family members feel good. Aging parents will feel appreciated and valued when they see that they too, are a part of the senior care experience.

Posted in: Boomer Living, Long term care planning
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