It's Tea Time

It’s Tea Time
The link between nutrition and cognitive health keeps growing stronger. Past research has shown that consuming more vegetables, soy, fish, and the vitamin niacin all appear to offer protection against Alzheimer’s disease. And the latest study adds tea to this list of brain-friendly foods.

Research out of the United Kingdom shows that drinking tea appears to inhibit enzymes associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, tea works in much the same way as drugs prescribed for the disease.

Both green and black tea interfered with or obstructed several enzymes that play a role in the development of senile plaques. Coffee, which was also studied, had no effect on these enzymes.
There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But lead researcher Dr. Ed Okello notes that “tea could potentially be another weapon in the armory which is used to treat this disease and slow its development.”

By the way, the Okinawa studies show that jasmine tea is a popular choice of healthy 100-year-olds. Maybe the English have it right. Take a break each afternoon for a cup of tea. There are many different kinds of flavored tea to give you a change of pace. I personally like to cut some fresh mint and add it to the tea while it’s steeping.

12 Requests from People with Alzheimer's

Please.....
Be patient with me. My brain disease is beyond my control.
Accept me the way I am. I still have something to offer you.
Talk with me and listen to me. I can't always answer, but I do understand the tone of your voice and your expressions of interest. Because I cannot remember does not mean that I am dumb.
Be kind to me. Your kindness may be the highlight of my day.
Don't hurry me. Each day I struggle to keep up and understand.
Consider my feelings. I am sensitive to shame, embarrassment, failure, fear, and uncertainty. Don't ignore me.
Treat me with dignity. I am no less of a person because I have Alzheimer's disease. I would do the same for you if our positions were reversed.
Remember my past. Remind me of my previous successes, values, and worth.
Remember my present. I am a frightened but still loving church member who misses my family, home, and church very much. Let me do what I can do. Break down activities into steps I can handle. I respond to encouragement.
Love me ... and your gifts of love will be a blessing of light on all our lives.

--- From the Duke Family Support Program

GuardiaCare Services

I am continually looking at the senior resources available in the area, and met with Mary Ellen Harned from GuardiaCare yesterday. I was unaware of many of the services they provide. They have an adult day care center on the premises. They can be named as the guardian by the court for people who are unable to handle their assets. They also provide payee and financial management for people who are unable to handle that aspect of their lives. They will pay the bills, apply for benefits, perform some limited investing and ensure that client's housing, utilities, medical expenses, insurance and food are provided for.

Some people cannot manage their own finances due to a cognitive impairment, others because of a mental illness or addiction they cannot control. GuardiaCare will ensure their basic necessities are taken care of so they are not exploited or made homeless. If you would like to learn more, you can call them at 502-585-9949.

Friday Funny

"Senior" personal ads seen in Florida newspapers:

FOXY LADY: Sexy, fashion-conscious blue-haired beauty, 80's, slim, 5'4" (used to be 5'6"), searching for sharp-looking, sharp-dressing companion. Matching white shoes and belt a plus.

LONG-TERM COMMITMENT: Recent widow who has just buried fourth husband, and am looking for someone to round out a six-unit plot. Dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath not a problem.

SERENITY NOW: I am into solitude, long walks, sunrises, the ocean, yoga and meditation. If you are the silent type, let's get together, take our hearing aids out and enjoy quiet times.

WINNING SMILE: Active grandmother with original teeth seeking a dedicated flosser to share rare steaks, corn on the cob and caramel candy.

BEATLES OR STONES? I still like to rock, still like to cruise in my Camaro on Saturday nights and still like to play the guitar. If you were a groovy chick, or are now a groovy hen, let's get together and listen to my eight-track tapes.

MEMORIES: I can usually remember Monday through Thursday. If you can remember Friday, Saturday and Sunday, let's put our two heads together.

MINT CONDITION: Male, 1932, high mileage, good condition, some hair, many new parts including hip, knee, cornea, valves. Isn't in running condition, but walks well.

Universal Life Insurance

Universal Life Insurance is permanent insurance that is flexible in nature. You can change your premium payments (higher or lower) to increase or decrease the death benefit. Like a whole life policy, Universal insurance builds up a cash value. The cash value is money you can access in a number of different ways.

You can take a loan against the cash value that does not have to be repaid. The interest rates are usually very low and repayment comes from the death benefit. You can take a withdrawal of the cash value which does not have to be repaid.

You can use the cash value to pay the premiums to keep the policy in force. If you do this, it depletes the cash value. There is the risk if you do this often that you will run out of a cash value. At that point, unless you increase your premiums, you policy is in threat of lapsing.

Universal insurance is more expensive than term insurance because it is there as long as you live. It is a good way to pay final expenses, debts and estate taxes.

Why Most Calcium Supplements are Useless for Osteoporosis

For years, American women have been taking calcium supplements for stronger bones. Yes they continue to get osteoporosis in record numbers. Why? Because taking supplements is not enough. You also need to engage in weight-bearing exercise.

You don't have to lift weights or do torturous aerobic workouts. Researchers have studied the effect of different activities, and they've found that one of the best bone-building activities is gardening. In fact, gardening was more effective than almost all the other activities studied.

Also, because it is performed outside, your body is also exposed to sunlight, which provides bone-building vitamin D. Just make sure you apply sunscreen if you're going to be spending more than 15 minutes in the sun.

Don't have a garden? See if your local community has an Operation Brightside where you could adopt a city garden.

Term Life Insurance

Term life insurance can be thought of as temporary or "rented" insurance. It will pay a death benefit only as long as the term of the policy is running. For example, there are many people who have a Term 20 or Term 30 policy while they are young. This provides a death benefit that will

1. Pay off the house
2. Provide for a spousal income
3. Leave money for children's education
4. Pay final expenses
5. Clear out any outstanding debt

Once the house is paid off and the children are out of the house, there is not as much need for the term life insurance. Usually by that point they have built up a nest egg to provide for the spousal income.

Many term policies allow you to convert some or all of it to permanent insurance prior to the end of the term without proof of insurability. You can also continue it on a yearly basis after the term. This is very expensive and would only be done if you were terminal.

Friday Funny

Top 10 Signs You're Too Old to trick or treat
10. You get winded from knocking on the door
9. You have to have another kid chew the candy for you
8. You ask for high fiber candy only
7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance and fall over.
6. People say, "Great Boris Karloff Mask." and you're not even wearing a mask.
5. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or....." and can't remember the rest.
4. By the end of the night, you have a bag full of restraining orders.
3. You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hairpiece.
2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.
1. You keep having to go home to go to the bathroom.

Client Testimonial

It hit me again today that I love what I do. I just got off the phone with one of my clients who is on claim. She had a policy for 2 years before needing care. In her early 70's, there was no indication that 2 years ago she would have arthritis so bad in her knee that she would need care bathing, dressing and doing housework. I can't tell you how many times she thanked me for helping her understand the long term care insurance and how glad she was that she had it. Her comment was "I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to have this coverage. It's been a god send to me in helping me stay here independently in my own home."

That's the power of long term care insurance. It keeps you IN YOUR OWN HOME when you need care.

Doctors Who Make House Calls???

Who would have thought that there was a doctor who worked on your availability anymore. Dr. Benfield in Louisville KY is revolutionizing the healthcare delivery mechanisms. He will actually come to your house and make a house call. He can file the Medicare insurance for you and pretty much do just about any procedure that may need to be done in an office. Just think, no more sitting for an hour or more in a doctor's office waiting to be seen and then sitting another 30 minutes in the room waiting to be seen. You could be reading, watching TV, gardening or working during all that down time.

Dr. Benfield is available 7 days per week for appointments and can usually see you the same day or the next day at the latest. He works will all the hospitals in the area. You can even have direct 24 hr/day access directly to the doctor. When was the last time you spoke with your doctor personally on the phone? Call 502-327-9100 if you'd like more information or visit his website at www.md2u.net.

Adult Children as caregivers

Center on an Aging Society

I think this article is very telling of what we see now and will see more of in the future. According to the study, children who provide care for their parents will care for them over 1 hour EACH DAY. With none of us having enough time already, how can you fit another hour into the day? A majority of the caregivers are 51-65. They have just gotten rid of their own children and are now caring for their parents. Three-fourths of the caregivers work full time (40 hours/week). Competing demands of children and work make it hard for people to effectively care for their parents.

Long term care insurance can help you provide for your care so you won't place demands on your children. You owe it to them to get the facts and education to make an informed decision.

Important Documents You Should Have

Don't forget our seminar tomorrow (Tuesday, May 10th at 6:30 pm at the Breckinridge Inn). One of the most important portions of the seminar is the part about the important documents you should have. These are:

• Will - This provides for what happens to your property upon death. It can also provide for who is to take care of minor children follow the death of both parents. If you die without a will, the State of Kentucky will provide for how your estate will pass upon death. This may not be how you would want it to happen.
• Living Will Directive - This defines the decisions you want made concerning termination of life support. It does not go into effect unless you no longer have "decisional capacity". It does not take effect unless your attending physician and one other physician both certify that you are "permanently unconscious" or have a "terminal" condition.
• Durable Power of Attorney - This gives someone else the ability to do things on your behalf. There could be two of these: one for financial matters and one for healthcare matters. You may need two different people to make those decisions. You need this to be "durable" because usually you don't want other people making decisions for you unless you have a disability which makes it unable for you to make them yourself. A durable power of attorney will be in effect if you become disabled.
• Revocable Living Trust - This can take the place of a will and durable power of attorney. With this you put all your assets into the name of a trust that you manage. You can put into the trust how you want the assets managed after death. It can help protect your privacy when you pass away.

All important documents should be kept in a safe deposit box. These are no longer inventoried after death so the family can get into the box and retrieve the will after death. It is the safest place to put any document.

I would recommend if you have any questions or if you would like to put one of these in place. Call Lee Richardson, Attorney at Law 502-587-8606.

PS. Sorry there was no post on Friday. It was Kentucky Oaks Day and with the Kentucky Derby on Saturday everyone here in Louisville takes a holiday.

Annuity Basics

An annuity is a long-term, interest-paying contract offered through an insurance company. The key word here is "contract". Because an annuity is a contract, the guesswork and uncertainties you may have with other investments such as mutual funds or stocks are not present in an annuity. You may have heard that life insurance protects you from dying too soon. Annuities can protect you from living too long.

Safe Money
With a fixed annuity, you money has minimal risk. Insurance companies offer competitive interest rates for fixed annuities, which include minimum guarantees. There are some advantages to annuities:

• Guaranteed lifetime income - You can receive monthly payments for the rest of your life. The monthly amount is based on which annuitization option you choose. There are multiple ones available.
• Avoidance of probate - At death, the value of an annuity will pass directly to your beneficiary and avoid the delay and expense of probate.
• Principal is not reduced by sales commissions - That means that usually 100% of your money is working for you tax-deferred.
• Competitive Rates- Not only do annuities offer competitive rates, but when the power of tax deferral is factored in, the annuity's performance is enhanced. You can even purchase bonus annuities, which offer special first-year interest bonuses.
• Safety - The insurance industry is one of the most regulated industries in the country, with rules governing everything from company investing to reserve requirements.
• Liquidity - If you need money or any reason, annuities have several liquidity advantages. You can generally make partial withdrawals at any time without a company-imposed penalty.

Long term care insurance is not right for everyone

While you may think that I would promote long term care insurance for everyone, that is not the case. If you have limited assets (typically less than $50,000-75,000) or if you are on a very limited income, then long term care insurance may not be appropriate for you. The reason is that if you don't have assets to protect and something happens to you where you need care in a nursing home, then you will quickly be eligible for Medicaid. If you are on a more limited income, then long term care insurance may not be affordable for you. Premiums can get to be expensive depending upon your age when you take it out and the coverage you get. If the premiums will put undue stress on your budget, then I would not recommend it for you.

Some people are concerned that once they retire, they may not be able to afford the premiums. There is no problem while they are working, but what about once they get on a fixed income. That is where a long term care specialist can help out. A specialist can help you determine if it will still be affordable. One source of income you may not be considering is the interest on your savings or investments. If that is being reinvested back into your savings or assets and you are not using it to live off of, then you may consider using it to pay your long term care premiums, thus protecting ALL your assets.

It is important when looking at long term care insurance to work with a specialist who has been in the business a while and understands these issues and can help you work through them.

It's your health that buys long term care insurance

In meeting with a client last night, I got into a conversation about the future of long term care insurance and client's health. You don't have to be in perfect health at this point, but at the same time, you have to be in fairly good health for long term care (LTC) insurance. Something to remember is that it is not money that buys LTC insurance but your health. LTC insurance companies are getting more conservative in their underwriting for clients. Is the day going to come where most people will not be eligible due to their health? Who knows. I do know it is harder to get clients approved which is why I have expanded the companies that I offer. This way I can help those clients who's health is not the best.

So when is the best time to buy LTC insurance? There are two times.

1. 3 months before you need it.
2. The youngest you can afford to put something in place.

You don't have to be 50, 55 or 60 to purchase an LTC policy. I have spoken with people who thought you had to be 50 to purchase a policy. You can get a policy as young at 18 years old. I encourage you to take a look at LTC insurance and get education to make a decision on whether it is appropriate for you. It's not right for everyone. We'll talk more about that tomorrow.

Welcome Everyone

I would like to thank you for visiting our Blog. We will discuss items of interest to seniors and those who will one day become a senior. If you have questions you would like addressed, please don't hesitate to email us. We will work diligently to respond as quickly as possible to your questions.

We would like to invite everyone to attend a seminar we are having with a few other professionals on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at the Breckinridge Inn at 6:30 pm in Louisville, KY. The topics will include:

1. The four important documents everyone should have
2. Long term care insurance
3. Home care options
4. Doctors who make house calls.

Space is limited so please call us at 502-742-4979 if you would like to reserve your space and free workbook.