Starting this month you’ll no longer be able to use your flexible spending account (FSA) for over-the-counter drugs and medicines unless you have a doctor’s prescription. So forget those routine drugstore purchases like aspirin and vitamins. Since employee contributions to FSAs are made on a pretax basis, they reduce taxable...
Author Archives: anthony
The Secrets to Living Past 100
I subscribe to the magazine, The Week. In case you fall off the planet for a week, you can easily catch up on the world’s goings on easily. Recently they published a feature about the world’s oldest siblings and their secret to life. Helen is 108 years old. Eats unhealthy....
Medicare Competitive Bidding for DME Could Affect You
Medicare began its Competitive Bidding Program for Durable Medical Equipment at the start of the year. This program puts forth new rules about obtaining durable medical equipment in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Florida, Pennsylvania and California. This Medicare web site can help you find...
When Boomers Must Take the Wheel (from Mom or Dad)
The following is reprinted with permission from Frontline Geriatric Care Management My company, Partners In Care, recently encountered a challenging situation. I received the following call from a client’s daughter: “Dad’s driving skills are getting worse. I’m afraid he’s going to hurthimself or someone else. I don’t think he should...
Americans Less “Nuts” As They Grow Older
As Americans grow older, they tend to become more emotionally stable—translating into longer, more productive lives, according to a new Stanford study published online in the journal Psychology and Aging. Between 1993 and 2005, researchers tracked about 180 Americans between the ages of 18 and 94. For one week every...
Americans Less "Nuts" As They Grow Older
As Americans grow older, they tend to become more emotionally stableäóîtranslating into longer, more productive lives, according to a new Stanford study published online in the journal Psychology and Aging. Between 1993 and 2005, researchers tracked about 180 Americans between the ages of 18 and 94. For one week every...
Person Centered Care Program Gets People Back to Home from Nursing Home
As much as they’d like to think it’s possible, elderly residents in long-term care facilities have come to accept that a nursing home might be the last place they will call home. But a new pilot project, called Project Home, helped 60% of project’s participants transition from long-term care facilities...
Secrets of Centenarians
Need some inspiration for a new year? Check out the New York Times Secrets of Centenarians. You know Willard Scott used to celebrate 100th birthdays on the Today Show every once in a while. Now it is almost a daily occurence. Are you prepared for a loved one living to...
Growth of Adult Day Care
The Met Life Mature Market Institute recently published a study showing the rise in use of adult day care centers. Researchers from The Ohio State University College of Social Work collected and analyzed data from 557 Adult Day Services centers, which represented a 40% return from a randomly selected group...
Veggies Slow Mental Decline If You Eat Right Amount
For six years researchers at Rush University studied the nutritional intake and memory of more than 3,700 adults over 65. Those who ate more than two cups of vegetables a day had a 38% slower rate of mental decline than those who ate less than half a cup. Good nutrition...