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Just Can’t Wait To Be On The Road Again: Seniors Will Travel

By claudia · Comments (0)

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Despite news of a gloomy economy, you can still find deals and steals for a summer vacation with your spouse, family or Fido. With a little bit of research and flexibility, you will stumble on reasonable restaurants for dining, affordable accommodation and plenty of free fun.

We live in a vast and beautiful country with intensive road systems and highways. As days get longer, warmer weather is in the air… it’s time to put on Willie Nelson’s song and hit the road again. Most of us grew up humming along with this tune:

Gdlyi5mckg0

Summer means travel for seniors…

It is time to power up the motorhome, automobile and hit the road again. Here are some tips and tricks to make your road trip enjoyable and fun this summer:

Five: Best places for sunrise and sunset for free

Drive and enjoy the sunset and sunrise. If you live in the city, nature’s gift may not come by easily. What fun it could be to catch the best sunrise and sunset!

If you are in the Northeast, head over to Maine and watch the first sunrise in the United States before anyone else in Continental USA. Go to Cadillac Mountain, Maine. If you want to see the last sunset, you will have to head over to Hawaii.

Sunset is the best time to be at the beach. The beaches of Florida give you the opportunity to view the sunset while you sip a margarita or your favorite ice tea. You get the best view for free whether you prefer to relax at an exclusive resort or just lay your beach towel at a public beach for free.

Four: Travel light

Some of us are over-packers and some are under-packers. The best is to have a balance. Ask these questions as you pack:

1. What are my main activities while traveling?
2. What types of clothing and shoes make me comfortable?
3. How many days am I traveling and how many sets of clothing I need each day?
4. Do I need to take prescribed medication, first aid kits?
5. Where am I going and where will I stop for refueling and resting (for vehicle, stomach, Fido] – this will help you in packing your snacks, drinks and/or meals.
6. What can’t I live without and always ask “Why do I need this?” as you pack.

These are just six basic questions to set you thinking and planning for your road trip including your pet’s needs. The key is to travel light, enjoy and feel free with no heavy bags.

Three: Be flexible, read and subscribe to websites that offer weekly deals and steals

Most seniors have time in their hands. The best way to travel is to be flexible with your time and expectations. Read, research and subscribe to websites that offer last minute and weekly deals and steals.

One of our favorites is travelzoo.com. Every week they send out to subscribers a list of deals for shows, dining, hotels, travel experience, airfare, car rental and much more.

Two: Switching gears and travel with a purpose

Some seniors are widowed, divorced or handicap. How do you travel if you are in one of these situations? Road trips can be taken with a group of friends, siblings or with your pet.

Road trips are not about visiting places and staying in hotels alone. There are ways to volunteer your time while you travel to different cities in the United States. This could be a way to switch gears from your normal routine and get involved with projects that could give you a sense of achievement and travel with purpose.

One: Kick back and relax

To do justice to ourselves, sometimes we need to drop everything, kick back and relax with loved ones. Get out of daily routine and just live for the moment. Take a road trip and just go where your heart desires and where you are able to go.

Travel is a simple way to boost your mood, appreciate little things around us and get recharged. Life is a cycle and our energy level drops sometimes because of the routine of life.

Just like the song by Willie Nelson…just can’t wait to get on the road again…going places that I’ve never been…seeing things I may never see again…let’s take time to go on the road again this summer.

You deserve the break!

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Categories : Caring for elderly parents

Are Most Seniors Missing Out on Social Security Checks Because of the Internet?

By claudia · Comments (0)

Friday, April 27th, 2012

Are Most Seniors Missing Out on Social Security Checks Because of the Internet?

CNN published an article recently on “Why one in five U.S. adults doesn’t use the Internet”. (CNN April 16, 2012). According to Ann Gahran, almost 48% of our seniors do not go online because they don’t think the Internet is relevant to them.

Before you roll your eyes, here are some observations. If you visit your local Best Buy store, you will encounter young men and women in blue t-shirts. They are totally techie using words that are so foreign to you that makes you feel a little stupid if you were to open your mouth to ask a question like: what is a gigabyte? You don’t even know what to ask with so many options and so many techie terms.

It takes time to learn a new skill. Most seniors are already having lots of challenges each day to take on another one. Nearly 60% of U.S. adults who have never completed high school don’t use the Internet according to the article. Maybe some of them do not read well and with all those scientific and technical terms to learn when they are over 65 and having to face other challenges could be a nerve wrecking experience.

Diana Beam, Founder of Keeping in Touch Solutions has worked with thousands of seniors and caregivers and has seen this group of seniors suffer. Their social security check no longer arrives in the mail or their Medicare bill and adjustments don’t get delivered to their home now.

Why?

They are all online. Almost half of our seniors do not go online. Could this be ignorance on the part of our government? Perhaps there is a mismanagement and indifference to the older population. To top it off, most live alone without help!

Some even have problems putting food on their table. Getting a computer and broadband Internet access and learning to do online bill paying would be the last thing on their mind.

On the other side of the coin, Nielsen reported in 2009, there are about 10% active Internet users among seniors especially women. That shows there is a percentage of the older populations who are using the Internet. This category is among the professionals, educated and higher income group seniors. They use the Internet for email, social media, travel and leisure, and checking on the latest news and weather.

Most are just doing the leisure and social benefits of Internet. When it comes to financial matters and paying bills they are still a little skeptical about the online world. Security questions come to mind.

Nielsen reports shows 88.5% of the online users among the 65 years and older are using it for personal email, 68.6% for viewing and printing maps and 60.1% for checking the weather.

Where are the bill paying and bank statement categories? Of course there are seniors who use online banking and checking personal health care records. It consist only less than 50% of the online users.

What are we to do with the other 50%?

Should we still give options to seniors on how they receive their social security checks, Medicare and Medicaid benefits and banking in the mail?

Diana Beam believes it is important to give them a choice. Many of our seniors are having some disabilities and some are in need of extensive medical care. They would not remember all the passwords and usernames required to access all the social security and medical information online.

Could you imagine having to share those passwords and usernames with their family members? How many are there to remember for each account and institution?

What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you have an aging relative who is suffering because of the online world?

Keeping in Touch Solutions care for our seniors and their caregivers. Checking on aging loved ones every day to be sure they are safe is a challenge, however, you don’t have to go it alone. You have a valuable resource in Diana Beam, founder and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Diana has ways to help your aging loved ones continue to live independently and safely in their own homes as long as possible while giving family comfort and peace of mind. Contact her office at 1800.664.5541

Diana Beam is an entrepreneur with a vision and a heart for the elderly. She has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, long term care administrator, home health care pioneer, senior real estate specialist and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Her passion is to see working women and men with elderly parents set free from guilt of not having time or proximity to their aging parents and helping the elderly with their aging needs and transition challenges. Diana lives in Indiana with her husband Ron and they have 3 grown children, 2 grandsons and a golden retriever named Hope and a calico cat named Ms Dottie. Grab her free report, 7 ways to provide maximum support to your parents, today.

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Categories : Caring for elderly parents

Tags : eldercare, internet and seniors, seniors and technology

CAN YOU Spot Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease

By claudia · Comments (0)

Friday, April 20th, 2012

CAN YOU Spot Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease

Most of us occasionally forget to do or complete something we set out to do. We hear the term “senior moment”. How can we tell the difference between a normal forgetfulness and signs of Alzheimer’s?

The Alzheimer’s Association has a list of 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s that may help family members and patients plan ahead and probably slow down the process of the disease.

Here are the 10 warning signs:

Memory loss that disrupts daily life – You told your mom to bring the family’s favorite dish to a gathering happening this Saturday at noon. Mom kept calling you during the week and asked over and over again what dish you wanted and the time and place of the occasion. You asked her to write it down and place it on the fridge door. On that day, mom did not show up or maybe mom came but forgets the dish.

Or mom came and forgot your best friend’s name.

Challenges in planning or solving problems- The telephone rang and dad said he has been getting calls from the electrical company asking for payments. You checked and found out he has not been paying bills for over 4 months. That is very unlikely of him since he was never late on payment all his life. You go through his bills and find out he has been overpaying some of the bills. This is not an occasional error. There is a trend for about four months now and his checkbooks did not add up like normal.

Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, work or leisure- Mom called and said she got lost on her way to your home. She took that route for years and she has been calling you with the same problem for the last month. Just yesterday, she called and said her washing machine did not work again. You tried it last week and it worked fine. Mom is having difficulty doing her household chores and seems to have trouble with directions.

Confusion with time or place-It is raining and you found mom gardening in her yard. Two days ago she was walking in the rain and her neighbor called you and reported that mom has been taking her evening walks as usual without any care about the rain. She normally stays home if it rains out. She went to church last Saturday thinking it was Sunday morning.

Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships-shortly after you left dad’s home, he called and said he saw your blue car parked in his driveway and where are you? His car, which is the same model and made but different color is parked in his driveway- not yours. He is beginning to have problems recognizing colors and fell a week ago when he missed a step in his basement.

New problems with words in writing and speaking- Mom has been repeating herself and telling the same story over and over again over the telephone each time she calls. Last week she called you Shirley instead of Sally several times. She seems to have trouble-writing things down.

Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps – Dad lost his reading glasses again. His keys were missing last week while at lunch with some friends at the local diner.

Decreased or poor judgment – Your dad’s favorite charity just called and thanked him for the $10,000 contribution he gave recently. You were visiting when they called. You went through his checkbook and found out he has been giving large amounts of contribution to various charities, some he had never supported.

Withdrawn from work and social activities – You saw mom’s reading group leader at the grocery store and she asked if mom was visiting your sister. She has not been attending the weekly reading group for the past month. They left her messages on her answer machine and sent her a note. Mom did not respond.

Mood and personality changes – Your dad called and said mom has been waking up at night crying and fearing the lost of her home. As far as you know, the home is paid and there are no financial problems. Mom seems a little depressed and confused when you talk to her about her nightly struggles.

These are 10 warning signs given by the Alzheimer’s Association. What are we to do about it? Do you notice any of these warning signs with your loved ones? Early detection could be a way to help slow the process.

Recently, Fox News reported that U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the radioactive dye called Amyvid. This dye will help doctors while testing patients to rule out whether patients have Alzheimer’s through a PET scan.

As always, Diana Beam, Founder of Keeping In Touch Solutions, believes you should always check with your doctors and seek out professional help for your aging parents. Alzheimer’s is a slow killer and could affect caregivers and patients lifestyle for many years to come. Early detection will help family to plan and slow down the process.

Keeping in Touch Solutions would like to offer you the first step to caring for your aging parents BEFORE YOU GET TO THE end of your rope. Are you in that tug of war today…you don’t have to go it alone.

Is it Time to click you heels and shout

I can’t do it alone …

I’m calling  Keeping In Touch Solutions to help! 1800.664.5541

Diana Beam is an entrepreneur with a vision and a heart for the elderly. She has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, long term care administrator, home health care pioneer, senior real estate specialist and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Her passion is to see working women and men with elderly p arents set free from guilt of not having time or proximity to their aging parents and helping the elderly with their aging needs and transition challenges. Diana lives in Indiana with her husband Ron and they have 3 grown children, 2 grandsons and a golden retriever named Hope and a calico cat named Ms Dottie. Grab her free report, 7 ways to provide maximum support to your parents, today.

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Categories : Health and you aging parents

Tags : aging parents and health care, Alzheim, Alzheimer's caregivers, Alzheimer's Disease

Financial Impact of Alzheimer’s Disease

By claudia · Comments (0)

Friday, April 13th, 2012

Financial Impact of Alzheimer’s Disease

One in eight older Americans has Alzheimer’s disease and in 2012, it is estimated that 5.4 million Americans are suffering from it. Costing $200 billion, of which $140 billion to Medicare and Medicaid, $33.8 billion out-of pocket and $26.2 billion in other categories.

The Alzheimer’s Association has more statistics that are going to shock you…

The disease has increased among American seniors since 2000! The cost of caring is also rapidly increased. It is estimated by 2050, up to 16 million Americans will have the disease and costing $1.1 trillion. The report also shows in 2011, 15.2 million family and friends provided 17.4 billion hours of unpaid care to those with Alzheimer’s and other dementia and 60% are rated as emotionally stressed and one third of these caregivers are having symptoms of depression. That is an additional cost of $8.7 billion in 2011 to care for caregiver’s health issues.

How about money and hours lost from work? What type of impact has it done to American families?

Seniors with the disease also lose their ability to take care of their finances and some are too broke to care. There are some who are in great financial situations. However without proper planning their healthy financial nest egg may crack as well.

This is an alarming problem and many organizations outside of the medical field are finding ways to help seniors and caregivers. Diana Beam, Founder of Keeping in Touch Solutions had just attended an Alzheimer’s Disease seminar in Indiana. She had the privilege of meeting many families who sacrifice their comfort and financial means just to care for their aging family members. These are the people who will do whatever it takes to find a way to cure Alzheimer’s disease.

Many financial advisors are realizing the importance of educating seniors and aging Americans to have a contingency plan for Alzheimer’s disease in their financial plan. AARP took the step last year and released, along with the Financial Planning Association, a guide for financial professionals on special issues related to seniors and ways to help families and patients protect their finances.

Studies show that families with proper financial plans are more prepared financially although emotionally no one will be prepared for Alzheimer’s Disease.

Here are three major issues to consider and work into the financial plan:

Get a team together to develop a long-term strategy on how to pay for care. Take an inventory of income, insurance and assets. Husband and wife and possibly grown children should be aware of the plan. If one is showing signs of the disease, at least the other is aware of the plan. In your team, there should have an attorney, financial planner and more than one trusted family member (spouse, children or close relatives).

Draw up the plan and start implementing. Have a financial power of attorney and health care directive drawn up when aging parents are still well. These documents will help caregivers and relatives make decisions according to patient’s wishes when he or she is no longer able to care for themselves or make decisions. This is particularly important and helped families avoid unnecessary financial strain. For example, some may not want to live in vegetation stage and on life support to live.

Appoint a money manager. He or she could be a family member or a paid certified financial planner. Usually it is because of neglect that leads to financial strain of an Alzheimer patient’s family. Neglect in filing reports, papers, claims or the mere picking up the phone to call Medicare or Medicaid. Bills may not be paid.

Sometimes it is due to not knowing who is responsible to take care of paperwork, finances or anything pertinent to aging parents health and care problems.

Alzheimer’s Disease will put patients in financial risk and financial impact on caregivers too.

Don’t wait for your financial strain to run you over. Get on with a plan with some help before it’s too late. For your first step join our VIP list and get a free gift from us, “7 Simple Steps to Total Peace of mind with Your Aging Parent”.

Is it Time to click you heels and shout
I can’t do it alone
…I’m calling
Keeping In Touch Solutions to help!
1800.664.5541

Diana Beam is an entrepreneur with a vision and a heart for the elderly. She has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, long term care administrator, home health care pioneer, senior real estate specialist and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Her passion is to see working women and men with elderly p arents set free from guilt of not having time or proximity to their aging parents and helping the elderly with their aging needs and transition challenges. Diana lives in Indiana with her husband Ron and they have 3 grown children, 2 grandsons and a golden retriever named Hope and a calico cat named Ms Dottie. Grab her free report, 7 ways to provide maximum support to your parents, today.

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Categories : Aging Parents and Money Matters, Caring for elderly parents, Sandwiched and Boomers Generation

Tags : aging parents and finance, Alzheimer's Disease, cost to caregivers, financial matters, financial planning for Alzheimers seniors

Caring for Aging Parents and Boomerang Children Brings Financial and Physical Toll to Sandwich Generation

By claudia · Comments (0)

Friday, April 6th, 2012

Caring for Aging Parents and Boomerang Children Brings Financial and Physical Toll to Sandwich Generation

More and more Americans are providing financial and physical support to their elderly parents and children as the sluggish economy is affecting generations across the board.

Over 50% of young women and men ages 18 to 24 are moving back home to their parents and about 19% of men and 10% of women ages 25 to 34 are doing the same, some with children of their own. On the other end of the spectrum, aging moms and dads are in need of attention as well.

We are now seeing, as many as four different generations sharing a home. What happens when elderly parent need additional attention and financial resources?

What do Sandwich Generation parents to do in this situation- when the Boomerang Children move back in with their children and Grandma gets sick and moves in with the family?

Diana Beam, Founder of Keeping In Touch Solutions, said Our Sandwich Generation is caught between a rock and a hard place as they try to keep the family going financially at the same time stabilizing the emotional volume in the house. Everyone gets edgy because it is tax time or when the budget gets tight. So how do you know who and what you can claim as dependent – with so many different generations under one roof.

The March issue of Smart Money reported that you must provide over half the person’s support for the year. The list outlined some of the point to consider and also the “who” can be claimed as a dependent. The supported person must be your child including a stepchild, adopted child, or descendant of your child (typically a grandchild); or your brother, stepbrother, half-brother, sister, stepsister, half-sister, or a descendent of one of these individuals (typically a niece or nephew); or your son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father, stepfather, father-in-law, mother, stepmother, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt, or uncle.

Most caregivers are not prepared financially or physically for the big task of caring for aging parents and grown children- and sometimes toddlers and school age children. Many Sandwich Generation couples were looking forward to getting their life a bit more stable and getting a break from raising children and building a business or a career.

Suddenly the responsibilities hit them like a bolt of lightning. What happened? You paid thousands of dollars for your kids’ education only to have them home and you’re still supporting them! Now taking care of your parents’ physical and medical needs is a necessity.

Torn and deteriorating health, finances, spirit takes its toll. You are not alone.

One in five Americans are suffering in this economic times, lost their savings or do not have enough savings to support the responsibilities and daily needs ahead of them. Many are facing difficult choices and are unable to give aging parents the level of care they desire. So when talk of taxes comes about, the stress mounts. As always consult your accountant for detail about changes in tax law and seek advice on overlooked deductions. There are specific rules regarding taking elderly parent as deductions…especially if more than one family member is contributing financial care. In many states the state area on aging will be able to help you.

For more information about tax deductions for caregivers, please read our previous article on Tax Deductions for Caregiver. For tips on avoiding burnout, please read our article on Stop Caregiver’s Burnout. As always, consult with your local tax advisor.

How about the physical needs of the Sandwich Generation? Most because of stress are facing the risk of depression, weight issues, emotional stress, sleep deprivation, heart problems and many unhealthy symptoms related to being overly stressed. One common trait is lower immune system because stress will affect our immunity.

We can’t do it alone. Keeping in Touch Solutions wants to go on your journey as a caregiver. One tip from Diana Beam, Founder of Keeping in Touch Solutions to caregivers is TAKE A BREAK from time to time –even if it 15 minutes to sit quietly and focus only on deep breathing- you will feel the stress leaving your body.

We provide the first step on your caregiving journey. Helping families stay connected and helping you find that moment of ”peace of mind” is our hope. For more information about tax deductions for caregivers, please read our article on Tax Deductions for Caregivers and for tips on avoiding burnout, please read our article on Stop Caregiver’s Burnout.

Is it Time to click you heels and shout
I can’t do it alone …I’m calling
Keeping In Touch Solutions to help!
1800.664.5541

Diana Beam is an entrepreneur with a vision and a heart for the elderly. She has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, long term care administrator, home health care pioneer, senior real estate specialist and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Her passion is to see working women and men with elderly p arents set free from guilt of not having time or proximity to their aging parents and helping the elderly with their aging needs and transition challenges. Diana lives in Indiana with her husband Ron and they have 3 grown children, 2 grandsons and a golden retriever named Hope and a calico cat named Ms Dottie. Grab her free report, 7 ways to provide maximum support to your parents, today.

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Categories : Aging Parents and Money Matters, Caring for elderly parents, Conversations with your aging parents

Tags : aging parents, caregiver burnout, elderly parents, Sandwich generation

Stop Caregiver Burnout!

By claudia · Comments (0)

Friday, March 30th, 2012

Stop Caregiver Burnout!

It’s almost instinctive for some of us to give our all to care for our aging parents. They cared for us throughout our lives and now they are aging and needing our attention. We might find ourselves caring so deeply and losing the focus on our own needs.

We want them to know we care and appreciate them, yet how many of us really look deep on our own lives. Are we stressed out, burned out?

You might say, “But she is my mom, I should spend as much time as possible to care for her.” Is there a limit? Diana Beam, Founder of Keeping in Touch Solutions said most women caregivers have this Wonder-Woman mentality. We want to do it all, with a lengthy to-do list. It’s hard for any woman to try and do it all! You have your own responsibilities, schedule, job, and family and to top it off you have your aging mom. Where does that leave time for your own life? At the same time, your aging parents with Alzheimer’s disease can’t share your excitement or memories of yesteryears.

High stress can take its toll when caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s.

Here are 5 ways to help relieve Alzheimer’s caregiver stress:

1.   Prioritize. Keep just five items in your to-do list daily. Plan ahead and scratch off nonessentials on your list. For example, pay your teens to do dishes or clean the house once a week or pay someone to clean for you. For meals, plan ahead with a shopping list and food to cook. You will save time by going shopping only once per week instead of running to the stores when you need an item or two.
2.    Say No to certain projects or volunteer work. You have to say no to certain projects in your children’s school or your local church. You can’t be involved in every bake sale or fundraiser. Learn to say no and don’t feel guilty about it. We go through seasons in life. This may be a season for you to take off from volunteering with boy scouts or youth group in church.
3.    Eat well, have enough nutrients and sleep. Have you caught yourself snacking all day because you have no time for breakfast or lunch? You didn’t pay attention to the food you consumed and have no nutritional supplements at all. Added to that, sleep does not come easy. Make sure you take time to eat a healthy breakfast and do not skip lunch or dinner. Healthy snacks like nuts and fruits can fuel you throughout the day. A long period of time without food will result in low blood sugar and cravings for sweets and non-nutritional food. Make time to rest and unwind for a good night’s sleep.
4.    Create a family support system. This may sound easy to some of us. But for some who have a non-supportive spouse or siblings, this may be a difficult area for you. Take time to ask for help from your spouse, children and siblings. Let them know the amount of responsibilities you have in caring for your aging parents. For siblings who do not have time to care, they could support financially. With enough financial support you may be able to get household help and other caregiving help. Your spouse and children could offer help at home and with your aging parents. Creating a support system will free you up.
5.    Keeping in Touch Solutions could be your solution. Keeping in Touch Solutions could be a possibility to unload some of your stress depending on your situation. Created by a former health care administrator, mother, and daughter of an aging parent, to provide you Peace of Mind. Your loved ones may have problems knowing which medication to take when they are already suffering with the disease. One of the best ways is to work with a health provider to help mom or dad with Alzheimer’s to come up with a system where they can color code or have scripted words that Keeping in Touch Solutions staff could use to get the message across through the telephone.

We believe in implementing safety measures and at the same time, give caregivers the relief needed from being overworked and stressed out. Can you imagine what short breaks would do for “stress relief” for caregivers. Think of us as your “stress reliever”…

Our services include:
•    Daily Check-In Call – We call for you, when you can’t be there!
•    Emergency Notification – If we can’t reach your loved one, we call your emergency contact!
•    All Calls Recorded – And archived for medical use and follow up
•    American English Caller – Older adults can easily understand
•    Daily Mediation Reminder – Never worry about your loved one again!
•    Monthly Newsletter – Tips and information you can use to best take care of your loved one!
•    And more!

Stop burnout before it’s too late. Let us be your first step towards lightening your load of caring for your aging parents….
And it’s  Time to click you heels and shout

I can’t do it alone …I’m calling
Keeping In Touch Solutions to help!
1800.664.5541

Diana Beam is an entrepreneur with a vision and a heart for the elderly. She has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, long term care administrator, home health care pioneer, senior real estate specialist and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Her passion is to see working women and men with elderly p arents set free from guilt of not having time or proximity to their aging parents and helping the elderly with their aging needs and transition challenges. Diana lives in Indiana with her husband Ron and they have 3 grown children, 2 grandsons and a golden retriever named Hope and a calico cat named Ms Dottie. Grab her free report, 7 ways to provide maximum support to your parents, today.

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Categories : Health and you aging parents, Sandwiched and Boomers Generation

Tags : Alzheimer's caregivers, Alzheimer's Disease, caregiver burnout, caregivers

Aging Parents and The Ugly Realities of Alzheimer’s Disease

By claudia · Comments (0)

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Alzheimer’s affects over 25 million seniors, mainly over 65, worldwide. It is the most common form of dementia. It is a terminal and progressive disease with no cure though sufferers usually don’t die of this disease. The brain is degenerating where neurons and synapses that are key areas of the brain are damaged.

Sufferers usually do not suffer stress but it takes a toll on caregivers to see aging relatives degenerating and behaving helplessly and demanding care like a baby as it progresses. This disease causes sufferers to lose their language skills, lose intellectual capacities, change their behavior, lose certain everyday survival skills and lose their memory.

In the early stages, what is thought as a normal aging process may be symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Memory loss particularly short-term memory, loss of enthusiasm for life and cognitive impairment may be the early signs. They may forget to prepare meals or go the wrong direction. This may continue without caregivers or spouse noticing the symptoms or just thinking those are aging problems.

It will progress to clumsiness, language difficulties, confusion and inability to do simple things. They may not recognize you or their surroundings, go into depression and in the end stage, bed ridden and unable to function normally including bathing and feeding.

Without much certainty of the future and the life expectancy of a sufferer, caregivers could go through great stress. Diana Beam, Founder of Keeping in Touch Solutions, is passionate about helping families and is actively participating in the care of Alzheimer’s suffering seniors and actively finding ways to help caregivers get the many unanswered questions.

She said having awareness of the problems and improving care for sufferers in our nation will help relief the stress that caregivers have to go through each day. Imagine 1 in 6 seniors may suffer from Alzheimer. If 5 of your friends are OK, it might be you…. a food for thought!

The sad truth is, there is no cure. There are drugs to manage behavioral and psychiatric problems like anti-depressants and anti-psychotic medications and another to slow down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. But they bring many serious side effects.

Families have no answers from medical professionals when it comes to a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Many concerned caregivers and relatives are asking if these are absolutes and have searched for answers in home remedy and natural medicine.

According to research done by UK Alzheimer’s Society, patients of Alzheimer’s disease have four times the normal amount of aluminum in the nerve cells of their brain. Exposure to aluminum may contribute to speech and memory problems, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Aluminum is everywhere in our environment. It is found in our water but there are ways to reduce the amount of exposures. Most deodorants, cookware, bleached flour, baking powders, antacids, foil, table salt, canned food and even parmesan and grated cheeses contain aluminum.

Since there is no cure for the disease, every information that can reduce and eliminate the disease is worthy of attention. As caregivers or relatives to Alzheimer’s sufferer, we know there are talks about it being a hereditary disease. Instead of having fear, let’s take some precaution and take care of our own body and wellbeing while we care for our aging parents.

Natural remedies such as gingko biloba can help improve memory loss, better brain function, blood flow and depression. Inhaling and diffusing essential oils are known to have positive effects on our body and brain. Lavender, lemon and sage essential oils are known to help mood swings, promote calmness and better sleep. Families who used these oils have seen significant reduction in disturbed sleep and experienced more calmness.

Caring for aging parents, especially one with Alzheimer’s disease brings about much stress and uncertainties. We have to remember to take care of our well being while caring for them.

Let us be your first step towards lightening your load of caring for your aging parents….

And it’s Time to click you heels and shout

I can’t do it alone …I’m calling

Keeping In Touch Solutions to help!

1800.664.5541

Diana Beam is an entrepreneur with a vision and a heart for the elderly. She has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, long term care administrator, home health care pioneer, senior real estate specialist and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Her passion is to see working women and men with elderly p arents set free from guilt of not having time or proximity to their aging parents and helping the elderly with their aging needs and transition challenges. Diana lives in Indiana with her husband Ron and they have 3 grown children, 2 grandsons and a golden retriever named Hope and a calico cat named Ms Dottie. Grab her free report, 7 ways to provide maximum support to your parents, today.

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Categories : Health and you aging parents

Tags : aging parents, aging parents needs, Alzheimer's Disease, caregivers, health care concerns for aging parents

Claiming Your Aging Parents as a Dependent: Tax Tips You Don’t Want to Miss as Caregivers

By claudia · Comments (1)

Friday, March 16th, 2012

Claiming Your Aging Parents as a Dependent: Tax Tips You Don’t Want to Miss as Caregivers

Spring is around the corner which means tax time is here. If you are like most of us, we hope the numbers will add up and there will be a check coming from the IRS for you because of over-payment of taxes.

Some of us may have missed out on certain deductibles. You may be able to claim your aging parents as your dependent. Are you breathing with a sigh of relief and at the same time not sure how to approach this issue?

Most caregivers give lots of resources to support the wellbeing of their aging relatives. You sacrifice, your time and money; sometimes you go through life with the mix of emotional turmoil as you face your days caring for your aging loved ones. Wouldn’t it be a great break if we could get some tax break for all these? Sometimes caring for aging parents can be more difficult than caring for your own young children.

There are the housing problems, medical bills, food and transportation and many more. Let’s explore to see if you can claim your aging parent as a dependent.

Diana Beam, founder of Keeping in Touch Solutions has been working with seniors and caregivers for many years. She has seen first hand the struggles that families go through. Here is a list of 5 things from Diana to help you through the process:
1.    Find out your aging parent’s income including their Social Security checks for the year
2.    What are the combined contributions from all your siblings per year
3.    How much do you contribute to your aging parent’s living expenses (food, transportation, miscellaneous)
4.    How much do you contribute to their housing costs and medical bills
5.    How much time do you contribute to help them through each day which results in loss of income
These are 5 tips to help you gather your information as you work with a tax accountant that knows the tax laws.

One useful publication from the IRS you need to download is IRS-publication-501 (2011) for the latest information on Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information.

It matters where your aging parents live when you claim them as dependent. Different considerations are given if your parents are living at their home, assisted living facilities or your home.

Take into considerations their return of investments from stocks, savings, bonds or any other source of income that you may not even know. We have emphasized the importance of having the financial conversations with your aging parents. Nothing is worse than to find out later, after your tax return is done and filed, that your elderly parents have income coming in from other sources you were not made aware of.

If you qualify to claim your aging parent as dependent, the next step is to talk to your siblings who are also contributing to your aging parent’s wellbeing. IRS has a FORM 2120 Multiple Support Declaration to ensure all siblings are in agreement and know who is claiming their aging parent as dependent. Your siblings have to sign a statement acknowledging they are not claiming tax deductions.

Here we also show you the importance of communicating with your siblings about your aging parent’s needs. The cool part is, you could claim your parents as your dependent this year and rotate with your siblings so everybody gets the benefits through the years.

For a complete list of qualified medical and dental expenses for deductions, please print out IRS Publication 502:Medical and Dental Expenses for all the details.

Keeping in Touch Solutions founder, Diana Beam knows it can be overwhelming to care for aging parents. The company was started to help others with aging family members take the first step in the issues of elder care. Just like Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote: take the first step in faith, you don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.

Let us be your first step towards lightening your load of caring for your aging parents…. And it’s
Time to click you heels and shout
I can’t do it alone
I’m calling Keeping In Touch Solutions to help!
1800.664.5541

Diana Beam is an entrepreneur with a vision and a heart for the elderly. She has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, long term care administrator, home health care pioneer, senior real estate specialist and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Her passion is to see working women and men with elderly p arents set free from guilt of not having time or proximity to their aging parents and helping the elderly with their aging needs and transition challenges. Diana lives in Indiana with her husband Ron and they have 3 grown children, 2 grandsons and a golden retriever named Hope and a calico cat named Ms Dottie. Grab her free report, 7 ways to provide maximum support to your parents, today.

Comments (1)

Categories : Aging Parents and Money Matters, Caring for elderly parents, Conversations with your aging parents

Tags : aging parents and money, eldercare, Money matters, tax deductions

Save the Trees or Save Grandma! Going Paperless is Hurting our Seniors

By claudia · Comments (0)

Friday, March 9th, 2012

Save the Trees or Save Grandma! Going Paperless is Hurting our Seniors

Imagine pressing their numbers and speaking to a machine when prompted? That’s happening now with most companies when you call them. There is no live customer service person. You either get a machine or you are sent to the Philippines, Mexico or India for technical support or to walk through your credit card statement.

Let’s take a step further. When you call, the machine may say:

Your wait time is 20 minutes. You can find all your answers or get the necessary information online. Go to www dot something dot com.

Ever felt frustrated with that?

How about our aging parents or grandparents? Some may be hearing impaired or can’t press the telephone numbers prompted fast enough…what would happen?

With the online thing…go paperless, save the trees and everything else. Who has been shoved off from customer care? Our seniors!

According to Pew Research, 42% of the 65 year olds and above are online and only 30% of those 74 and above called the GI Generation are online. The rest…nada…it’s a bad place to be. Would you sympathize with them? Not everybody is technologically talented.

We are in a very un-consumer friendly world right now. How can we help them around this? Not every senior has a computer. Are we going to do training just to train seniors to go paperless? Even if we train them, some may not even figure it out.

Some banks are charging a fee for paper statements now. Are we penalizing our seniors for not being computer savvy?

What are the solutions for our seniors when companies and government agencies are going paperless?

We don’t have to be the shiniest, and technologically advance to help our seniors’ quality of life. In recent months, Indiana has our fair share of tornado warnings. Could you imagine what would happen if the towers went down? Would technology help at that time?

There is a need to keep the basic things basic and simple. When Social Security Administration went paperless for their statements last year, could you imagine what happened to our seniors’ minds? Most of them are depending on Social Security checks to get by.

Go out and buy a computer, self-help hook up of Internet connections, pay for the monthly Internet connections, learn to navigate the browser and the list goes on. What stress they have to go through. Not to mention feeling inadequate and overwhelmed.

“Keeping in Touch Solutions is so aware of the situation and difficulties. We try to make it as friendly, easy as possible. We have a live person that your aging parents could talk to. We are aware of their difficulties. We have a friendly person who takes their calls when they call even though we have online enrolment available for those who so incline to go online” says Diana Beam Founder of Keeping In Touch Solutions.

Keeping in Touch Solutions believes in high touch and the importance of live customer care for seniors. More than half a century of their lives were lived in the paper world and without the advancement of computers, digital phones and wireless everything. Technology is not always senior friendly.

Remember our seniors when you are serving them on the telephone or sending out paperless information through the Internet. They may not get it!

How about the healthcare system and electronic records scam? Most seniors have to almost go into a closet to sign in at the Doctor’s office, yet everybody in the world has access to their electronic medical records…even if I say “no thanks!”

Help your aging parents with their paperless lifestyle. Or get your children, who have fingers typing the keyboards like lightning, help grandma or grandpa with digital paper work.

Some financial institutions and utility companies still provide paper statements. Find out various organizations and see if they would accommodate grandma’s needs.

Grandma may forget her conversations and who she talked to on the telephone. Remind her to write down names and telephone numbers when they contact agencies, doctors’ offices and any other institutions. Start their own personal phone directory on 4×6 index cards so she can keep track of phone calls, numbers and person called.

When you are at the computer, typing or Facebooking away, remember grandma may be having difficulties turning on the computer. Could you give a helping hand?

Let us know if we can help your aging family members! Keeping in Touch Solutions is here for you when you’re ready to take the first step in keeping connected with your aging loved ones.

Time to click you heels and shout
I can’t do it alone……….
I’m calling Keeping in Touch Solutions.com  1-800-664-5541

Diana Beam is an entrepreneur with a vision and a heart for the elderly. She has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, long term care administrator, home health care pioneer, senior real estate specialist and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Her passion is to see working women and men with elderly p arents set free from guilt of not having time or proximity to their aging parents and helping the elderly with their aging needs and transition challenges. Diana lives in Indiana with her husband Ron and they have 3 grown children, 2 grandsons and a golden retriever named Hope and a calico cat named Ms Dottie. Grab her free report, 7 ways to provide maximum support to your parents, today.

Comments (0)

Categories : Caring for elderly parents, Your aging parents legal documents

Tags : aging parents, eldercare, paperless, paperless and seniors, seniors online

Leapin’ Lizards, Lilian ~ It’s Leap Year!

By claudia · Comments (0)

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

Leapin’ Lizards, Lilian ~ It’s Leap Year!

For those of you born on February 29th, Happy Birthday! There’s nothing like having a birthday celebration every 4 years.

There is a story of a man who had a problem with the police because of his leap year birthday. Anytime he was asked for his age, he would answer “7 and 3/4 years old.” The police thought his license was forged. Since your license expires on your birthday and he was born on February 29th, his license was set to expire on March 1st, making it seem like there was a mistake – causing the police to suspect him of having a fake drivers license! But this was a gold mine when he visited the carnival and participated in the “Guess My Age” game.

Thanks to Bev Mason of Cambridge Rehab Center in Indianapolis for sharing Lilian’s story.
Lilian says, “Growing old is like working a 400 piece Jig Saw puzzle without the picture on the cover.”
Is it time to click your heels and yell,

Lilian, a silver-haired lady called her next-door-neighbor and says, “Can you come over and help me? I’ve started a jig-saw puzzle and I can’t figure it out.”

Her neighbor asked over the phone, “What’s it supposed to look like when you are finished?”
Lilian says, “According to the picture on the box, it’s a rooster.”

The neighbor comes over and sees where she has spread the puzzle all over the table. He looks at the box and then turns to Lilian and says, “First of all, no matter what we do, we will not be able to assemble these pieces into anything that looks like a rooster.” He then takes her hand, “Secondly, I want you to relax and have a cup of tea… And then, let’s put all the cornflakes back in the box.”

Remember, growing old is not for sissies!
Let us know if we can help your aging family members! Keeping in Touch Solutions is there for you when you’re ready to take the first step in keeping connected with your aging loved ones.

“Help me! I can’t do it alone!”

Keeping In Touch Solutions
1-800-664-5541
www.keepingintouchsolutions.com

Diana Beam is an entrepreneur with a vision and a heart for the elderly. She has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, long term care administrator, home health care pioneer, senior real estate specialist and owner of Keeping in Touch Solutions. Her passion is to see working women and men with elderly p arents set free from guilt of not having time or proximity to their aging parents and helping the elderly with their aging needs and transition challenges. Diana lives in Indiana with her husband Ron and they have 3 grown children, 2 grandsons and a golden retriever named Hope and a calico cat named Ms Dottie. Grab her free report, 7 ways to provide maximum support to your parents, today.

Comments (0)

Categories : Seniors and Depression, Seniors Loneliness

Tags : aging family, aging parents, caring for aging parents, growing old, Leap year

What others are saying:

"I was worried that something bad would happen to me and no one would know except my cat Fluff...With Keeping In Touch Solutions, I now get called everyday and I feel so Relieved..."

- Phyllis, 72 ~ Retired Realtor

"Your calls make me feel safe and like someone cares about me..."
- Ralph, 94 ~ Retired Farmer

"With no family of my own left, your calls help me to have contact with the outside world...God Bless You"
- Roberta ~ Retired School Teacher

"Your cheerful call every day says everything is ok and someone knows I'm ok and where I am."
- Janie, 59 ~ Homebound Homemaker

"I Look forward to your call -- and thank you for not calling during Wheel of Fortune!
- Russel, 87 ~ Retired Engineer

A daughter writes "I am so grateful to have this service. When you (Keeping in Touch Solutions) called to say you had not been able to reach my mom, I panicked. I called the out of state retirement community where she lives and asked security to check on her. The security folks called back about 15 minutes later to tell me 'They found her very happily watching her favorite TV program, unaware she had knocked the phone off the hook.' Whew Thank You Again..."
- Barbara ~ 250 miles away from Mom