Category: Health and Wellness Issues
July 26, 2020 -- There aren’t too many people who don’t want to feel, act, and look younger. But, as each of our birthdays adds a bigger number, that seems harder and harder.
While there is no real fountain of youth, yet, there are some simple steps anyone can take to delay the effects of aging. Spend a few minutes to take these simple tests. It could lead to feeling better and looking younger.
Caution. Do not undertake any of these exercises without consulting with your doctor, or if you feel discomfort or pain.
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Published on July 25, 2022
Comments 1
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
June 22, 2022 -- Two new studies have found that people who regularly exercise are much more likely to live longer. Fortunately, many people are interested enough in their health that they set daily goals for various activities, like how many steps they take each day. New devices like Fitbits, Apple Watches, and smartphones make that especially easy to do. But how much activity, like the number of steps, is the right number?
For many people 10,000 steps has become a popular goal. Achieving that frequently becomes an obsession or often a competition with friends. They brag about how many steps they got, or worry about a bad day. Hitting 10,000 steps a day is a lot - with a 3' stride (slightly longer than most people's) - that would translate to over 5.6 miles. There are a number of other goals that some people set up for themselves, such as the amount of active energy expended (such as 700 calories), floors walked up (e.g.; 5), the number of standing hours (e.g.; 12), or minutes getting some other type of exercise.
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Published on June 21, 2022
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Category: Active adult communities
March 10, 2022 – In a move that is sure to be controversial, a softball commissioner at the Del Webb Village at Deaton Creek has banned Linda Evans, a female, from participating on a men’s softball team at that community. Ms. Evans, 70 years young, is an experienced player, whose…
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Published on March 10, 2022
Comments 10
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
Feb 15 - Feb 22 is heart valve disease awareness week.
As many as 11.6 million Americans are estimated to have heart valve disease, and each year around 25,000 people die from the disease. Fortunately, valve disease can usually be successfully treated in patients of all ages.
Getting personal
On a personal note, last March your editor's heart valve disease became very serious. Although I knew I had a leaking mitral valve, it was always a someday, maybe, kind of problem. Then during some exercise my heart began racing, and went into atrial flutter. Long story short, after some superb medical care I had a mitral valve repair via robot, minimally invasive. Today it is almost as if nothing ever happened. But I was lucky. Please be aware that this problem does affect millions of people. When you get your medical checkups, pay attention to anything pointing to this disease. Follow your doctor's advice. And if you experience symptoms - get help fast!
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Published on February 9, 2022
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
by Lucy Burdette
If you are a regular follower of TopRetirements, do you take the website’s advice? Maybe you’ll have read the article from November 21 discussing Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s The Five Secrets of Super Agers. Having watched my father’s mental faculties wane under the onslaught of dementia, I’m definitely interested in keeping my brain healthy as I age. I’m pretty good at his number one, exercise, though I don’t try to keep up with my hub, Mr. Top Retirements. Number four, a Mediterranean-style diet and number five, staying connected, have been important to me for a long time.
Trying something new was number three on the list. At first I thought: I write most days, and all the words are new, so I have this one down cold. On the other hand, in the mystery world, I’m mostly known for my series featuring a food critic living in quirky Key West. I’m comfortable writing that series—I know the characters and the setting, and I love talking about restaurants and food. Even though this is a long-running series, every book is new in some way. Each story has a new plot, usually some new characters, and often new layers in the relationships between the regulars.
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Published on December 10, 2021
Comments 6
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
November 2021 -- In Dr. Sanjay Gupta's book, "Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age", the neurosurgeon states early on that "you can make your brain better, faster, fitter, and yes, sharper". That is good news - we are not stuck with an aging brain that diminishes every day thanks to old age, too much drinking, or other bad habits. His book is about propagating brain cells and making our existing ones more efficient. Not to make us smarter, but to help us "navigate life" better. (Note: Topretirements earns a commission from some links to Amazon).
People tend to think that memory loss is something that comes automatically with old age, which is not the case. Cognitive decline is not inevitable. Just about everyone worries about memory lapses, like forgetting the name of the person you have known for years, but that is not as worrisome as some might think. "Keep Sharp:" is dedicated to the idea that you can have your own "sharp brain" program to improve your thinking and memory, no matter what your age.
The book has several sections, and the most important is probably his 5 pillars of brain health. We will venture to say that you will not be able to guess which pillar is number one.
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Published on November 20, 2021
Comments 3
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
November 14, 2021 -- Gasoline and groceries aren't the only items seeing hefty prices increases coming out of the pandemic. Medicare just announced that Part B premiums will increase 14.5% next year, resulting in the heftiest dollar increase ever, $21.60/month for the majority of people receiving the benefit. The base charge for the Part B benefit will be $170.10 per month next year, as opposed to $148.50 this year. Individuals with higher incomes will pay more, as seen in the chart below. At the top end, those making $500,000 or more will pay $578.30.
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Published on November 14, 2021
Comments 3
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
October 20, 2021 - As we pointed out last week we are now in the Medicare Open Enrollment Period, which ends December 7. This is the time to re-evaluate your plan and change it if your circumstances have evolved, or you are unhappy with the plan you have. To help out with that process, we going to give a brief summary of some key points from an excellent article that came out last week in the Wall Street Journal, "8 Things to Know When Choosing a Medicare Plan".
Neal Templin wrote this helpful article and we recommend reading it for more detail (we hope the link above will allow you to access it without being a subscriber). Templin says that when it comes to Medicare you have three choices: Regular Medicare (Parts A, B, and D), Medicare plus a private supplemental plan (some people call it Medigap or traditional Medicare), and Medicare Advantage (Part C). The decision for which one to pick is complicated and depends on your own personal situation.
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Published on October 19, 2021
Comments 53
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
October 13, 2021 – The Open Enrollment Period for Medicare starts this week on October 15 and ends December. 7. It is an important event for eligible people not currently enrolled in the plan, or who want to change plans or some component of their current plan. During…
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Published on October 12, 2021
Comments 12
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
October 1, 2021 -- No one wants to wear a hearing aid. They can be unsightly, embarrassing, and usually don't work well in noisy situations. They are also very expensive ($2,000 to $12,000 a pair), and generally not covered by any kind of insurance, including Medicare. Unfortunately, if your hearing is bad enough, not wearing one leads to being shut out of the conversation and social isolation. Fortunately there might be less expensive, and more effective ones coming on the market.
Jane Brody recently wrote an article in the NY Times that promises some hope: "Will Hearing Aids Ever Be Hip". While two thirds of people over 70 suffer from hearing loss, only 20% of adults who could benefit from a hearing aid use one. Clearly there is a demand for a better product.
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Published on October 1, 2021
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