​​Even for a cliché the idea that seniors are baffled by technology is, well, old. Maybe even outdated. A 2017 report from the Pew Research Center suggests that older demographics are becoming more tech-savvy. This isn’t surprising when you look at the variety of ways technology can add to your quality of life.

​According to the Center of Disease Control, there are many similarities between the activity needs of adults and seniors. Regardless of age, you should try and exercise a little every day, for at least 150 minutes per week to maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce your risk of disease and illness.

​Summer has gone and the chill of winter is in the air. With the change of seasons comes the time of year when seniors are more vulnerable to illness.

Sometimes it means a hospital stay followed by rehab care then long-term care in a nursing home.

With the average monthly long-term care facility costs from $7,000 - $10,000, many families are not prepared to deal with this cost. An option that many choose to help pay for this cost is Long-Term Care (LTC) Medi-Cal.

But, as with many government programs the amount of paperwork to fill out can be overwhelming. One of the most difficult tasks for the family is the gathering of the required information.

Being prepared for the unexpected is the smart thing to do.

​As baby boomers age, the number of people who have dementia and Alzheimer’s is increasing. Right now, 5.7 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. If you (or a family member) has been recently diagnosed, you may be worried about how you will care for yourself in the future.
 
The silver lining to an early diagnosis is that you can prepare and plan for dementia and Alzheimer’s to ensure you can still enjoy your life, and be financially stable, even when you’re struggling with memory and cognitive issues. 

​​Determining the most appropriate level of care for your aging parent or loved one can be a difficult task. With so many care options available – from home care, to assisted living, to nursing or specialized facilities – the eldercare system can be confusing to navigate and may leave you feeling overwhelmed when trying to decide what option is best for your loved one.  This process is often emotionally draining, especially if your parent’s wishes and opinions are not in line with your own. 
 
Fortunately, there are resources available to you and you do not have to make this difficult decision alone. 

​Long-term planning for retirement isn’t an easy task. You have to ask yourself a lot of hard questions, determine your priorities, and take a long, hard look at your finances. It can be a tough process, but here in California you have more options than you might realize - especially when it comes to healthcare.
 
To get started on your long-term care planning, here are five things that you need to know:

​Long-term care is not often a comfortable topic of conversation around the dinner table.  But it should be. According to a national study funded by the SCAN Foundation, which is an independent public charity devoted to transforming care for older adults, Americans consistently and continuously underestimate the “cost and risk of needing long-term care.” 

Beginning in April 2018 58 million Medicare beneficiaries will begin to receive new Medicare cards. The big change is that a Medicare beneficiary’s Social Security number will no longer be part of the Medicare number.


Instead, the new cards will feature a randomly assigned Medicare beneficiary identifier (MIB). The MBI will be generated from randomly selected numbers. The characters will have no special meaning. Other changes include the removal of the cardholder’s gender and the signature line.


The new Medicare cards are due to the signing of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015. This represents a major effort by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to fight fraud against seniors.

Remember the song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy?” What will make you happy in retirement?
Is it traveling to far off destinations? Golfing five days a week? Fishing? Charity work? Church? Babysitting the grandkids? Your favorite hobby?

These are the activities that you do in retirement. But what is it that really gives you peace of mind, less worry and less anxiety?

According to a 2015 report by the Urban Institute the greater one’s income, the lower one’s likelihood of disease and premature death.”

The higher a person’s income is the longer, healthier and happier their life will be. Retirees like the sense of security that guaranteed predictable income provide.

A 2012 Towers Watson study examined what contributes to a happy retirement.
The study found that the source of retirement income plays a major role in retirement happiness.

A 2005 article by Jonathan Clements of the Wall Street Journal states that retirees who receive company pensions are happier than those who have just 401(k) and other defined contribution plans.

The most sweeping changes since 1993 are being made to the Medi-Cal recovery program. California’s aggressive recovery procedures have been punitive to the uninformed and unprepared especially with the expansion of the Medi-Cal health insurance program through Covered California.

Governor Brown signed the budget bill on June 27, 2016. Contained within are provisions of SB 33 (Hernandez) that bring California law into line with federal Medicaid laws in regards to recovery procedures.

Currently, if a person age 55 or older is receiving any type of Medi-Cal benefits, general or long-term care, the department will seek repayment of the benefits paid out after the Medi-Cal beneficiary passes away.

However, federal law only requires recovery of benefits paid out to a person age 55 or older for nursing home care, home and community-based services, hospital and prescription drug services while receiving nursing home or home care services and persons who are “permanently institutionalized.” Health insurance programs like Covered California are subject to recovery under federal law.

Up to now, California has gone beyond the scope of the federal law by placing claims on estates of surviving spouses and for all Medi-Cal benefits received by those age 55 or older.

Families have been forced to sell the family home in order to pay the claim. If they wanted to keep and stay in the home, they were forced to sign a “voluntary lien” which accrues at a 7% annual percentage rate.