How to Postpone Alzheimers and Dementia

As if we don't have enough problems to worry about when we start planning our retirement, most of us also wonder if we will still have fully functioning brains as we age. Dementia, including diseases like Alzheimers, is a very real health concern.

I wanted to pass on this information that I picked up from the website RealAge. com. It is from a September, 2011 article entitled "7 Ways to Prevent Alzheimer's."

Before I reveal their suggestions, it is important for people to realize that there is currently no way to guarantee that doing these things will actually permanently prevent Alzheimers. However, some medical researchers seem to believe that about half of all cases could at least be postponed. As far as I'm concerned, these are facts that are worth knowing about. Below are the actions that Real Age recommends we all take for better brain health.

How to Postpone Dementia

1. Don't smoke. That's one habit I don't have. For those of you who do, this is one more reason to throw that pack away!  Smokers have more than twice the incidence of dementia!

2. Get exercise. According to Real Age, taking a daily walk can keep your brain from shrinking, because it increases the blood flow throughout your body, including to your brain. Who knew??  Of course, walking is also good for other aspects of our health, as well.

3. Keep your blood pressure low. High blood pressure is related to Alzheimers. One food they recommend is watermelon. Apparently, it is very effective at lowering blood pressure. That's wonderful, since it is one of my favorite summer fruits!  Some people may also need to take blood pressure medication.  It if enables you to think more clearly as you age, you may seriously want to consider medication if your blood pressure is high.

4. Get a good night's sleep. This suggestion was a bit more complicated. According to Real Age, if you don't sleep enough, you increase the chances that you will get type 2 diabetes, and diabetes is related Alzheimers. I think this suggestion should have been to simply live a lifestyle that reduces your chances of getting diabetes!  However, even outside of the diabetes link, I have read other reports that suggest that people who have the best quality sleep also are less likely to develop dementia.

5. Go outside. This suggestion seems simple enough. Apparently, when you spend time outside you are less likely to feel depressed, and depression is linked to Alzheimers. (It seems to me that this is one more reason to live somewhere that has mild winters!)

6. Keep learning. Medical researchers have discovered that it is especially beneficial to learn a new language, although any type of learning seems to be beneficial. French classes, anyone?  If you don't want to learn a new language, you might consider music lessons, learning to play a new game or developing other challenging skills.

7. Lose weight. I knew that one would show up. I keep trying, but I am sure that I am going to take a few extra pounds to my grave with me! However, perhaps the fear of not being able to remember the names of my loved ones will make a difference. I'll keep trying ... and I suggest that other people do, too.  However, there is also research that it is better not to be underweight.  It seems that the best situation is to be at your ideal weight or slightly more than that.

In the comment section of the Real Age article, readers made their own suggestions. One person suggested that a glass of red wine once in a while could help our brains. Other people suggested adding tumeric to your food and tea. Tumeric is found in curry powder in the U.S.

The Doctor Oz television show on ABC also did a special about Alzheimers on September 21, 2011. He had as his guests Dr. Andrew Weil and Deepak Chopra. First, he showed slices of a brain with Alzheimers, and you could actually see the holes in the brain. Then, Dr. Oz and his guests mentioned some supplements they use to ward off Alzheimers. Among the products they suggested were: Vitamin D, the herb Ginko, Phosphatidylsirene (also called PS), coffee, magnesium, tumeric, sage and ginger. You may want to look up this television show and watch the entire program.  I want to mention, however, that some of these suggestions are not backed by scientific research.  However, moderate amounts of those products will not harm you, and they might do your brain some good.

The way I look at it, none of these suggestions will hurt me, and I plan to try at least some of them. Anything I can do to prevent or postpone Alzeimers seems worthwhile to me.

If you are interested in reading other articles about aging, retirement, retirement planning, maintaining your health, where to retire or financial planning, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional articles. 

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Finding the Best Places to Retire

Have you decided where you would like to live after you retire?  Would you prefer to be near your grandkids, near the ocean, close to a lake, or in the mountains?  What about your proximity to hospitals, shopping and sports venues?  The decision of where to retire is not always easy.

We gave a lot of thought to our decision to retire in Laguna Woods Village, California. We chose our location partly because we have a number of relatives who live in California, and we wanted an affordable place to retire which would make it easy for us to visit our family and for them to visit us.

Finding affordable housing is not always easy in the Southern California real estate market, but Laguna Woods Village is one of the less expensive places. We also wanted palm trees, the ability to take walks on the beach, mild weather, and plenty of golf during our retirement years.

However, not everyone can or should retire to Laguna Woods Village. As a result, whenever I discover information about other possible retirement areas, I pass the information to my readers of this blog.

A few years ago, CNN came up with their list of places they think are good for retirement. They put emphasis on recommending places with a low cost of living, crime rates which tend to be below the national average, good medical groups, and where at least 30% of the population is older than 50 years old. Listed below is a little information about each of their top picks. 

Marquette, Michigan on Michigan's Upper Peninsula was number #1 on the CNN list. Marquette has a cost of living that is 95% of the national average. It is near Lake Superior, which can be fun in the summer. However, you should know that the town gets an average of 141 inches of snow a year.  While some people will enjoy this town, it would not be a good choice for everyone.

Cape Coral, Florida has low home prices and a cost of living which is 96% of the national average. The town has 400 miles of canals, and is located on the Gulf of Mexico. This is an ideal location for people who enjoy water sports, although you need to be prepared for an occasional hurricane, too.  While the winters are mild in Cape Coral, the summers can be very hot. 

Boise, Idaho is a small city with a very low crime rate. Violent crime is about half the national average. The cost of living is about 97% of the national average. The town is surrounded by mountains, but the climate within Boise is considered mild.

Danville, Kentucky is a small town with affordable homes and a cost of living that is only 93% of the national average. It's about a forty minute drive from Lexington, and about a 90 minute drive from Louisville. The town has a number of locations which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It gets a little snow in the winter, and you should expect thunderstorms and an occasional tornado alert in the summer.

Weatherford, Texas has a cost of living that is only 87% of the national average. It is a small town about 33 miles from Fort Worth. People who enjoy horses will especially enjoy this community. It gets very hot and dry in the summer, and you can also expect thunderstorms and tornado alerts.

Southaven, Mississippi is a small suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, but located on the Mississippi side of the city. The cost of living is only 88% of the national average. One of the advantages is that are located close to all the big city amenities which Memphis has to offer.

Clarksville, Tennessee is a small city near the Kentucky-Tennessee border. It has a cost of living that is about 88% of the national average. It can be chilly in the winter and hot in the summer, with occasional storms.

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma is a suburb of Tulsa. It has a cost of living which is about 88% of the national average. Like Tennessee, it can be chilly in the winter and hot in the summer, with occasional storms and tornadoes.

Lake Charles, Louisiana is about 30 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, which makes it vulnerable to hurricanes and floods. However, it is a lovely location for people who enjoy freshwater fishing and similar water sports. It has a cost of living about 91% of the national average.

Winstom-Salem, North Carolina is a charming community with a cost of living which is about 91% of the national average. It has a symphony, arts district, and is home to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.  This is an ideal location for someone who wants to enjoy affordable access to theater and music after retirement.

Even if you do not choose one of the towns on this list, they will give you a good idea of what to look for in a community ... access to interesting activities, weather which you find bearable, lower than average crime, affordability and access to medical care. 

As you can see, there are plenty of great retirement areas for you to investigate no matter what region of the country you want to live.

To read more about retirement communities, recreation in retirement, financial planning for retirement, the qualifications to move into a retirement community, working in retirement, and more, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of this article to find links to hundreds of additional posts.

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When Should You Join AARP?

Like many other Baby Boomers, my husband and I do not think of ourselves as senior citizens. As far as we are concerned, other people may be old, but not us! We still believe we are in the prime of our lives. As a result, when we were in our 50's and some friends suggested we sign up for AARP, we were surprised. AARP stands for the American Association of Retired People. As we saw things, we weren't retired at the time and we aren't old, so why would we need this organization?

Take Advantage of AARP Discounts

As we discovered, however, AARP has a reat deal to offer people in their 50s and older. For example, they have negotiated discounts at hotels and motels nationwide. Those discounts alone have more than covered the cost of our annual AARP membership. In addition, members can use their AARP card to get discounts at Walgreens. You can also use it for discounts at tourist attractions, Michaels Stores (on Tuesdays), Chart House Restaurants, cruises, and more. In fact, we never travel anymore without asking if there is an AARP discount, and we are often surprised by how often the answer is "Yes."  For a membership that costs less than $20 a year, the discounts are wonderful!

Stay Up-to-Date with AARP Mailings

AARP will also send you emails and magazines with a wide variety of helpful tips on retirement planning, travel, maintaining your health, and related information.  Frequently, the articles I read in an AARP magazine will spur me to write a post on that topic.

AARP Offers Insurance Programs for Senior Citizens

In addition, they offer several insurance programs for seniors. I want to point out, however, that my husband and I have never used their insurance programs, so I do not know if they are good deals. I only know that they have some special insurance products that are designed for our age group.  At the very least, you can use their insurance products as a baseline for comparison shopping.

AARP is the Major Washington Lobbyist that Represents Retirees

AARP also represents the interests of senior citizens when they lobby Congress over numerous issues which will affect us now and in the future. This service is somewhat controversial, though, since not all seniors think alike. However, I personally believe that AARP does try to do what they can to protect us ... even if I have not always agreed with a few of the positions they have taken.

Advantages of Joining AARP in Your 50's

In general, I am glad that we joined, even though I originally felt silly applying for membership with the American Association of Retired People when I was in my 50s and still working. It has saved me a great deal of money, and provided me with so much information, that it seems like a smart decision now. This is one money saving idea that I am happy to pass on, because I think all senior citizens should take advantage of it!

If you are looking for more information about retirement planning, financial planning, where to retire, health issues that could come up, changing family relationships, Social Security, Medicare and more, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of this page for links to hundreds of additional articles.

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How to Build an Annuity Ladder

Did you know that 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 every day? This statistic was published in the Sept. 11, 2011 edition of the Sunday Wall Street Journal and, by some estimates since then, the number has increased slightly in the years since then. They also had some interesting information in the same article about the fact that many Baby Boomers are going to be short of money after they quit working. I have read an increasing amount of information since that time about how much financial strain the Baby Boomer generation could experience as they age.

One decision most Boomers are going to have to make in the coming years is how to supplement their Social Security. Between now and the day they retire, Baby Boomers need to plan to pay down their bills, while building up their investments and retirement savings. After maxing out the contributions to an IRA or 401(k), how should Boomers use the proceeds to enhance their future retirement income?  One way to do this is to build an annuity ladder.

Interest rates are currently very low and so are dividend yields. This has been going on for several years and is only expected to change slowly over the next few years, although the Fed has been raising interest rates lately.  Most retirees should not plan to put their money in CD's and live off the interest. Nor should they plan to buy Blue Chip stocks and live off the dividends, at least not now. Most Boomers will not be able to do these things unless yields increase significantly in the next 3 to 5 years. The Wall Street Journal reported that some people are investing in bonds from other countries, like Brazil and France, since their yields are higher than they are currently in the United States.

Make an Annuity Ladder Part of Your Financial Plan

According to the Wall Street Journal article, another way that Baby Boomers are hoping to increase their retirement income is to build an annuity ladder. When doing this, retirees buy a new annuity every 5 years. The hope is that the yields will rise each time they purchase a new annuity.

Here is an example of how that would work.  Let's say you need an extra $400 to $500 a month in retirement income, above what you expect to receive from Social Security and any pensions you might have.  If you have saved $100,000, you could put the entire amount into a lifetime annuity and receive that much in return.  However, you will have tied up all your savings in one annuity, at a time when interest rates and annuity returns are at all-time lows.

On the other hand, it would cost about $25,000 to get around $420 a month for 5 years. At the same time, you could invest the remaining $75,000 for the next five years and expect to increase the size of your remaining nest egg so that it will be worth about $82,000 to $90,000 at the end of that time.

At the end of the five years, you still have a sizable amount of money you can invest.  You can do one of two things with it:

First, you could buy another five year annuity and repeat the process.  By this time, if interest rates have risen, your return would be higher than $420 a month.  This is an annuity ladder.

Another choice is available if interest rates have risen significantly in five years and you can get a 6% return.  In this case, you can find a long-term investment for your remaining $85,000 or put in in a CD at 6%.  Your return would be $425 a month, and you would still have full ownership of your $85,000.

Disadvantage of an Annuity Ladder

While annuity ladders can be one part of your retirement plan, they may not be the best choice for most people.  For example, consider the $420 a month return on the $25,000 described above.  You could just put the $25,000 in a bank account and withdraw $420 a month from it and it would last more than five years, even if you were only receiving 1% interest.  Consequently, there is actually no advantage to purchasing an annuity.  You could simply create your own.

Do the math before buying an annuity.  If you truly believe that your return from an annuity will be better than anything you could possibly earn from other investments, then you may want to make an annuity ladder part of your retirement plans.  If not, you may want to investigate other options.

As always, I highly recommend that you consult a retirement planner, your CPA and other advisers before committing a large amount of your assets to any investment plan.

If you are looking for additional retirement information, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional articles on financial planning, medical issues, changing family relationships, Social Security, Medicare where to retire, and more.

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