High Dose Flu Shot for Seniors

Don't Forget Your Flu Shot!
Syringe photo from photoxpress.com

Have you received your flu shot yet this year?  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone who is 6 months of age or older should get the basic flu shot in order to increase their chances of staying healthy during the coming year.

However, if you are over 65 and have not yet gotten the basic shot, you may be interested to know that in the past few years they have introduced a stronger version for senior citizens.  The shot is called Fluzone High-Dose and it has four times the immune triggering virus proteins than are contained in the regular influenza shot.

In addition to providing seniors with a stronger shot, Medicare covers the cost.  They feel that it is important for senior citizens to be inoculated, since they are more likely to have serious medical complications from the flu. 

If you would like to read more information designed to help senior citizens, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of this page to find links to hundreds of additional articles about health issues, where to retire, financial planning and more.

For more retirement information, read http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

When Grandkids Live Far Away

Facetime on your iPhone is one
way to stay in touch!
Photo from www.morguefile.com

When your grandchildren live far away from you, how can you stay in touch?  How can you feel like you are still a part of their lives?  How can you help your grandkids know how much you care about them?

These are some of the questions that my husband and I have faced.  We have six grandchildren ranging from age 1 to age 21, with another one on the way.  They are quite spread out, living in Northern California, Southern California, New York and Delaware.  Although we make an effort to travel and see them all at least once a year, we realize that is not nearly enough to be part of their lives.  Although it is not the same as having your grandkids live next door, we discovered there are some things we could do to stay in touch and feel close to our grandkids.

The first thing we do is send them all greeting cards and a few dollars on all those little holidays that kids enjoy so much.  We mail out cards for Halloween, Valentine's Day, and Easter.  If they lived nearby, we know we would give them treats on those occasions.  Since they don't live close, we still enjoy recognizing those days as special for the kids and sending them a little money.  It is fun for them and us.

The next thing we do is put the internet to work.  My husband and I are both on Facebook.  Although my husband and I have very few Facebook friends who are not relatives, we have discovered that this site is a great way to stay in touch with our family and close friends.  Our daughters are all wonderful about updating their Facebook pictures and videos often, so we get to see our grandkids getting awards at school, competing in sports, and wearing their Halloween costumes.  Some of our grandkids also have their own Facebook pictures and will post their own comments and pictures to share with us.  We cherish every little thought and comment they share!

Another way we use the internet is by using Skype.  One Christmas morning, one of our daughters set her laptop on the coffee table in the living room and we contacted her using Skype.  We fixed our breakfast and relaxed in front of our computer.  Then we spent a couple of hours watching our grandkids open their presents, and they watched us open ours.  It wasn't quite as good as getting a warm hug, but it was much better than a phone call.  It was hilarious watching them laugh as they opened their gifts and held them up to the computer for us to see!  We have also Skyped on Halloween to see their costumes, and on other special occasions.  We've found that young kids, in particular, will stay on the phone much longer when they can see us and show us things.  Technology has made it so much easier for our family to stay in touch!

In addition to Skype on our computers, we also have it on our Android phones.  We love being able to see our kids and grandkids whenever we chat.  Having Skype on our phones is like having our grandkids in our purse or pocket!

Recently, one of our daughters, and her two kids, moved just seven  miles from our home.  We are delighted to have some of our grandkids living close by, once again.  However, we still have four other grandkids who live far away and the new baby will also be living on the other side of the country.  One thing we have learned is that, while it is not always possible to have our grandkids nearby, that is no excuse for losing touch with them.  We hope we are always part of their lives, whether they live nearby or not.

If you haven't yet used some of these services, you may want to give them a try.  They are a cheap and easy way to keep your grandkids close.

If you are interested in learning more about retirement and aging topics, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of this article to find links to hundreds of additional articles on where to retire, health issues, family relationships, financial planning and more.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

How to Save Money for Retirement

Look for Sales and Save Money
Photo from www.morguefile.com

In cased you missed them, there were some very scary statistics scattered throughout the October, 2011 AARP Bulletin.  In the years since then, things have not changed much.  Basically, they come down to the fact that people are not saving nearly enough money in order to retire.  Here is some of what they had to say:

Families that have a head of household who is between the ages of 60 and 70 have only saved about 25% of what they will need for retirement.  (p. 3)

About 53% of all families in the US do not think they have enough retirement savings in order to have a comfortable retirement.  (p. 28)

In addition, the AARP Bulletin showed the impact that inflation is having on family wealth.  Between 1989 and 2009, the full time income for a man increased only about 3%.  Meanwhile, the cost of a college education for a child increased 73%, the cost of health insurance premiums rose 182%, and the amount of debt being carried by the average middle class family rose 292%!  (p. 28)  No wonder many of us feel that we are working harder than ever, but have less to show for it.

What can we do?  As impossible as it may seem, we all need to learn how to save money before we retire.  Everyone who is 50 years old or older should sit down and take a realistic look at how much income they will have when they retire, and then begin living now as close to that amount of money as possible! At the very least, you should try to live on only 90% of your income and save the other 10%.  If you cannot live on 90% of your income now, how do you think that you will live on just half of it ... which is what is going to have to millions of Baby Boomers!?

For example, let's say the head of the household in your home will receive approximately $2,000 a month from Social Security when they turn 67.  Their spouse will be eligible for an additional $1,000 a month in spousal benefits from Social Security when they turn 67, too.  If you expect to have $100,000 in your IRA or 401K by the time you retire, that could consider investing in a 20 year annuity and you would receive $400 - $500 dollars extra a month, at today's rates.  This comes to $3,500 a month in potential retirement income, including Social Security and investment income.

What is your current cost of living?  If you spend a lot more than $3,500 a month, you should start making adjustments to your current expenses to see if you can bring them down.  What will you need to change?  Will you need to move to a less expensive home or apartment, buy a less expensive car, or pay off your loans?  Perhaps you need to shop more carefully, by buying less and purchasing what you need when it is on sale. 

If you simply cannot bring down your expenses after retirement, is it possible that you could increase the amount of money you are putting in your IRA or 401K, so that you will have more retirement savings to invest when you stop working? Where can you come up with the extra savings? Are there services you could eliminate or reduce now, such as cable TV or your house telephone line?  Whatever you decide to do, start making the changes now, while you are still working.  The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to take the necessary steps to have a balanced budget after you retire. 

With the right retirement planning, you can turn things around and take control of your retirement years.  It really is possible for you to become part of the 25% of people who have adequately planned and are prepared to retire!

If you are interested in more detailed information about retirement financial planning, where to retire, possible health issues you might encounter, family relationships and more, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional articles.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

How to Dispose of Leftover Medicine

Leftover Pills Should Not Be Flushed
Photo from http://www.photoxpress.com/

What do you do when you have old or leftover medication?  Where should you dispose of unused drugs?  Many people simply toss their medications into the trash, or flush them down the drain.  However, this is creating serious consequences to our water supply and, consequently, our health. 

When the U.S. Geological Survey studied the ground water and the surface water in 25 states and Puerto Rico they discovered drug contamination in 96% of the samples they took.  Among the medications found in the water were hormones (from birth control pills, estrogen replacement drugs, etc.), steroids, codeine, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antibiotics, and antimicrobials.  So, if you shouldn't simply toss the pill bottle into the trash, and you shouldn't flush them down the toilet, what other choices do you have?

What to do with Unused Medications

Your first choice is to use all the medication that is prescribed by your doctor, so that you have nothing left to throw away.  However, we all know that this is not always possible.  Sometimes a prescription is not working and a doctor changes it.  At other times, the doctor changes the dose, just after you filled the prescription.  (That has happened to me several times.)  What should we do with the leftover medicine then?

When this happens, you should put the medication in a sturdy and securely sealed container and put it deep in your trashcan where children and pets cannot reach it.  You can also "treat" the drugs so that children and animals will not eat them.  For example, you could add salt water, ashes or dirt to the pills before sealing them into a container.  You may want to remove your name and personal information from the pill bottles, too.

Another option is to take your leftover medications to a household hazardous waste collection center or special event, especially if the medicine you are trying to get rid of is a controlled substance such as codeine or a steroid. 

You may also want to check the website nodrugsdownthedrain.org for more information on how, where and why you should dispose of any drugs.  Since we Baby Boomers take a lot of medications, and will probably take even more as we age, we have a responsibility to learn how to dispose of our surplus medications safely.

Please make sure you are not doing anything to further contaminate our water supply.  Please do NOT flush drugs down the toilet or the drain.

If you are looking for more information about medical issues, retirement planning, where to retire, etc., use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page for links to hundreds of additional articles.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com