Symptoms of Alzheimers Disease vs. Normal Memory Loss

Are you getting forgetful?

As much as we joke about it, most of us start to worry every time we forget an appointment, or misplace our keys.  Is this the first sign of dementia?  Could we be developing Alzheimers?  These are serious fears, because none of us want to become dependent on our spouses or children.  We don't want to spend our final years in a fog of forgetfulness.  So, how do we know if this is normal memory loss, or a sign of developing dementia?

Normal Memory Loss

According to the website for Alzheimers Disease, there are clear differences.  

* In the case of normal memory loss, it is not unusual to occasionally forget names or appointments.  After all, we live busy lives and things will sometimes slip our minds!  

* It is also normal to occasionally walk into a room and forget why you are there.  

* It is not unusual to start to say something, and then forget what you were going to say.  Most of us will also sometimes struggle to find the right word ... insisting that it is "right on the tip of our tongue."  

* Once you retire, you may also sometimes get confused about what day of the week it is, and where you have to be.  

* Certain daily activities can become more difficult as we age, such as balancing a checkbook or remembering where we put something, like our wallet our keys.  

* It is also a normal part of aging to sometimes feel sad or moody.

Warning Signs of Alzheimers or Dementia

If all of those behaviors are normal, when should we be concerned about our memory loss, or changes in the behavior of someone we love?  

* One key sign of serious memory loss is if we begin to forget information that we recently learned, or we become unable to do things that we have routinely done for years, such as prepare a meal, make a phone call, or play a game.  

* A person who is developing Alzheimers may have trouble remembering the names of common items, such as a toothbrush or pencil.  

* Alzheimers also causes people to easily become disoriented; they may get lost in their own communities, and not know how to get home.  

*  There are often behavioral changes, such as wearing the wrong clothing for the weather, or giving away large sums of money.  In fact, dealing with numbers and money can become a huge challenge for them. 

*  They may also frequently misplace items because they have put them in strange places.  In addition, they may experience major mood swings with little reason.

What to do if You Suspect Dementia is Affecting You or Someone Else

If you suspect that you, or someone you love, could be developing problems more serious than normal memory loss, you will want to see your doctor.  There are treatments that could slow down the process.

You will also want to get all the information about the disease that you possibly can.  For example, some forms of dementia could be caused by medication, lack of sleep or other problems.  In those cases, some simple changes could completely reverse it.

If you are living with someone with Alzheimer's, you may feel uncertain about how to communicate with them.  If so, a friend of mine recently wrote a beautiful article called "How to Help a Person With Alzheimers and Yourself."  You will find this article is very helpful as you try to navigate the complexities of living with an Alzheimer's patient.

If you are looking for more information about retirement planning, common health issues, where to retire, changing family relationships and more, use the tabs or pull down menus at the top of this page for links to hundreds of additional articles.

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

(photo courtesy of morguefile.com)
(facts about Alzheimers from AlzheimersDisease.com)

Popular Retirement Cities That are Right for You

Horseback riding is an amenity I
wanted in a retirement community!

Have you decided what you are looking for in a retirement community?  Some people plan to live in over-55 communities.  Others do not want to live in an area where children are not allowed to reside.  Some people want to be near the ocean; others prefer the desert.  You may be looking for an artist's colony; or perhaps you want a great place to play golf the year around.

One choice is to move to a mid-sized city that offers a variety of activities and affordable prices.

U.S. News and World Report, in their article "The 10 Best Places to Retire in 2012," came up with their list of ten American cities that could appeal to retirees for a variety of reasons.  Below is a list of their favorites.  The home prices listed below were 2012 prices.

Popular Retirement Cities

Flagstaff, Arizona has good year-round weather.  It does get snow in the winter, but it rarely lasts long.

Boone, North Carolina is an affordable mountain town.  There are three ski resorts in the area, and it is much cheaper than Vail or Aspen.  In fact, the median home price is about $215,000.

Traverse City, Michigan is on Lake Michigan.  You can buy a house near the lake in the $155,000 price range.

Walnut Creek, California is much more expensive than the other areas, but it has pleasant weather, a lot of retirees, and is an easy drive into San Francisco.

Ithaca, New York is a charming college town, home to Cornell University and Ithaca College.  You can take classes at the colleges, and enjoy spending your time learning and having stimulating conversations.

Lincoln, Nebraska was listed as a great place to launch a second career.  There are good career opportunities for older workers who are interested in technology, government, higher education and healthcare.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has a good mix of amenities and affordability.  Homes can be purchased for under $100,000, yet this is a city with a ballet, symphony, highly ranked hospitals and, of course, the Pittsburgh Steelers!

Port Charlotte, Florida is a bargain for people who want to live on the water in affordable housing.  Homes can be purchased on the waterways for as little as about $60,000.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts is a spot you may want to consider if you are an older single.  52% of the people who are age 55 or older in Pittsfield are single.  However, there are nearly twice as many single women as men, so that does create an unbalanced dating scene.

Santa Fe, New Mexico is the place to consider if you are looking for art galleries and a historic cultural blend of Anglos, Hispanics and Native Americans.

More Things to Consider When Choosing a Retirement City

When we chose our retirement community, we wanted to live in a adult community near the ocean, with lots of amenities.  Since we owned horses for many years when our children were growing up, I was thrilled to discover a place where I could continue to horseback ride, without the responsibility of owning and caring for a horse of my own.  My husband wanted a place where he could play golf whenever he felt like it.  The town of Laguna Woods Village in Southern California met our needs perfectly.

However, this would not be a good choice for someone who wanted to live near a ski resort or who loves to walk in hardwood forests.  There is currently no football team in the Los Angeles area, although you could drive down to San Diego.  When you pick a place to live after retirement, there are many things you need to consider, including the types of activities you enjoy.

Even if you are still a few years away from being fully retired, it is not too soon to start giving some thought to the type of community where you would like to live.  You may want to travel to some of these places on your next vacation, and get a feel for what it would be like to live there.

If you are interested in more information about where to retire, financial planning, medical issues to consider, travel and changing family relationships, you will want to 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

Photo credit:  Photo taken by author, Deborah-Diane; all rights reserved.

Save Money in the Coming Year

What is your
New Years Resolution?

Back in 2010, the Washington Times reported the top New Years resolutions that were made that year.  The top 5 were: give up smoking, cut back on alcohol, exercise, lose weight, find a soul mate. 

While watching Dick Clark's "Rocking New Years Eve" on television in 2012, they listed the top New Years resolutions for that year.  They were very similar, with one notable difference.  The top resolution by the end of the recession was "Save Money".  This is not surprising, considering that many people are still struggling financially.  Many people, and not just Baby Boomers, are trying to learn how to reduce their expenses so they can survive on a lower income.

How to Save Money

However, the fact that saving money was not even on the list in 2010, and was number #1 in 2012, shows just how much our economy changed in a few years.  The AARP Magazine for December 2011/January 2012 addressed ways to save money in a short article called, "Boost Your Savings."

Here are some of the suggestions they had to help people who are having trouble making ends meet:

1.  Have a budget, and use it to decide whether or not you have any expenses that are no longer needed.  For example, if you no longer have any dependents, do you really need as much life insurance?

2.  Instead of cutting out things you enjoy, replace them with less expensive activities.  For example, if you enjoy eating out, share meals or find less expensive restaurants. 

3.  Find a less expensive place to live.  If you look through some of the other blog posts here at Baby-Boomer-Retirement, using the tabs or pull-down menu at the top of the page, you will see a large number of suggestions for affordable places to live on Social Security.   All of these posts list locations across the US where the housing is affordable and there are other amenities that appeal to retirees.  Since housing is the largest expense for most adults, finding a less expensive place to live is one of the best ways to save money.

4.  Finally, AARP recommends that Americans work until they are at least at their full retirement age of 66 or 67, and continue working until age 70 if that is possible.  These years of extra work will maximize the amount of Social Security you will receive.  If you can't keep working at your current job, see if you can find part-time work while you still have your health.  This can make a significant difference in your financial situation after retirement.

If you are looking for additional ideas for how to save money in retirement, where to retire, health issues, changing family situations and more, use the tabs or pull-down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional articles.

With that goal in mind, please continue to follow http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com,.

Photo credit:  morguefile.com

Share Your Experience and Make Money Writing Online

Earn Money When You Share
Your Knowledge on Online!

Are you looking for a way to make money from home?  If you can write short articles of about 500 - 1000 words, you can submit them to online websites such as Daily Two Cents,  InfoBarrel, Hubpages or Writedge and earn extra money from the Google and Chitika ads that will be placed on the same page as your articles.

What Should You Write About? 

In the articles, simply share some of the knowledge you have accumulated during your lifetime, or write about news stories, particularly interesting stories in the area where you live.  Most of us Baby Boomers have plenty of information we would like to share!  In addition, I am constantly hearing from my Baby Boomer friends about how they would like to earn a little money working from home.  Writing online is a good way to do it.

What are some topics that you could write about?  If you are like most Baby Boomers, you have more knowledge and experience than you realize.  You have plenty of information to pass on to others.  Here is a short list to get you started:

Tourist attractions in your area.
Vacation destinations you enjoyed.
Skills you learned on your job.
Hobbies and the equipment they require.
Reviews of products you have purchased.


What Do You Need to Get Started Writing Online?

People of all ages are discovering that they have skills and experiences that they enjoy passing on to others, and they can make money from writing sites when they do.  All you need in order to get started is a computer, and basic knowledge of how to write and submit information to a website.  You will need to open an account on InfoBarrel, Daily Two Cents, Hubpages, Writedge or the sites that interest you. Depending on the site, you may also need to open accounts on Google Adsense and Chitika, after you have submitted 10 or more articles.  Google and Chitika will pay you directly, once you begin earning money. 

You might also become an Amazon affiliate, once you start building up a library of articles.  This will allow you to promote Amazon products in your articles and you can earn a commission if someone purchases an item you promoted.

How Do You Get Started?

Once you have started writing on one site, you will begin to think of even more great topics to write about.  As you become familiar with the different sites, you will start to notice that certain types of articles do better on one site than another.

I suggest that people write at least 100 articles on one site before they move to another one.  Go back and check on your old articles regularly, however, and update them when they need it.  As you become a better writer, you will want to revise your old articles.

How Much Money Can You Earn Writing Online?

How much money can you earn?  To be honest, you won't earn very much when you first start.  It will probably take you about six to nine months to reach your first Google payout of $100 or more.  However, most writers who stick with it soon discover that those $100 payouts come more and more frequently, and the writers enjoy being able to earn money while they work at home.

Eventually you may want to spread your wings by starting your own website or writing ebooks.  However, the writing sites I mentioned here are a great way to get started.  Just keep building your online body of work, and the money will come.

The writing income from the sites listed above is residual.  That means you will keep earning money from an article for years after you submit it!  One article can gradually create a regular income stream.  Dozens of articles produce plenty of possibilities for income. The extra money can sure come in handy, too, when you need a little extra cash to pay for holiday gifts or other extras!

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

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

(photo courtesy of Morguefile.com)