Senior Living

More than 334,000 incidents of elder financial exploitation — the theft or misuse of an older person’s money by someone they know — are reported to authorities in the U.S. each year, causing an estimated $6.3 billion in losses, according to an analysis of federal and state data by Comparitech, a cybersecurity research company.

And those numbers probably underestimate a problem experts say is vastly under-reported.

But experts also say that in most cases, financial abuse can be prevented before it starts. To learn about steps from AARP that you can take to help protect yourself or a vulnerable loved one from financial exploitation, CLICK HERE.

Gen Xers watched MTV for the 24-hour music videos, loved John Hughes movies, and listened to Hootie & The Blowfish cassettes on their Walkmans.

Now, MTV is home to shows like Jersey Shore, Molly Ringwald is old enough to be an AARP member, and Hootie’s a country singer, with songs that stream to Gen Xers’ smartphones on Spotify.

The world Gen X grew up in has certainly changed. And so have they, especially financially: Though they suffered losses during the Great Recession, Gen Xers are the only generation to recover the wealth they lost, with the median net worth of Gen X households rising 115%.

Though Gen Xers may still have less overall household wealth than baby boomers, many people in Generation X are still in some of their prime earning years. Gen X as a whole has also increased its home equity and doubled its assets. In fact, Gen Xers are set to overtake the boomers as the nation’s wealthiest generation.

Now, this group is starting to turn its collective attention to retirement and their retirement lifestyle — and what it could look like for America’s 65.2 million Gen Xers, who the Pew Research Center says will outnumber baby boomers by 2028.

To find out why independent living is perfect for Gen X, CLICK HERE.

Providing quality care requires expertise, high standards and dedication. A high rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is clear proof that the level of care offered at a senior care community is top-tier in the industry. But to truly appreciate a CMS 5-star rating, it helps to understand how the rating is determined.

To learn more about why a 5-star rating matters to various parties, and how it’s calculated, CLICK HERE.

Children — even adult children — turn to their parents for support. They see their parents as caregivers, and it’s often a surprise when the roles become reversed. Seemingly out of the blue, sons and daughters notice their parents slowing down. They may even worry about their parents living in a house by themselves. Senior parents, though, almost always want to maintain their independence. Senior living is a smart solution to satisfy both parties.

To learn more about why senior living is good for both parents and adult children, CLICK HERE.

Millions of older adults fall victim to scams each year, losing substantial amounts of money they need for their retirement. In fact, scammers often target seniors in financial scams, because they expect older adults to have significant savings in their bank accounts.

If your senior loved one becomes a victim of fraud, it can leave them in a precarious financial position with little time to recoup crucial funds. This means it’s important to help them identify when a scam has taken place and, if possible, avoid scams before endangering any money. To find out about some of the strongest signs of a senior scam, CLICK HERE.

How to select a senior living community where you can live, love and laugh.

You’ve decided you are going to move to a senior living community. Where do you start? First of all, congratulate yourself if you’ve made that decision before you or your spouse has experienced major health problems. You’ve probably saved your family a lot of stress.

As you’re studying-up on the different types of communities, compare the pros and cons of each to your current preferences and the changes you anticipate in the future, although that is often difficult to predict. Are you (and your spouse) in good health? Were your parents healthy in their retirement years? Are there communities of the type you prefer near where you are living now? Is that important to you, or are you willing to move to a different city, or even state, to find the type of retirement community you are looking for?

To find out what questions to ask senior living facilities so you can narrow down the types of communities you might consider and begin paring the list of available options, CLICK HERE.

Independence, freedom and self-reliance are woven into the fabric of American culture. There are scores of movies, books and songs about the loner who relies on their wits and skills. As teenagers, most of us couldn’t wait to be out of the house, making our own decisions. But as we grow older, what was thrilling in our teens and adulthood can start to become dangerous and risky.

What are the dangers of seniors living alone? And is moving to a senior living community actually preferable to aging in place? To compare the benefits of senior living versus seniors living alone, and whether it’s possible to still be independent, happy and healthy while securing your future, CLICK HERE. 

If you’ve been considering a senior living community for yourself or a loved one, you’ve probably noticed that the options are vast and vary. It can seem a bit overwhelming. Where do you even start?

A good place to begin is by looking at two of the most popular choices – Life Plan Communities (also known as Continuing Care Retirement Communities or CCRCs) and rental retirement communities.

While both types of independent senior living communities can offer similar benefits in the way of fitness and wellness programs, dining options, housekeeping and social, recreational programs, rental retirement communities don’t typically provide access to a full continuum of health care services like a Life Plan community. To learn more, CLICK HERE.