Great article in the WSJ about aging. I hope the link below is non paywall.
https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/americans-in-their-80s-and-90s-are-redefining-old-age-5f8ae8a6?st=JfYzbJ&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
I woke up this morning at 4, wide awake and couldn’t sleep. I laid there reading google news on my phone. Finally I got out of bed and made it out into the living room. It was pitch black outside, yet my path through the house was well illuminated by little, mostly blue lights. About 30 of them. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, routers, scanners, label maker, alarm clocks, microwave, coffee maker, toaster oven, range, bathroom nightlights,
Love and heartbreak are human experiences. Heartbreak is not restricted to the end of a relationship. It can be unrequited love, the death of a loved one, divorce, unmet expectations we have of another. Or other severe emotional conditions.
Harvard Medical School recently published an article about a phenomenon known as Broken Heart Syndrome. It is a real condition known as Stress Cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo syndrome, and can be deadly. But most people recover quickly without any long lasting effects.
Three Points
It’s a simple lesson I learned when I piloted an 18 wheeler in order to make ends meet while getting my business up and running. If you ever stood next to semi-trailer truck you would have noticed that the last step into or out of the tractor is a doozy. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that HD’s resident physical therapist Ed Marsh treated a few injuries that occurred when a driver fell getting out of his truck.
I’m not so good in the genre of Rapper or hip hop singers, but I don’t let that deter me when my mind is in tune with a good word puzzle. Yes, I’m hooked on the NYT word game Connections.
Chances are you played or, at least heard of the New York Times “cult”puzzles. Over the past few years, Wordle became a staple as part of millions of peoples daily routine, and I highly recommend the addictive Connections as a new challenge for word puzzle aficionados and word mavens.
I’ve recently observed cases where family and friends undertake serious medical interventions with not the best outcomes. These interventions seem well intentioned to rehab issues, but I now wonder if they sometimes are a money grab when potentially better health outcomes might exist. In fairness to the Doctors, we want instant and complete resolution to sometimes niggling health issues – many caused by our own lifestyles or basic aging.
Here are a few observations:
My uncle had his prostate removed in his late 70’s,
Back in the 1960s I processed health insurance claims. Employees came to me with their receipts and I helped them put a claim together and then submit it for payment.
One day an employee presented a receipt from a hardware store- for rat poison. I thought it was a mistake or a joke. I almost laughed. However, he was quite serious. Rat poison is a blood thinner and it was prescribed by his doctor. Unfortunately, it wasn’t eligible for reimbursement.
The signs of this looming crisis are everywhere. Expensive home care, long term care and end of life care are going to be the biggest challenges facing baby boomers.
There are over 69 million baby boomers, 21% of the US population, holding 50% of wealth. Unfortunately, most are unprepared to face this crisis. I find that in my retirement community, most have not investigated options to provide for such care and have shown little interest. They say they will handle it if and when they need it.
Twenty years ago I would not have written this, but I have grown less naive.
Consider human nature…when thinking about paying for healthcare and generating retirement income
We have tried countless schemes to manage health care costs, and expand coverage. Similarly we provide incentives to get people to save for their retirement. The evidence shows only modest progress, but nothing has really solved the basic problems.
We humans are just short-term thinkers.
Over 20 million Americans still have no health insurance.
SOON AFTER GRADUATING college and starting work, I visited a dentist I found in the Yellow Pages for a long overdue teeth cleaning and exam. Although I had never had a cavity, the dentist informed me that I had multiple cavities that urgently needed to be filled. Naïve me allowed this dentist to fill the two supposed cavities of most concern.
Somewhat traumatized, I avoided dentists for a time. Finally, I queried several older coworkers,
Let’s say you have $50, $100, $200 and $500.
I’m quite certain from time to time the average American would find spending those amounts affordable – on say a manicure, a round of golf, a tattoo, a couples night on the town or even attending a sporting event. For many people this would be true even if they charged the expense.
It’s quite natural we receive pleasure from spending money, depending on what it is spent on.
Seniors may be susceptible to participating in grey area fraud – my term.
Many seniors routinely have their toenails trimmed under Medicare. It’s a covered expense but only under certain medical conditions like a diabetes complication, but it’s convenient, less costly than a pedicure and many podiatrists are willing to oblige.
Physical therapy is unlimited under Medicare as long as it is necessary for existing conditions and there is progress treating a condition. But hey it feels good.
In my analysis it will be less expensive for him to stay on employer sponsored coverage than going on Medicare. My understanding is that he could sign up for Part A but if he does he cannot contribute to his HSA.
Anyone have any insight on this, in general?
I read this article by Morningstar’s Christine Benz:
https://www.morningstar.com/retirement/youre-worried-about-long-term-care-expenses-lets-do-something-about-it
The article made me think that I don’t believe this topic that has been thoroughly vetted by HD participants. If you don’t have a long term care (LTC) policy how are you attacking the problem?
I must admit we have no specific plan to cover LTC expenses. I decided long ago that LTC premiums were not a good value. With the large increases in premiums over the years I think that was the right decision for us.
I had my regularly scheduled doctor’s appointment for this quarter last week. At the end of the appointment, my Primary Care Physician informed me that she was closing her office on February 1st, 2025. She gave me a document to give my new physician, so they could transfer my medical records, covering the last 10 years.
What has your experience been with issues like this? I have to ask it has happened to other HD readers.