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Baby Boomers and Hepatitis C

By Jo-Anne | Published: February 22, 2012

It’s been reported widely in the news over the last two days – but you may have missed it. Baby Boomers are at serious risk for having been infected with Hepatitis C. An estimated 3.2 M in the US are infected – and it’s estimated that 2 out of 3 of them are Baby Boomers. Put another way, 1-in-33 Boomers are infected with the disease – although more than half (maybe three-quarters) of those infected don’t even know it!

Why are we Baby Boomers at such a high risk? There are three ways the disease is transmitted: intravenous drug use (which was popularized with Boomers); blood transfusions prior to 1992 (when screening for the virus began); and sexual contact.

Routine physical exams do not screen for Hepatitis C. Ask your doctor for the test. Even though there are no cures, if you do have the disease, there are treatments available. And don’t wait! You need to treat it before your liver develops cirrhosis – and before it deteriorates so badly you need a liver transplant, or worse.

For your convenience, a news report from the UPI can be found here - and a video from NBC Nightly News is here. So read, watch, and then call – call your doctor for a test.

Posted in Baby Boomers, Hepatitis C, health | Leave a comment

Taking Away the Car Keys

By Jo-Anne | Published: February 19, 2012

Recently NBC Nightly News ran a segment on a difficult conversation many After Fiftiers either have had or will be having with their aging parents. Topic of the conversation: Taking Away the Car Keys (from elderly parents).

I looked for pointers in the NBC segment - things like, how to begin the conversation; how to counter-act defensive arguments; what to do if the parent just won’t listen or becomes belligerent – or worse. I looked because most of us will face these issues when the time comes. Instead, NBC presented a very atypical family. Aging parent (age 90) had initiated the conversation (yes, you read that one right) and his son and daughter-in-law were helping him transition to a more limited driving schedule (no more night-time driving, 10-mile driving radius around the house, etc.). I bet 9-out- of-10 of us will not encounter that kind of scenario when it is our turn. Driving represents independence – for all of us – and most will do everything in their power to maintain that independence.

However eHow.com provides an interesting article, “How to Take Away the Car Keys from an Aging Parent.” Here are the article’s 5 main points, in summary.
1) Take a ride with your parent as driver. How skillful is her driving. Does she become confused, agitated, lost? Has reaction time slowed?
2) If parent is getting lost or forgetful while driving, this may be a sign of dementia. Check this out with her doctor.
3) Suggest that your parent re-take the driver’s test. If you talk honestly with your parent about your concern for her safety (and the safety of others) she may agree to be re-tested.
4) If you’re not making progress, and if you’ve enlisted family and friends to talk with her and there’s still no progress, contact your Dept. of Motor Vehicles to report your concerns. They may revoke the license.
5) If all else fails, remove access to the car. This is not easy – but it could save lives.

In my case, my parent would not budge. The conversations were disappointing. Fortunately, though, the state required mother to take a vision test to renew her license. She marched belligerently into the Registry office, and took the eye exam. A Registry employee then asked her for her license – and tore it up. “Why?” my mother stammered. “Because you’re blind,” came the answer. “You have no business behind the wheel of a car. We’ll call you a cab.” And thus marked the end of my mother’s “driving days.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Family Caregiving

By Jo-Anne | Published: February 15, 2012

One day a week I join with 65 million other people in the US, and assume the role of family caregiver. I drive 40 miles to my mother’s home, and do bills & pills, grocery shop, wash clothes and dishes, take her to appointments (which I have made for her), and more…much more. Sometimes, though, I just sit and listen. During the rest of the week, I do things that don’t require me being on-the-spot. Am I a noble person? I don’t know. I don’t think of what I do in those terms. I do it because it needs to be done. And, like the 65 M others out there doing the same thing, I don’t charge for my services.

It’s been estimated that annual costs associated with family caregiving in the US amount to approximately $535 Billion. But wait – 70% of the cost for caregiving services, about $375 Billion, is provided free of charge by people like me (with only $158 billion in cash actually being “spent”). But does that mean that 70% of services are really free? Read on – and draw your own conclusions.

• 20% of employed caregivers over 50 report symptoms of depression compared to 8% for non-caregiving peers.
• 40 – 70% of family caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression …(and about) half of these caregivers meet the diagnostic criteria for major depression.
• Family caregivers experiencing extreme stress have been shown to age prematurely. This level of stress can take as much as 10 years off a family caregiver’s life.
• The stress of caring for a person with dementia can impact the caregiver’s immune system for up to three years – thereby increasing the caregiver’s chances of developing a chronic illness.
• 72% of family caregivers report not going to the doctor as often as they should.

See the National Family Caregivers Assoc. website for these statistics, and more.And while we After Fiftiers are struggling right now to provide care for our parents, our spouses, our disabled children or other loved ones, what are we going to do to prepare for our own care when the time comes. Read those stats again. Family caregiving is thankless, stressful, damaging to one’s health and well-being. Yet, if we continue to wake up each morning, then the day will come when we’ll need care, too!

As we After Fiftiers age, we will see the numbers of those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia double within our lifetimes. Exactly how is care going to be provided?

We need a national discussion about how caregiving will be provided for After Fiftiers in the very near future. We can’t continue to provide caregiving in a haphazard, health-depleting fashion. A tsunami of caregiving need is heading in our direction. And I predict – if we don’t prepare, then this tsunami is going to wipe every last one of us off our feet!

Posted in adult child, aging, caregiving | 1 Comment

An Alzheimer’s Cure – Around the Bend?

By Jo-Anne | Published: February 11, 2012

Yes, it may be too soon to start the celebratory parade. Which parade, you ask? The “We’ve Found A Cure For Alzheimer’s” Parade… But – we now have reason to believe that the sun may be ready to shine!

Here’s what’s happening. Read the headline – “Cancer drug reverses Alzheimer’s in mice – study” (by Kerry Sheridan). This is breath-taking, spectacular news. Yes, we’re not mice. And no, it hasn’t been proven to work in humans – yet. But wisely, scientists, researchers, and the medical community are moving full speed ahead to test the drug (bexarotine) in clinical trials “for humans (which) should produce early results in the coming year.” The drug (brand name Targretin) works “by boosting levels of a protein, Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), that helps clear amyloid plaque buildup in the brain, a key hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.”

If bexarotine (Targretin) DOES work in humans, it couldn’t have been discovered a moment too soon. Within the next 15-18 years, the numbers of us who will develop Alzheimer’s may DOUBLE – affecting 70+ million worldwide. The Associated Press reports that “the NIH currently spends $450 million a year on Alzheimer’s research. In his budget proposal to be released next week, President Barack Obama will ask Congress for $80 million in new money for Alzheimer’s research next year.” But, will even this increase be enough? Patient advocates say that this spending is far too little, given the disease’s coming toll. It’s estimated that research expenditures of approximately $2 Billion a year may be necessary to effectively combat and conquer the disease.

Everyone who’s concerned about Alzheimer’s will find the results of the “mice” study to be ever so hopeful. In the meantime, though, we’ve got to convince Congress to allocate sufficient money to get this research done – and done right! Contact your representative in Congress. Let your rep know how important this is – for all After Fiftiers!

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Personal Responsibility

By Jo-Anne | Published: February 8, 2012

We ran an article recently (Paula Deen’s Not To Blame for Your Waistline, Y’All) that really struck a chord. Seems like lots of us are simply fed-up with those who blame everyone and everything else for whatever negative thing is going on in life. And so, without trying to sound like a “scolding grandmother,” here’s my two cents (and five points) on the topic.

First, if you live long enough, something difficult, somewhere along the line, is bound to happen to you. We’re human, after all. Life isn’t always fun and roses. And that’s a “truth” you can bank on!

Second, to live reasonably during the “difficult” time, it’s important to understand the “why.” Frequently, that answer may be right in front of us, literally. Go look in a mirror. That reflection you see staring back at you? Yah, you! Honestly, now, what role did YOU play in bringing about this difficult situation?

Third, there are no “do-overs” in life. Whatever happened, happened. What was said can’t be taken back. So, after you figure out “why” it happened, get over it. And make sure you don’t repeat the same pattern again.

Fourth, WE (you, me, the guy next door), are the captains of our own ship. We get to chart the course of our lives. The sea of life may have been rocky for you up to this point, but you get to decide what direction you’re going to sail in – from this moment onward.

Fifth, Take responsibility for your own life. Stop waiting for others to do for you. Stop blaming others for your situation.

Who can forget the legal case in which a woman sued McDonald’s because McD’s didn’t “tell” her the coffee she ordered (and then put on her lap as she drove off) was hot. And I believe the fact that she won this case was a serious set-back for personal responsibility advocates everywhere. Yes, we have her to thank for the message on all our coffee cups (Caution – contents may be hot), but for heaven’s sake, what WAS she thinking??? So let’s not cop-out and blame all the McD’s in this world.

If you’re over-weight, Paula Deen isn’t force-feeding you. If you drink too much, or you need to stop smoking, or there are other things going on in your life that need to change, remember, that change begins with you. YOU.

Posted in Personal Responsibility, fitness, health, life lessons | 2 Comments

We’re Old? We Don’t Like Change? Says Who??

By Jo-Anne | Published: February 5, 2012

I’m sensitive to news releases that focus on the Boomer and After Fifty generation. So when Yahoo! News ran a piece about Boomers and Facebook’s new Timeline (Facebook Timeline feature unpopular, especially among Boomers) I honed right in on it. I read for 5 seconds when I saw the caption on a user map accompanying the article. Are you ready? Here’s what the caption says. “Breaking news: Old people don’t like change.”

I beg your pardon? Old people?? Not liking change?? How ignorant, how bigoted, and how absolutely wrong can one be. Who’s supposedly old? And change? Whaddya mean, we don’t like it?

Let’s take the “like” part, first. According to US Census data, Boomers and After Fiftiers comprise approximately 38% of the US resident population (about 113,000,000 people). If we were to take the Yahoo! News caption at face value, you would expect that Boomers and After Fiftiers would be under-represented online as well as in social media. After all, using technology represents change, but, according to Yahoo!, that’s something we don’t like. Yet, as of the 12 weeks ending January 28, 2012, we old folks represent 43% of the online population. Yup, Yahoo!, proportionally, there are more Boomers and After Fiftiers online than our younger counterparts! And as for social media, we rock! Remember, we’re 38% of the US population – yet 59% of those using Linkedin are in our generation. As to other social media outlets, here are the stats (ending January 28, 2012): Facebook, 39%; Google+ 33%; and Twitter, 29%.

We like AND we adopt change. Case closed. What we don’t like is being forced to do something which, based on our maturity, experience, and wisdom, is a bad idea. Forcing Timeline upon users is a bad idea. It may be a cool feature, but Facebook shouldn’t play god. We can see the damage this feature can propagate. It should be our choice – and if you don’t give us choice, well, someone else will recognize this market opportunity and provide that choice to us!

Now let’s take the “old” part. Yes, it’s true. Being 50 or 60 is not as youthful as being 20 or 30. In other words, being 50+ is not green and untested. But it’s not shriveled and dried out, either. To assume so is a huge mistake. Haven’t you heard? “50 is the new 40, 60 is the new 50!”

So,Yahoo! News, shame on you. By allowing this statement to appear on your pages, you foster and encourage a form of discrimination that’s insidious. And, along with that, it’s just plain false.

Posted in Facebook, Yahoo, age discrimination, ageism, aging | 3 Comments

The IRS and Identity Theft

By Jo-Anne | Published: February 1, 2012

He and my husband are great friends – going on 40 years! In addition to being a good friend, he’s also very bright, well-educated, and very (very) comfortable, financially-speaking. So we were surprised by his story. He owns two homes, a principal residence and a vacation home. When he files his federal taxes, he files them based on his principal residence in FL. So he was surprised when the IRS sent a notice to his vacation home in the Carolinas saying that he was being audited based on a 2009 federal return filed in the Carolinas. Again, that’s not where he files his federal taxes, so what was going on.

I’ll shorten the long, perplexing story. Our friend, our bright, well-educated, financially-comfortable friend was the victim of identity theft. The thieves, with his Social Security number in hand, “filed” a federal return claiming a significant refund. They got a refund, and our friend got a headache – a huge one.

According to USA Today (February 1, 2012, Money, 1B), the IRS stopped over 260,000 fraudulent returns in 2011 (up from approximately 50,000 fraudulent returns in 2010). This is a multi-billion dollar growing problem. And the problem is not just one for the Feds – it’s one for you and me, too. Identity theft is a nasty, horrible mess to have to deal with.

How do the thieves get your (or your parents’) Social Security numbers? You (or your parents) probably gave it to someone (a hospital, a bank, a school….) and a rogue employee “sold” it to the identity thieves. So, here are some suggestions for going forward.

-     Invest in a shredder. You can get an excellent one for under $100.

-     Don’t give your Social Security number to anyone – especially someone calling you over the phone or contacting you by email.

-     If someone, like a hospital emergency room, wants your number, tell them they can have your state-issued driver’s license number or state-issue identity number.

-     Shred any documents you have that contain your SSN. Don’t throw these documents into your trash. An exception might be copies of your Federal and state taxes going back for the past seven years. If your tax copies are older than that, and you’re disposing them, then SHRED them, first.

-     Check the security of your parents’ identity or the identity of other aging loved ones in your life. You’ll remember that up until about 15 years ago, SSN’s were used on all kinds of documents with regularity. Our elderly may not be as “in tune” with the insidiousness of identity theft as their younger friends and family. So, educate them!

-     Check your credit score. See if there are any accounts that have been opened that you don’t recognize.

Be careful out there.  It can get scary!

Posted in IRS, Identity Theft, Taxes, finances | Leave a comment

Is Age Discrimination Real?

By Jo-Anne | Published: January 29, 2012

A topic of interest at www.AfterFiftyLiving.com recently has been “age discrimination,” especially as it pertains to employment. So I decided to do some digging to see what could be learned.  First, employers are smart. They aren’t going to issue age-discriminatory statements in interview situations or elsewhere for the most part. And second, while there are laws to protect us against age discrimination, it has been exceedingly difficult to prove the case (primarily because of the first point).

Examining the metric, “duration of unemployment,” helps shine some light on this issue.  If age “doesn’t matter” when you’re seeking employment, then there shouldn’t be any significant difference among various age groups in the length of time it takes a job seeker to find that employment. In other words, it should theoretically take a 34 year-old job seeker as long to find a job, on average, as it takes a 54 year-old job seeker. But….that’s not the case. An AARP report issued last April, based on information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, states that “once unemployed, older workers are, on average, out of work longer than their younger counterparts…(The) average duration of unemployment for jobseekers aged 55 and over was 53.6 weeks, or more than one year. This is compared to 39.4 weeks for the younger unemployed.”

What does that statement say to you? Yup, that’s right. Age discrimination is real. But let’s not sit back and purse our lips into a collective groan. Other reports indicate that employers are requiring that job applicants have increasing technological knowledge, skill and experience. Are we giving these employers a reason not to hire us?

And so let me state the obvious. Want to work in a 21st century environment? Then you’ll need a 21st century portfolio of skills. This isn’t an easy pill to swallow. But if you’ve made it this far in life, the chances are pretty good that you, too, can master the necessary skills to navigate sites liked LinkedIn with the best of them.

Don’t waste time groaning about how unfair life can be. Instead, celebrate your ability to undertake new projects and develop the skills necessary to put yourself on an even footing with the rest of the job market. Or, at least try to make it as “even” as possible.

Posted in Career, ageism | 10 Comments

What Really Killed Joe Paterno

By Jo-Anne | Published: January 24, 2012

For 46 seasons Joe Paterno was THE coach at Penn State, racking up a Division I Football coaching record of 409 wins. Then, in mid-season, the child sex-abuse scandal involving Paterno’s former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky broke into the public’s eye. Sandusky was accused of molesting at least 10 boys over a 15-year time span. And during that period, then graduate assistant Mike McQueary reported to Paterno that he had seen Sandusky attack a child. Paterno, in turn, reported the event to his superior. And that was that. Supposedly.

Paterno continued winning not only football games, but the hearts and souls of the entire Penn State community. Mr. Ethics. Mr. Do-It-The-Right-Way. And, he thought he had done just that. So when the Sandusky scandal broke, Paterno seemed almost perplexed by the actions of the Penn State Trustees who decided to hand him his walking papers.

Joe got fired. Unceremoniously, without regard to past achievements, Paterno got axed.

Being fired or let go from your job is one of the really big, life-altering, heart-stressing events one can experience. It’s in the same group of “stressors” that includes experiencing the death of your child. Those who have been there know what I speak of. Did he seethe with brimming, raw anger underneath his calm exterior? He must have. He was human – even though in so many ways he seemed bigger than life. Shortly after his firing, he said, “Right now, I’m not the coach. And I’ve got to get used to that.” But how many people can really, really, really get “used to” the insult, the humiliation of being a scape-goat.

Joe was diagnosed quickly thereafter with lung cancer and in about 2-month’s time, he died. Doctors say it was the result of complications of the cancer. But those in his world know the truth. Joe was axed-to-death.

Some will say that the boys who suffered abuse by Sandusky were traumatized also. Of course they were. Absolutely. And that’s what’s difficult about this story.  There are no winners. None.

Posted in children, death | 1 Comment

Me and My Honda

By Jo-Anne | Published: January 18, 2012

The article could have been written about me: Average Car Age at Record 10.8 Years. And, the article says that because of the economy, we’re hanging onto our cars for a longer period. I personally drive a 2001 Honda CRV and the odometer is quickly approaching 230,000 miles. Every now and then, people who don’t understand my love affair with this car will suggest that I seriously consider turning it in for a new one. Hmmmm. Now, why would I do that? Never once has this car broken down, or needed a major repair, or caused my bankbook to hemorrhage, or, most offensive of all, been unreliable. Through thick and thin, snow in Vermont, black ice in Pennsylvania mountains, backed up traffic heading into NYC, never once has this car failed me. And, in kind, I like to think that never once have I failed it. The oil and filters and belts get changed on schedule, I drive it with a steady, even foot, taking corners carefully, never revving the engine to try and beat a red light. So, bottom line, we’ve been good to each other in so many ways.

And another article, seemingly unrelated, says that for the first time in generations, longevity (yours and mine) may decline. We’re heavier than ever, we just don’t exercise, and some of our habits are not only vile, but life-threatening, too.

And I think these two articles are related. Cars and people have a lot in common. We both have limited life-spans. We both could probably extend those life spans if what needs to be taken care of is done on schedule.

We’re After Fifty (for the most part). The clock is ticking. And I have a simple goal. I want to dance at my grandchildren’s weddings. Since the grandkids are very young, I may not be able to drive to their weddings in my 2001 CRV, but regardless of how I get there, I plan to celebrate in style. And so I will do the human equivalent of getting my oil and filter changed – I’ll watch my diet more rigorously and exercise more faithfully. It’s working for the CRV, it just might work for me, too!

Posted in driving, fitness, health | Leave a comment