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Friday, October 10, 2025

When Aging in Place, Stay Fire Safe

     



Older adults are at particular risk from house fires. 


National Fire Prevention Week officially marks 100 years this October 5th to 11th. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) inaugurated National Fire Prevention Week in 1922, and President Calvin Coolidge named it a national week in 1925, making it the longest-running public health observance in the United States. The week takes  place each year in October because the Great Chicago Fire devastated that city in early October 1871, killing over 250 people and leaving 100,000 homeless. 

In a new era of climate-change-fueled wildfires, fire prevention is top of mind for many, especially those in Western states. Home fires are still an everyday concern, too, with over 3,500 Americans dying in a house fire each year. A structure fire is reported every 95 seconds in the U.S. Unfortunately, older adults are particularly at risk of injury and death from house fires. 

In fact, according to FEMA, people over 65 are at twice the risk of dying in a house fire as compared to younger adults. The reason, at least in part, has to do with mobility and sensory awareness. Most fatal fires happen when people are sleeping, and people with hearing loss are at greater risk of failing to wake in time to exit the building. Older adults who use a wheelchair or walker, or who have balance issues, are also at greater risk in a fire, as are people with cognitive decline or dementia. Cooking fires are the number one cause of house fires, and cigarettes are the leading cause of deadly fires among people over 65. Forgetting to turn off the stove or fully snuff out a cigarette is all too easy for someone experiencing cognitive decline. Plus, all these age-related conditions may reduce reaction time in a critical fire situation. 

In a horrific tragedy at a Massachusetts assisted living center in July, nine residents died when a suspected electrical fire broke out. The center is being investigated, and the event serves as a painful reminder of the necessity of robust fire safety planning in places where older adults live. 

Fire Safety Tips for People Aging in Place

Thankfully, there are plenty of resources available to assist those aging in place to create a home environment where fires are less likely to occur. And, if a fire does break out, working alarms and a plan will help seniors stay safe. 

  • Sleep on the ground floor. If possible, older adults should sleep on the floor of the home where they can exit without navigating stairs. Try to remove any hazards or barriers that would prevent an easy and quick exit in the case of a fire. Keep the floor clear of items that could cause a person to trip (best practice for fall prevention in general!), and consider removing any interior locks that take time or are tricky to unlock. Security bars on doors and windows should have emergency release mechanisms on the inside to allow for egress in the event of a fire.

  • Be battery-smart. The theme for this year’s National Fire Prevention Week is “Charge into Fire Safety™: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home.” Lithium-ion batteries are omnipresent these days, in our smartphones, headphones, e-cigarettes, laptops, power tools, and more. But if used improperly or purchased from shady sellers, these batteries are liable to catch fire. To avoid fires and explosions, charge devices on flat, hard surfaces; purchase batteries and chargers only from reputable sellers; and dispose of used batteries properly. See the NFPA website for more tips. 

  • Develop fire-safe habits. Remember that the top causes of house fires are cooking and smoking. Stay in the kitchen while cooking food; it’s too easy to step out for just a second and get distracted. If you smoke, smoke outdoors only. When finished, wet cigarette butts or deposit them in sand. Don’t leave space heaters unattended, and make sure they have a 3-foot buffer from other objects.

  • If you can’t hear your smoke alarm, install a bed shaker and/or a visual alarm. The U.S. Fire Administration and others recommend installing a smoke alarm that uses a flashing light or vibration to alert residents of smoke. Some people with hearing loss may be able to use a device that produces low-frequency vibrations as an alert mechanism. 

  • It’s good to have a plan. Especially for older adults living alone, spending some time to plan ahead with family could make all the difference in the moment of a house fire. Talking it out can help everyone to envision the scenario and what could help in the moment: for example, does the homeowner keep their walker or cane near their bed at night? Is there a clear path to a window, if fire blocks the door?  

NFPA provides free resource guides on smoke alarms, fire planning, and more. They also offer a program called Steps to Safety™: Prevent Fire and Falls at Home that pairs local EMS and fire fighters with community groups to provide fire safety education to older adults. October is a great time to share these potentially life-saving resources with clients and families.



Additional sources:


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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The Digital Afterlife: Managing Social Media Accounts After Death

    



Set up a legacy contact on each of your social media accounts; your family will thank you.


The evocative new term “digital afterlife” can refer to a few different phenomena. Some AI startups are promising to recreate the personas of deceased loved ones using the digital traces they left behind–a digital “life after life,” of a kind. Talking to a hologram that looks and sounds like a family member after they’re gone? As intriguingly dystopian as that is, it’s not the kind of digital afterlife we’re talking about today. Rather, we’re dealing with another, more common, use of the term that refers simply to “your online presence and digital assets after death.” This presence can include your bank accounts, email accounts, digital wills, and, of course, social media.

As many of us have experienced, the digital afterlife of a loved one’s social media can prompt both poignant and painful moments. Reviewing the person’s photos and posts can feel like a gift; but it’s jarring when Facebook asks if you want to invite them to an upcoming event. And families may find themselves confused about how to deal with this social media afterlife in a way that honors their loved one’s wishes and privacy. There are steps to take, both before and after a person’s death, to pave the way for a smooth transition of their social media accounts.

Planning for the Digital Afterlife of Your Social Media

You can do two things now that will ease the way for your loved ones when it’s time to manage your social media afterlife.

Use Legacy Contact Features. First, use the legacy contact feature on Facebook, Instagram, Google, and Apple. A legacy contact is a person you designate who will be granted access to manage your account after your death. In most cases, the legacy contact does not have access to everything in your account, such as private messages, but they will have the power to either delete your account or memorialize it. 

A memorialized Facebook page uses the phrase “Remembering” above the name of the person who died, and that person’s wall often turns into a place for friends to post tributes. A legacy contact on Facebook can approve or reject tributes on the person’s wall and change the privacy settings on different posts. They can also request that the account be deleted instead. 

To set an Apple legacy contact, you’ll need to designate the person under Settings, Privacy & Security, and then share a long code with that person, either via encrypted text or with a printout. That person may still need to provide a death certificate to access the account. An Apple account may be linked to a wide variety of digital presences, including banks and credit cards, so this level of security makes sense. With any digital account, make sure the person you’re naming is someone you trust. 

Create a Social Media Will. While it will be helpful to name individual legacy contacts with each social media account that matters to you, another great step to take is to create a social media will. My Wishes has a template for an online will, including a social media section, that will make the process easy. A will goes beyond choosing a legacy contact; it gives you the chance to state exactly how you would like each of your accounts handled after death. Loved ones will know exactly what steps to take.

Managing a Loved One’s Social Media Afterlife
When a loved one has died without taking either of these steps, families may wonder what to do. Some may feel a sense of urgency to gain access to social media accounts in order to close them. 

Personal Representatives Aren’t Automatically Digital Executors. If the will doesn’t specify anything about online accounts, or if there is no will, the executor of the person’s estate may or may not be able to gain control over their social media accounts. According to the American Bar Association, the legal access that executors are granted to social media accounts of the deceased varies greatly by state and by the company that holds the account. Some states even have laws that prohibit people from accessing a deceased person’s online accounts, even when the person has the username and password. In such a murky situation, it may be necessary to research how to gain control over each individual social media account. It could be critical to get support from someone who knows this territory. 

Ask for Help from a Professional. The digital afterlife industry is professionalizing as we speak. Founded in 2021, Professional After Loss Services (PALS) is an organization that supports after-loss professionals who “provide logistical and administrative services for clients who are executors or administrators of a loved one's estate.” Their clients are widows and widowers, estate executors, and surviving family members. An after-loss professional can help with much more than dealing with a loved one’s social media afterlife, but this topic is squarely within their wheelhouse. Use their directory to find certified after-loss pros in your area. There are already so many details to deal with after the death of a loved one, and social media accounts can be a surprisingly stressful element in the mix. An after-loss pro can help.



Additional sources:


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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Thursday, October 9, 2025

The Holidays are for Crowding the Kitchen

     



Try these five cooking challenges this season: guaranteed to warm up some new family memories.


There’s something special about cooking together as a family, especially during the holidays. The smells and tastes of the holidays vary from family to family, but whether you were making chocolate chip cookies, tamales, fruitcake, ozoni, black eyed peas, or bûche de Noël as a kid, those family food memories are strong ones because they’re tied to our senses. 

With the air cooling and the holidays approaching, now is a great time to think about how to foster connections between generations this season in one of our favorite places: the kitchen. Here are five cooking challenges to set your family, from the littlest grandkids to the great-grandparents, to create new memories around food.

Make a Favorite Family Recipe Together

This one may not be a challenge, depending on the family. If you already have a recipe, or several, that gets folks to the kitchen together every year, then keep it going and skip to the next challenge! But here’s a great place to start for families whose kitchen traditions aren’t so robust. Is there a recipe you remember from growing up, or from five or ten years ago, that you want to bring back and teach? If your family includes some young chefs, be sure to invite them. “Research shows kids who participate in the kitchen and help with grocery shopping are more likely to try nutritious foods,” says Jenny Klufa, a youth nutrition specialist at Oklahoma State University.

Dig deep: is there a smell or a taste that you haven’t tried to recreate in the kitchen in many years? If you love holiday nostalgia, nothing takes you back like the smell of a fresh baked good. Here are some old-fashioned Christmas cookies to jog your memory. 

Set Out to Create a New Family Favorite

If your family doesn’t have a go-to holiday recipe, or if you want to diversify, take on a new recipe and make it your own. There’s no shortage of delicious holiday recipes that will please the crowd. Over time, cooking the dish or baking the cookies again will turn the playful experiment into a family tradition. (Here’s a secret: do it two years in a row, and you can automatically call it a tradition.)

Ask the Kids to Teach You Something

Of course, a wonderful thing about family recipes is that the older generations pass on their kitchen wisdom to the younger generations. Recipes travel across continents and centuries this way. But if you’re looking for a new challenge during the holidays this year, flip the script and ask the youngest members of the family to lead you in making their new favorite recipe. If you’re really adventurous, ask them what recipes are trending on TikTok and give one of those a try. Don’t worry if it’s a disaster–we’re trying to make memories here. 

Make a Dish Rooted in Family Heritage

What better time than the holidays to celebrate family heritage together? For this challenge, try to find a dish rooted in your family’s national heritage that you’ve never tried to make. German, Brazilian, Croatian, Moroccan, Ethiopian, Norwegian, Spanish, Filipino, Creole–pick the branch of your family tree whose cuisine you know the least about. One good place to start: a recipe box passed down from past generations that hasn’t been cracked open in years. Or research the holiday food traditions from that part of the world. You’re guaranteed to learn something new, and there’s a good chance you’ll discover a new favorite flavor, too. 

Cook and Deliver a Meal Together

Try cooking together with a purpose. Odds are there are several community groups near you asking for donations of home cooked meals during this season. Or, bringing a meal to a neighbor can make a big difference. This challenge works well combined with any of the others above!

Look: cooking during the holidays can be stressful, and making it a group event may seem like asking for trouble. But really, it’s about togetherness and fun. Don’t aim to try these challenges when you’re cooking a four course meal before all the guests arrive. Just get in the kitchen for the joy of it. Bon appétit! 



Additional sources:


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Good News in Science: Dog & Cat Ownership Boosts Brain Health

    



Just one more reason to love our furry friends.


Finally, some good news: researchers have linked dog and cat ownership to healthier cognitive functioning in late life. In fact, this news isn’t brand new: scientists have known for years that interactions with pets support healthy brains. For example, in a 2022 article entitled “Pet ownership is associated with greater cognitive and brain health in a cross-sectional sample across the adult lifespan,” authors McDonough et al. found that “pet ownership, especially dog ownership, may play a role in enhancing cognitive performance across the adult lifespan, which could in turn influence protection against age-related cognitive decline.”

This year’s research findings are perhaps not so surprising: an article in Scientific Reports by Rostekova et al. found that “Dog and cat ownership was associated with slower cognitive decline compared to no pet ownership; bird and fish ownership showed no such association.”

Not to say that birds and fish don’t provide worthy companionship or well-being benefits, but it’s dogs and cats who have the capacity to help their owners stay mentally sharper for longer. In fact, the authors of the first study make the rather astounding statement that “owning a pet can reduce one’s brain age by up to 15 years.” 

What’s so powerful about the effect that dogs and cats have on their owners, especially as those owners enter late life? Adriana Rostekova, lead author of the more recent article, hypothesizes that perhaps the social stimulation provided by dogs, in particular, but also cats, helps stave off cognitive decline. She added that it’s “possible that interaction with dogs and cats provides unique cognitive stimulation, which may be less pronounced in other, less demanding pets” like birds and fish. 

When continuing care communities and hospitals offer animal-assisted activities or therapy, they support residents’ happiness, social interaction, and physical movement. These findings suggest that animal visits also support cognitive function, including memory and verbal fluency. Truly, whatever these pets are getting paid, it’s not enough.

Tips for New Senior Dog Owners

There are so many reasons to enjoy life with a dog. For older adults who are currently dog-less and considering inviting a pooch into their lives, here are some factors to consider for a smooth transition.
  • Energy level & size: Choose a breed or mixed breed whose exercise needs match your lifestyle. Lower-energy dogs or smaller breeds may be easier to manage. Senior living experts recommend breeds like cocker spaniels, shih tzus, or French bulldogs.
  • Age of the dog: Puppies require training and lots of energy, while older dogs may be calmer and already house-trained.
  • Health & mobility: Consider your own mobility and to what degree you can handle walking, bending, or lifting. Also consider who’s around to assist you with dog care, and what their interest and availability is for helping on a day-to-day basis or as a dogsitter.
  • Finances: Factor in costs for food, vet visits, grooming, and emergencies. Talk to friends and family to decide if pet insurance would be a good choice. 
  • Living situation: Check pet policies if you live in senior housing or an apartment, and consider whether there’s outdoor space nearby that’s safe and accessible for both you and the pup.

Tips for New Senior Cat Owners

You’ll be fine. 

Just kidding–adopting a cat is still a big decision, but it’s common knowledge that cat care is lighter than dog care on the whole. That may make a cat a better choice for some seniors. In addition to the considerations above, consider a new cat’s temperament. Cats’ personalities vary widely: some are lap cats, others are more, shall we say, independent. Choose one that matches your lifestyle. In terms of space, cats adapt well to apartments and smaller homes, but they still need room for scratching posts, perches, and toys.

It’s a beautiful thing that dogs and cats help us see and remember the world clearly as we grow older. Keep doing whatever you’re doing, little guys: we love you for it. 



Additional sources:


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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Medicare Annual Enrollment: Updates & Important Reminders

   



Use this month to review the mixed bag of changes to Medicare coming in 2026 and update your elections by December 7.


This year, Medicare turns 60, and a record 4.18 million Americans turn 65. Almost all Americans over 65 use Medicare, and the majority rely on it as their primary insurance. With some significant changes to Medicare coverage coming this year, just about everybody in this age bracket will want to take some time to consider their coverage, starting this month.

Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period runs from October 15 to December 7 each year. If you’re already enrolled in Medicare, you can make changes to your plan now. It’s always good to consider your options during this period, since Medicare plans have changed, and your own health needs may have changed, as well. If you make any changes during this Open Enrollment Period, they’ll go into effect January 1, 2026.

For unbiased help choosing the right Medicare plans for you, contact your Medicare broker or your state’s SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program). Here are some recent developments to discuss with them.

Medicare Prescription Payment Plans Will Automatically Re-enroll

This year, there’s no need to re-enroll in the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan (MPPP): if you had this plan in 2025, it will automatically carry over to 2026 unless you make a change. The MPPP is a free plan available to anyone with drug coverage under Medicare, whether with Medicare Part D or an Advantage plan. Instead of paying in a lump sum at the pharmacy for medications, MPPP enrollees will receive a bill monthly, along with their premium bill. Spreading out the cost of medications over the calendar year helps individuals keep up with payments and avoid sticker shock at the pharmacy.

Medicare Advantage Plans May Make Cuts to Coverage

Enrollees whose benefits include Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) should be aware of new restrictions on these benefits. Examples of benefits that CMS has deemed non-health related and that will not be covered include: cannabis, life insurance, unhealthy food, and cosmetic procedures.

In addition, the Congressional Budget Office predicts an overall 4% cut in Medicare payments to hospitals between 2026 and 2034 due to the budget reconciliation bill (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) passed by Congress in May. Medicare Advantage plan providers and hospitals will start looking now for ways to cut costs and maximize savings.

Medicare Savings Program Ease of Enrollment Will Vary By State

The same bill pushed back to 2035 updates to the Medicare Savings Program (MSP), which would have streamlined enrollment in the program. As a result, an estimated 1.38 million low-income Americans (with incomes at or below 135% of the federal poverty level) will no longer be able to pay the gaps in prescription coverage that the MSP helped them afford. Researchers estimate 18,200 preventable deaths per year as a result of this rollback. Since MSP is administered by states, states can still act to reduce barriers to enrollment in the program. 

CMS Will Use AI to Expand Pre-authorization Under Original Medicare

This year, six states–New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Washington–will adopt the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) new Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model. For now, this pilot program will focus on evaluating eligibility for coverage of specific procedures like knee surgery, outpatient spinal injections, and certain categories of prosthetics and other medical equipment. Patients with Traditional Medicare in the six states who request these kinds of care will have their requests reviewed first by private AI companies and then by a clinician, according to CMS. While CMS says they intend the WISeR Model to eventually reduce Medicare waste, fraud, and abuse across the country, other experts worry that “the combined influence of automated screening and financial incentives may lead to clinically unjustified denials of care.” This is a shift, as WISeR will be applied under Original Medicare, while prior authorization has historically been required only under Medicare Advantage plans. 

The takeaway for enrollees in 2026? If you live in one of the six states, be aware of which procedures are now subject to the WISeR Method, as their approval rates will be less predictable this year. And in 2027, keep an eye on the expansion of this model to other states and more kinds of care.

There’s also good news regarding prior authorization: new CMS regulations prohibit Medicare Advantage insurers from withdrawing prior authorization for care except in cases of obvious waste or fraud. According to Christine M. Clements, JD, a managed care law specialist, in Medscape News, “plans cannot use additional clinical information that might be available after they make their decision to reopen a coverage decision” unless the new information points to an obvious error in the original diagnosis. This is good news for both patients and providers.

If you consider all the changes and decide that your current plan will work just fine for 2026, you don’t need to take any action during this year’s Annual Enrollment Period. Your existing plan will continue on January 1. 


This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional financial advice from a qualified financial advisor.


Additional sources:
https://www.morganlewis.com/pubs/2025/07/cms-is-getting-wiser-about-medicare-waste-but-at-what-cost-to-providers 


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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Friday, October 3, 2025

Famous & 65

  

Look who's turning 65 this month

Find out which celebrities are turning 65 this month!

October 1

This American actress, daughter of a celebrated character actor, trained at both Hofstra University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. On TV, she made her debut in the long-running soap Guiding Light before delivering a memorable guest turn in 1990 as a Starfleet officer during one of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s most dramatic cliffhangers. In 2023, she reprised the role in Star Trek: Picard. Her screen credits stretch across popular series such as Seinfeld, Charmed, Without a Trace, and Masters of Sex, as well as films like Gattaca, Clear and Present Danger, Soldier, and Red Dragon. Last year, she appeared in Horizon: An American Saga–Chapter 1, a Western produced by Kevin Costner. Answer: Who is…. (click here to reveal)?


October 18

This Belgian-born martial artist and actor rose to fame in the late eighties and nineties as one of Hollywood’s premier action stars. His martial arts prowess, honed since age ten, featured in films like Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Universal Soldier, and Timecop and earned him the nickname “The Muscles from Brussels.” Beyond his film career, he’s also directed, produced, and later poked fun at his own persona in projects like JCVD, a dark comedy in which he played a satirical version of himself. Most recently, he appeared earlier this year in the French action comedy The Gardener. Answer: Who is…. (click here to reveal)?



October 24


This American screen, voice, and stage actor appeared in several well-loved nineties classics. As Dr. Henry Wu in the original Jurassic Park, he asked Dr. Ian Malcolm: “You're implying that a group composed entirely of female animals will...breed?” prompting the famous reply, “No. I'm, I'm simply saying that life, uh... finds a way.” He also played the voice of Captain Shang in Disney’s Mulan and has a long TV resume with roles including the forensic psychiatrist Dr. George Huang on Law & Order: SVU, the conflicted Father Ray Mukada on Oz, and hacker-turned-mastermind Whiterose on Mr. Robot, which earned him an Emmy nomination. But his first breakthrough role was on Broadway with M. Butterfly, where he earned a Tony Award.


Answer: Who is…. (click here to reveal)?




Source:

Wikipedia




Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors
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Friday, September 12, 2025

With Data, Share Less & Protect More

    




There’s probably a good deal of personal information about you available publicly on the Internet. Here’s how to minimize your online exposure.

If you’re on social media, you almost certainly have a friend or two who would benefit from joining Oversharers Anonymous. Of course, there’s nothing anonymous about oversharing. Posting long-winded opinions on Facebook is oversharing, but when it comes to protecting your data and privacy, even giving out your phone number to online retailers may be overdoing it. Be aware of what your data is saying about you online, and remember that prevention–let’s call it undersharing–is the best medicine.

Here are three ways your data gets around online, and how to slow it down.

Your Phone Number

Unfortunately, your phone number is on the Internet, and it’s tied to more personal information than you might think. Using a data broker site that compiles publicly available information, anyone can look up a phone number and find out a variety of personal data points on the number’s owner, including:

  • Full name
  • Full address
  • Social media accounts
  • Email addresses
  • Images and any other Google search results


How to Keep Your Phone Number Safe

  • Avoid posting your number in public forums or unencrypted messages.
  • Use a separate number (like Google Voice) for public use.
  • Remove your number from “data broker” sites that compile data using your phone number. Visit this site for instructions on how to remove your number from the popular NumLookUp, for example.
  • Remove your number from social media sites. This tutorial walks you through it.
  • Whenever possible, don’t share your phone number with businesses or people you don’t know, online or off. 

Phone numbers weren’t meant to become personal identifiers, but since most people hold on to the same number for many years, they serve as useful tools for hackers and advertisers looking to gather personal data on individuals. According to the tech magazine Wired, the best thing you can do to protect your online privacy is to change your phone number.

How are your digits getting around online? For one thing, your phone number has most likely been involved in a data breach, considering that more than 8 data breaches happen every day, on average. But mostly, we do it to ourselves by linking our phone numbers to our social media and email accounts and handing it over to online retailers for 10% off at checkout. 

Your Photos

A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. Indeed, because unless you’re careful about your iPhone and Android settings, every photo you snap is accompanied by a trove of metadata. Metadata attached to a digital image may include information about the photo’s time, location, the kind of phone, and even the name of the photographer. Anyone in the know–again, hackers and advertisers–can use this metadata to find out where and when the photo was taken. 

“There are some situations where you need to be careful” about sharing photos online, says Bobby Richter of Consumer Reports. “If you’re sharing images with people you don’t know or trust, you should be wary of whether or not you’re revealing sensitive information, like location data.”

The good news is that most social media sites, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Craigslist, and others, remove metadata when you upload a photo. Of course, there’s little doubt they keep it on file. “You can almost certainly be assured they are not throwing it away, given that they’re basically big data vacuum cleaners,” Hany Farid, a computer scientist at University of California, Berkeley, told Wired. 

The immediate danger posed by metadata, though, occurs when people share photos directly with others they meet online. It’s essential to know that–unless the photo has been scrubbed of its metadata–when you email a photo to a stranger, you’re also telling them when and where that photo was taken. That means if someone online asks you for a selfie, they may really be asking for your location. Don’t send it to them.

Your Social Media Activity

A new day, a new opportunity to share information online. NextDoor, neighborhood forums, Craigslist, Facebook, YouTube–we have no shortage of ways to be social. It’s essential to remember two things before posting anything online: first, once on the Internet, that data lives forever outside of your control. Second, assume the forum is not as private as you think. It’s never a good idea to share information such as disability, any details related to income, and whether or not you live alone in a forum like NextDoor. There’s simply no way to know who is reading, and such information can serve criminals well. 

Even if your social media security is set to the most secure setting, it’s better to err on the side of caution. No one knows all their Facebook friends well, after all, and data breaches happen. The safest way to share online is to undershare. 



Additional Sources:

https://www.techguide.com.au/news/internet-news/how-long-does-information-stay-on-the-internet/ 

https://its.uky.edu/news/how-oversharing-on-social-media-could-put-your-personal-information-risk

https://sitesuserguide.stanford.edu/build-and-design/media-library/images/image-metadata 

https://www.techguide.com.au/news/internet-news/how-long-does-information-stay-on-the-internet/ 





Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors



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Strategies for Adjusting to Retirement Income

  



The shift from saving to spending can feel stressful. Lean into lifelong budgeting wisdom to stay on track during retirement.

Retirement lengths are protracting as Americans live longer. Longevity is a complicated science, one with a dramatic impact on retirement savings. While the average life expectancy for an American man is 72.3, the average American man who lives to age 70 will live another 15 years, to age 85. Retirement planning experts find that most people underestimate how long they are likely to live–and thus, how long their retirement will last.

Since no one can know exactly how long they’ll live to enjoy retirement, the best strategy is to develop ongoing sources of retirement income, such as traditional monthly pensions and Social Security. Of course, it’s also important to save up as much as possible in retirement accounts throughout one’s working life. But even for those who were best able to prepare financially, when the moment comes to bid farewell to a biweekly paycheck, it can feel like a momentous shift. 

If adjusting to a new budget in retirement feels stressful, remember that, just like during the rest of life, there are three main ways to support a healthy budget in retirement. First of all, have a budget. Then, increase your income, and/or decrease your expenses. 

Here are some ways to maximize your retirement budget and minimize the stress of the transition.

A Second Act: Encore or Bridge Employment

In retirement, the goal isn’t to work full time or further your career. Without those constraints, new possibilities arise for ways to earn money. Some newly-retired professionals continue to share their talents through consulting or teaching. Others take the opportunity to try something novel or apply their skills in a totally different field; for example, someone who’s always worked in corporate finance might shift to a financial role in an animal shelter or arts organization. This shift to related-but-different or entirely an entirely new field of work is sometimes called an encore career. A longitudinal study found that, among retirees, these kinds of jobs can boost a sense of life satisfaction. 

Bridge employment refers to part-time work that people take on as they transition from full-time work to retirement. While an encore career connotes a passion project, financial need is often the motivation behind bridge employment. New retirees also take on bridge employment to maintain a sense of structure in their day and learn new things. These jobs usually involve working fewer hours in a less-stressful role. Some evidence suggests that bridge employment eases the emotional transition into retirement, and it can certainly ease financial stress. Encore careers and bridge employment may be on the rise, since the cost of living is rising, but they’ve been popular among Americans since the 1990s. About half of people transition into retirement with a bridge job, whether it be consulting or driving a school bus (or maybe both). 

Staying in the workforce isn’t the only way to increase income during retirement. Consider finding a “boommate”--a boomer roommate–to rent a room in your home. Ask around to see if neighbors or friends are in need of something you can offer, whether it’s babysitting, petsitting, garden care, writing, crafts, or art. 

Leaning Into a Leaner Retirement Budget

Ironically enough, working is expensive. For those who don’t plan to pursue another job in retirement, there’s a beauty to cutting out some of the work-related expenses they’ve budgeted for years. For example, when you punch out for the last time, you may be able to zero out these line items from your personal budget:

  • Multiple vehicles, and the insurance, maintenance, and repairs to go along with them. If your family has gone from two commuters to one or none, selling off a car will translate into thousands in savings per year. Then add in all the money you save not visiting the gas station.
  • Expensive new clothes. No need to refresh your wardrobe for the office on a regular basis anymore, or to dry clean those outfits, either.
  • Professional fees and training. Depending on the career, professionals may spend hundreds or thousands a year on society memberships, continuing education, and conferences, plus related travel. Retirees can cut those expenses and still keep learning on their own terms–probably for free–through local and state universities, as we talked about in last month’s newsletter.

There are other ways to slim down a personal budget at the start of retirement, too. Making cuts in the biggest categories will have the biggest impacts, which is why experts recommend that retirees first consider downsizing to a smaller home if money is a concern. Other smaller choices can add up, like cooking at home more often and vacationing closer to home.

The experience of retiring prompts many feelings: euphoria, disappointment, boredom, discovery, and passion are just a few of the emotions that may come up during this major life transition. Emotions about money are a significant part of the journey, and it makes sense for stressful emotions to come up during the shift. Planning and a little creativity can help to take the stress out of adjusting to a new budget in retirement.


This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional financial advice from a qualified financial advisor.


Additional sources:

https://www.aarp.org/money/retirement/journey-stages/ 

https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/stages-of-retirement-and-how-to-skip-some-of-them 

https://hbr.org/2024/05/coping-with-the-stress-of-retirement 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/10/12/how-long-does-retirement-last/71074947007/ 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewrosen/2025/03/20/encore-careers-in-retirement-a-path-to-purpose-and-fulfillment/ 

https://www.madisontrust.com/information-center/visualizations/average-retirement-age/ 

https://econw.com/project/project-spotlight-bridge-employment-and-inequality/ 

https://mutualreverse.com/expenses-you-no-longer-need-in-retirement/

https://www.aarp.org/money/retirement/what-to-stop-buying.html 








Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors


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Thursday, September 11, 2025

Four Ways CSAs Can Support Latino Clients and Families

   




Celebrating and serving older adults during Hispanic Heritage Month. 

From September 15 to October 15, the U.S. celebrates the Hispanic and Latino community during National Hispanic Heritage Month. The Latino community in the U.S. is astoundingly diverse, representing people of all economic backgrounds, races, abilities, and, of course, ages. 

Like the rest of the U.S. population, the Latino community is aging. In 2019, there were almost 5 million Latino adults over 65 in the U.S., about 9% of the 65+ population. By 2060, that number is projected to reach almost 20 million (12%). In 2019, according to the Administration for Community Living, 60% of Latinos over 65 lived in three states: Florida, Texas, and California. About 63% had finished high school. Households headed by Hispanic Americans over 65 had a median income of $50,553, as compared to $70,254 for all households. 

CSAs serve the Latino community in all kinds of ways: health care, financial services, support services, and more. We’re serving both older adults and their families: today, about 7 million Latinos provide unpaid care to a family member or loved one. 

Are you being intentional about reaching out to your local Latino community? If not, Hispanic Heritage Month is a great time to start. Here are four ways that CSAs can support Latino clients and their families.


Professional Organizations Serving Latino Seniors

  • The National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) identifies four priorities of need for Hispanic older adults, their caregivers, and families: economic security, caregiving, public health, and housing. They provide education and advocate in D.C. for policies benefitting Latino seniors. 

  • Latino Alzheimer's Alliance supports caregivers and families of people with Alzheimer’s disease, providing bilingual education, training, and support programs.  
1. Provide more resources in Spanish. Yes, our browsers will translate any webpage these days, but Spanish-speaking clients notice when a business puts in the effort to provide a bilingual website. Especially if your business operates in an area with a large Hispanic community, providing forms and literature in both Spanish and English tells new clients that you care about communicating with them. 

There’s a need for more Spanish-language education for the caregivers and families that CSAs serve. In a survey, the National Hispanic Council on Aging asked caregivers what Spanish-language resources they would like to have. The top responses were: trainings on emotional stress, assistance with government programs, trainings on caregiving techniques, and caregiving support groups.

2. Connect with Hispanic-serving organizations in your area. Look for where the Latino community is going for services in your area, and talk with those organizations.  There might be great local opportunities to network and promote your services to the people who need them. For example, the Latino Providers Network in Maryland unites service providers from various sectors to network, share resources, and maximize the impact of services for the Latino community. Insurance providers, the Alzheimer’s Association, community economic development boards, small businesses, and others come together at these meetings to create connections and share Spanish-language service opportunities. 

3. Learn about the most common challenges facing Hispanic older adults and their families. Latino seniors often experience higher rates of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, sometimes linked to genetic factors as well as limited access to preventive care. Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as compared to their white counterparts. Older adults who immigrated later in life may face reduced eligibility for public benefits, which affects their ability to manage chronic conditions. Latino caregivers tend to be younger, at 43, than the average caregiver in the U.S. Understanding the common challenges can help service providers reach this audience.


4. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Representation matters. Even though they’re the largest minority population in the U.S., the Hispanic and Latino community are under-represented in media and advertising. National Hispanic Heritage Month organizers offer social media toolkits and ideas for how to promote the monthlong celebration. Culture, history, food, music, poetry, and art from multiple continents–there’s plenty to celebrate.



Additional sources:

https://www.latinxproject.nyu.edu/intervenxions/national-coalition-for-latinxs-with-disabilities 

https://latino.si.edu/learn/teaching-and-learning-resources/hispanic-heritage-month-resources 

https://states.aarp.org/texas/the-changing-face-of-the-latino-caregiver 

https://www.gerolatino.org/ 

https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/networks/latinos 

https://www.diverseelders.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2018-Status-of-Hispanic-Older-Adults.pdf 





Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Aging in Place with Help from the HOA

  


Senior-friendly homeowners' associations turn the challenge of supporting older residents into an opportunity. 


Homeowners’ associations (HOAs) aim to maintain a clean, safe, and desirable environment for everyone who lives in a neighborhood. As the American population ages, HOAs are experiencing their memberships aging, too–and as in the country at large, most seniors living in HOA communities want to age in place. With more older residents hoping to stay put–and stay HOA members–these organizations are facing legal, logistical, and ethical challenges. Some HOAs are responding to these challenges in innovative ways that make them more valuable institutions, not only for older adults, but also for everyone else living in the neighborhood.

As Members Age, HOAs Need to Change

In condos and other kinds of planned communities with HOAs, many people live alone, including older members. As existing members enter older age, neighbors may start to report concerns both for their older neighbors’ own safety and the well-being of the neighborhood. HOA leadership might hear from members when:
  • An older neighbor can no longer mow their own lawn, as per HOA code.
  • A senior who lives alone is still driving, but neighbors worry that they drive erratically in the neighborhood.
  • Residents are concerned that a neighbor who lives alone is at risk of falling.

Older residents themselves might bring these or other concerns to HOAs for support. For example, a senior HOA member might request help when:
  • Steps and walkways ice over and the member needs assistance to clear them.
  • They need a ramp installed to safely enter their condo, or other renovations that would aid aging in place.
  • The member decides to stop driving and needs to find new forms of transportation to the grocery store, doctor appointments, and around town.

As more members enter their 60s, 70s, and 80s, and more of these requests start arriving, HOA leadership faces a consequential question: what kinds of support are they legally required to provide? And, a related question: What kinds of support are they able and willing to provide in order to make the neighborhood a senior-friendly place to live?

The legal concerns are significant. A resident or family member could try to hold the HOA liable for spaces deemed inaccessible or unsafe. If the HOA becomes aware that a resident needs assistance from adult protective services, the association could be at legal risk if they fail to take action. Each situation, and each state, will have its own legal implications, and HOA leadership should consult their own bylaws and an attorney when legal questions arise. But there are proactive steps that HOAs can take to avoid legal problems while improving the quality of life in the neighborhood, for everyone.

Designing a Senior-Friendly HOA

Elizabeth White, a lawyer who works with HOAs in Williamsburg, Virginia, offers an example of a question HOAs may receive. A woman who lives in a three-story condo with no elevator contacted the HOA with concerns about her older neighbor living above. "The unit owner in the top story is now having real problems going up and down the steps with her groceries and everything else,” White recounts. The downstairs neighbor “asked whether the HOA had an obligation to put in an elevator for the third–floor owner and, if so, who should pay."

The concerned neighbor also shared with White that “the third–floor resident recently had a health crisis, and the EMTs had a hard time getting up the steps with a stretcher.” In this case, White explains, “a duty–to–act analysis on the HOA's part comes into play. It may not have the luxury it thinks it has thinking that an elevator is going to be an accommodation for just one person."

In other words, aside from the potential liability concerns, this is a clear case of how accommodations for seniors can help everyone. An elevator would make this building safer for all residents in the case of an emergency and when residents of any age need to use a wheelchair or crutches. 

Many other actions that would support older residents would benefit others in the building, too, such as checking that entrance area rugs won’t trip people, ramps are safe, and sidewalks and stairs are clear of ice during the winter. HOAs can also proactively support seniors and all residents by offering transportation options, such as weekly shuttles to the grocery store. 

Of course, HOAs, like individual neighbors, need to mind the line between, on the one hand, creating a universally-designed environment that is comfortable and accessible to all residents and, on the other hand, providing care to older residents. It’s not always easy to find this line. In some cases, such as if a resident is hoarding or at risk of falling, it may be appropriate for an HOA to contact nonprofits or service providers who have the expertise to meet their care needs. When at all possible, this contact should happen in conversation with the resident. An HOA that is well-informed on how to support seniors could, for example, link a resident who needs a home health aide up with covered services through the local area agency on aging. 

A Resilient Community

When it comes to building a senior-friendly HOA, each community will have specific challenges at different times. The best way to navigate and negotiate concerns as they arise is to include seniors in HOA leadership. HOAs can make it easy for seniors to participate in leadership boards by inviting long-time older residents to join and by communicating announcements in multiple ways; both online and on bulletin boards, for example. 

HOAs that prioritize the needs of seniors are setting themselves up for long-term success. Residents who see that the HOA cares about supporting older residents will feel safer themselves and benefit from senior-friendly neighborhood design.



Additional sources:


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Public Figures Taking on Alzheimer's Disease

 



After losing loved ones to Alzheimer's disease, these celebrities are championing brain health and research for a cure. 


What do Maria Shriver, Seth Rogan, Leeza Gibbons, and Samuel L. Jackson have in common? They all lost loved ones to Alzheimer’s disease, and since then they’ve all decided to use their celebrity platform to make a difference for families going through the same struggle. 
 
For journalist and former First Lady Maria Shriver, Alzheimer’s advocacy is deeply personal. After her father, Sargent Shriver, was diagnosed in 2003, she used her skills as a storyteller and public official to bring attention to the burden Alzheimer’s places on women as both patients and caregivers.

In 2010, through The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Takes on Alzheimer’s, she revealed that two‑thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women, and that women comprise 60 percent of unpaid caregivers. That report sparked the creation of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, which merged with the Cleveland Clinic in 2022 to create a research center specifically for women’s brain health and disease prevention.

Shriver also executive‑produced the award‑winning HBO documentary series The Alzheimer’s Project, including the moving segment “Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?”, based on her children’s book. She’s testified before Congress, helped shape the National Alzheimer’s Project Act, and produced the Oscar‑winning Still Alice. Her goal, she says, is to shift the still-common public perception that Alzheimer’s only impacts seniors.
 
When most people think of Seth Rogen, they picture the irreverent comedian delivering punchlines, but his advocacy for Alzheimer’s has been anything but a joke. After his wife Lauren Miller’s mother was diagnosed with early‑onset Alzheimer’s in her mid‑50s, she declined quickly. Motivated by that experience, Rogen co-founded Hilarity for Charity, a nonprofit that stages comedy events to fund caregiver support and research. Comedians John Mulaney, Sacha Baron Cohen, Tiffany Haddish, and even the Muppets have all appeared on the Hilarity for Charity stage, and Rogan has taken the show on the road to college campuses. 

In 2014, Rogan donned a suit and tie to testify before a Senate appropriations committee. With typical humor (“I dream of a day when my charity is no longer necessary and I can go back to being the lazy, self‑involved man‑child I was meant to be.”), he delivered a plea about government inaction and the stigma around Alzheimer’s. He later called out empty seats in the hearing room, saying they symbolized how little priority the issue gets.
 
Television host Leeza Gibbons transformed her family’s grief into a mission to uplift Alzheimer’s caregivers. After losing both her mother and grandmother to the disease, Gibbons founded the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation in 2002, eventually launching its signature initiative: Leeza’s Care Connection, a national program offering free, tailored support to family caregivers navigating dementia care. Gibbons focuses on the often-invisible work of caregivers, who may sacrifice sleep, social life, and their own health while managing the demands of loved ones with Alzheimer's. 

Gibbons invested her Celebrity Apprentice winnings to open a local caregiver support center in her hometown of Columbia, South Carolina in 2016. Now 68, Gibbons calls her advocacy work her “third act,” describing it as “the greatest work I’ve ever done.” 
 
Actor Samuel L. Jackson has also faced Alzheimer’s close to home. His mother, grandfather, multiple aunts, uncles, and cousins have all battled the disease. He once referred to his grandfather as “my best friend growing up.” In 2019, Jackson lent his voice and presence to Alzheimer’s Research UK’s #ShareTheOrange campaign, a short CGI-powered film designed to shatter the myth that dementia is an unavoidable part of aging. In the film, he explains that a brain with Alzheimer’s can weigh up to 140g less than a healthy one—roughly the weight of an orange. Dementia takes a dramatic physical toll, but it is a disease, not destiny. With more investment in research, we can slow or even stop its progression.

More recently, Jackson joined the Alzheimer’s Association’s “Generation Hope” digital campaign   alongside fellow celebrity advocates Kimberly Williams‑Paisley and Diedrich Bader. In a spot titled “Enough,” Jackson spoke plainly: “Alzheimer’s disease has taken my grandfather, grandmother, aunts and uncles. Even my mother. Enough is enough.” He framed the campaign around hope and encouraged viewers to support research and caregiver services to make Alzheimer’s disease a thing of the past.
 
By raising money for research and sharing their stories, these stars are humanizing the experience of Alzheimer’s. The disease can affect any family, and anyone can add their voice to the call for change. 


Additional Sources:


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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