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Friday, January 10, 2025

Can You Donate Blood Into Your 80s?

 


January is National Blood Donor Month, and there’s no upper age limit for blood donation. What should seniors know before rolling up their sleeves?


If you’ve donated a pint of blood in your lifetime, you’re in a special group. About 37% of the U.S. population is eligible to give blood; however, only 3% do. If that percentage bumped up to 4%, blood shortages would disappear. The medical community considers blood donation safe for eligible people, and while various factors affect your eligibility, being too old isn’t one of them.

The World Health Organization sets a general guideline for blood donor age between 17 and 65. However, especially with the population of adults over 65 expanding rapidly as a percentage of the overall population, and the need for blood remaining as constant as ever, experts are beginning to question that wisdom. The American Red Cross sets no upper age limit, and as far back as 2004, a study concluded that blood donation was as safe for 60 to 71-year-olds as it was for younger donors overall. In fact, when these researchers compared the number of mild adverse reactions in the group of participants ages 66 to 77, they found it was lower than the number for the under-20 age group. Another study showed that donors in their 80s were three times less likely to experience complications from blood donation as compared to 18 and 19-year-old donors. Overall, the donors in their 80s had about as much risk as donors in their 40s.

In other words, there’s evidence that healthy people in their 60s, 70s, and 80s can give blood just as safely as the youngest donors, if not even more safely.


Who Needs Blood?

When they donate with the American Red Cross or a local blood bank, most people give one unit (one pint) of whole blood. According to the Red Cross, 29,000 of these units are needed every day in the United States–that’s a pint every 2 seconds. People need blood during chemotherapy treatments and after serious accidents. Babies and adults with sickle cell disease need regular blood transfusions.

The fact is, there’s no way to synthesize blood, so in order to meet these needs, our medical system relies on altruistic donors to give blood regularly. January was designated National Blood Donor Month in 1969 to celebrate the generosity of donors

and to encourage people to give during the winter months, when weather and seasonal illness tend to keep donors home.

The biggest pro of giving blood is the knowledge you’re doing something good for your community. And the Red Cross makes the experience as pleasant and friendly as possible by providing incentives and snacks. Interested in giving blood for the first time or returning to the blood bank after a hiatus? Here’s what you need to know to give safely.


Considerations for Blood Donors

Blood donation is considered quite safe, but there’s always the possibility of adverse reactions. In a 2007 study of almost 5,000 donors ages 18 to 66, only 63 (1.3%) experienced any kind of adverse reaction, and only 0.2% had a serious reaction. Mild adverse reactions include:

● Bruising at the donation site

● Dizziness or lightheadedness

● Sweating

More serious and rare complications include:

● Fainting

● Vomiting

The American Red Cross sets a rather long list of requirements for donors, regardless of age. Here are some questions to consider before donating.

● Do you weigh under 110 pounds?

● Are you feeling sick or recovering from illness on the day of donation?

● Are you prone to dizziness or at high risk of falls?

● Does your doctor advise against donating blood because of any medication you’re taking?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you’re probably not eligible for blood donation. Before rolling up your sleeve, you’ll answer a list of questions and have your blood pressure, temperature, pulse, and iron levels measured to determine your eligibility.

Anyone with a short-term or permanent deferral from giving blood can still support the cause. Blood drives happen in churches, community centers, schools, and libraries. Consider starting a drive near you, or volunteering at an existing one. Volunteers are needed at blood drives to help check in donors and offer them snacks after donation.

As the Red Cross often says about giving blood: “The need is constant. The gratification is instant.” And thankfully, the year you were born is no barrier. Find out more about blood donation during National Blood Donor Month at RedCrossBlood.org.




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The High Cost of Dying

 



To plan an affordable funeral, know what you really need, what it should cost, and your rights as a consumer.


Like other costs, the costs of funerals in the U.S. are rising steadily, with the median cost of a funeral with a viewing, burial, and vault hitting an alarming $10,000 in 2023. We live in a fast-moving culture, and perhaps not even your financial advisor will take the time to counsel you to think about the high cost of dying. Planning ahead can save you, or your loved ones, stress and money during the difficult time right after a loss.

If you’re thinking ahead about your own funeral expenses, you might be tempted to take care of everything yourself by paying in advance. In the August 2023 edition of Senior Spirit, we recommended against pre-need insurance and pre-paying for funeral expenses, following guidance from the Funeral Consumers Alliance. A better option, one that allows you more control over your money and protection against unforeseeable events, is two-fold. First, do your research and compare prices and services at funeral homes. Decide on a provider and package, and share your preferences with your loved ones in writing. Second, set up a joint savings account or payable on death (POD) account with funds dedicated to funeral expenses that won’t have to go through probate. Refer to that article for more advice on how to pay wisely for funeral expenses.

But what about lowering funeral costs in the first place? To plan an affordable funeral, know what you should expect to pay, what funeral homes can’t ask you to pay, and the most economical options.


Know the Average Prices

Prices for funeral services vary from state to state, so it is important to do your research on what to expect in your area so as not to be either blindsided or overcharged. For example, expect the average funeral with viewing, ceremony, and burial (no vault) to cost $8,985 in New England and $7,390 in the Rocky Mountain states, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. Working with a funeral home, you can expect a standard service fee of about $2,500 for funeral home staff and overhead. Everything else is added on to that, including the use of the facilities for a ceremony, embalming, the casket, the use of a hearse, and more. Choice Mutual has a helpful funeral cost calculator that lets you see a breakdown of the most common and non-negotiable funeral expenses, and it lets you add on the optional ones like a burial vault.


Know Your Rights

Most funeral homes have high standards of professionalism, but like in any industry, there are exceptions. To guard against unethical business practices, the Federal Trade Commission instituted The Funeral Rule in 1984. Under The Funeral Rule, consumers have the right to:

● Pick and choose services, rather than commit to an entire package. For example, you do not have to buy embalming services in order to buy a memorial service.

● Receive a written, itemized price list when you visit a funeral home.

● Get price information on the telefone without having to disclose your personal information.

● Buy a casket or urn elsewhere and provide it to the funeral home.

● Get an explanation in writing from the funeral home that describes any legal cemetery or crematory requirement that requires you to buy any funeral goods or services.

Read the rule for the complete list of your rights. Also keep in mind that while some funeral homes may have a policy requiring embalming for a viewing, this isn’t required by law in most states. Also, the funeral home may offer private family viewing without embalming. In general, when considering the funerary services you need, consider both the law in your state and the funeral home’s policies. If you can’t get the services you want with that business, you might be able to find another one nearby that can meet your needs at a reasonable price.


Consider Alternative Options

One important way to save money is to forgo a funeral entirely and instead opt for a direct burial or direct cremation, in which the body is immediately buried or cremated without a funeral beforehand. The family may then host a memorial service in any desired location, either with or without the loved one’s ashes present. Direct burial significantly lowers costs because the funeral home provides fewer services. For example, in Florida, the average cost of a direct burial is $5,200, and the average cost of a direct cremation is $1,691, compared to $8,023 and $6,103 for a funeral with burial or cremation, respectively.

Another way to lower costs while also reducing the environmental impact of funerary services is green burial. A green burial eschews embalming and metal material that prevent a body from decomposing. Green burial can cost between $500 and $5,000, but averages about the same as a direct burial, according to Choice Mutual. That’s because, while a green burial incurs some of the same costs as a traditional direct burial–e.g., the cemetery plot, remains removal and transfer–you’re not paying for a casket, usually a cost of $3,500 or more. Plus, according to the Green Burial Council, a traditional burial produces about 250 pounds of carbon, while a green one sequesters about 25 pounds.

Paying dearly and unexpectedly for funeral expenses right after a loved one’s death can feel like the epitome of adding insult to injury. Remember: even a modest amount of research can make a big difference for your family. And you don’t have to pay ahead to plan ahead.



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




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Thursday, January 9, 2025

A Traditional American Social Dance for Every Generation

 



In almost every state in the country, contra dance brings people of all ages together on the dance floor. 

Do-si-do, square through, and swing your partner! Every week at church and town halls across the country, these calls are flying out over dancers ages 10 to almost 100. Contra dancing, a North American social dance tradition, developed in the 1600s and experienced a revival in the 1970s. Now, since the pandemic, it is gaining momentum again as new dancers come together to create unique intergenerational communities.

Contra dance looks like a mix between square dancing and swing dancing. Anyone can attend alone, as a couple, or with a group, since everyone switches partners throughout the course of an evening. A dance usually lasts two to three hours.

By definition, contra is danced to live music, usually featuring at least one fiddle. Other common instruments are banjo, piano, accordion, flute, guitar, mandolin, and feet. Contra dance bands usually play Irish, old time, bluegrass, or French-Canadian tunes. Like the music, the mood at a contra dance tends to be upbeat, energetic, and smile-inducing.

Find a Contra Dance Near You

Contra dance tends to fly under the pop culture radar, and yet you can find one within an hour or two of just about any town in the U.S. Most groups host a dance at least once a month, and special events draw a regional or national crowd. To find a contra dance near you, try these lookup tools created by dancers.

  • TryContra.com. Plug in your zip code and find a list of regular dances and their schedules.
  • CDSS Event Finder. The Country Dance and Song Society’s 260+ member organizations can post their events on the Community Calendar and Event Finder. You can filter your search for events that feature singing, square dancing, English Country dancing, and more.
  • Search for the contra dance organization in your city or town. Look locally for the homegrown contra dance group nearest you. In South Florida, for example, the South Florida Contradance Society dances every third Saturday in Boca Raton. The New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA) hosts a contra every Thursday in Concord, MA. And the Southern Illinois Community Contra Dance hosts a dance in the St. Louis area monthly.
When you get to a dance, you’ll usually find a table with old-fashioned paper flyers advertising other nearby dances, special weekends, and folk events.


Dance Community for Body and Soul

Dance is powerful medicine. Any kind of dance can improve strength, balance, and endurance in older adults, according to a 2015 study. And dance has major mental health benefits, as well. A new study in the British Medical Journal found that dance beat out all other forms of exercise as a treatment for depression.

Intergenerational activities boost health, too. According to Generations United, a network of organizations dedicated to improving lives through intergenerational programming, people of all ages benefit from interacting with each other. Young kids who take part in intergenerational programs show increased patience and compassion, improved reading skills, and decreased sadness. High schoolers report feeling more purpose in life and more empowered to make changes in their community. And older adults demonstrate increased cognitive health and experience fewer falls, as well as reporting an overall boost in well-being.

At a recent regular Wednesday contra dance hosted by the Baltimore Folk Music Society (BFMS), Steve Bilanow, 71, said he thinks it is great that the community includes people of all ages. “I’ve been dancing 35 years,” he said. “I wish I’d started younger, but I was probably in my late thirties.” Bilanow met his wife contra dancing, and these days they both attend the BFMS dances regularly. “We had 250 of our dearest contra dance friends come to our wedding at a camp in West Virginia,” he shared.

Another Baltimore dancer, Amber Mills, 30, started dancing a few months ago. “I’m always impressed with the age range” at the dances, she said, “from college kids to people in their 70s and beyond. I love dancing with everyone.”

What keeps her coming back? “The social interaction, and the exercise, and just spinning in someone’s arms, looking into their eyes,” said Mills. “I think that is just like a really fun, intimate moment.”

“I’ve felt that for a long time,” Bilanow agreed. Part of the attraction of contra dancing is connecting with other people who you might not otherwise even meet. “Like where can you go and swing in people’s arms for a few hours and smile?”

One very long time dancer, Alan Gedance, celebrated his 92nd birthday at the Baltimore contra dance last April. “I have to work hard to maintain my balance,” he admits, but says he still dances because contra has been a community for him. “It has helped me fill my life.”


No Fancy Footwork

Don’t think you can dance? Many avid contra dancers say they started out with that attitude. But even kids can get the knack of the dance with a little practice. Contra has a gentle learning curve for several reasons.

First, unlike other dances like swing or salsa, there’s no footwork to memorize. Second, there are explicit instructions. At every dance, a caller instructs the dancers on the moves, including swing your partner, do-si-do, hay for four, mad robin, and chain across, among others. Plus, newcomers say that one of the great things about learning to dance contra is that each dance, you have about 15 tries to get it right. The pattern of moves covers 64 beats, and then you and your partner move on to another couple and dance those same moves again. As you move up and down the line, you dance the same dance with every other couple.

Other reasons it is easy to learn? Everyone messes up, even the dancers like Gedance who have been at it for 50 years–at a contra dance, having fun is more important than getting it perfect. And there’s no element of performance in contra, which makes it

appealing to people who avoid the spotlight. A contra dance isn’t much to look at; it is all about the experience.

Even though it is great exercise and beginner-friendly, contra isn’t for everybody. The spinning and constant movement of contra dances can prove a challenge for those prone to vertigo. (To help avoid dizziness, dancers suggest looking at the eyes or ear of the person you’re spinning with.) Those who can’t dance but feel drawn to the music might join the band. Some communities have open bands that practice together and play for the contra dances.

Much more than a bygone pastime, contra dance has much to offer people of all ages–not least of all, the chance to get to know, and swing, your neighbors.



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How to Lock Your SSN with E-Verify



A free online tool prevents scammers from using your Social Security number to apply for jobs.


We all know to do our best to protect our Social Security numbers from would-be identity thieves. We only give our SSNs to trusted parties, never share them on unsolicited phone calls or emails, and don’t carry our Social Security cards around in our wallets. And yet, constant data breaches are getting the better of us. As just one example, last year, almost 3 billion records, including the Social Security numbers of millions of individuals, were compromised in the National Public Data breach. Odds are, your SSN is out there for sale on the dark web–for cheap.

Accepting that reality, what steps can you take to prevent someone from using your SSN? First, know the risks. Bad actors can use your SSN to:

● Steal money from your bank account

● Apply for disability, employment, and other government benefits in your name

● Set up utility services like heat, water, and Internet and leave you with the bills

● File your tax return and claim a refund

● Open and max out a line of credit in your name

● Impersonate you to receive medical treatment

● Apply for a job in your name


Self Lock from E-Verify

That last one is perhaps the easiest to prevent, thanks to a service called Self Lock from E-Verify. The federal government uses the E-Verify system to verify employment authorization. With a Self Lock activated on your SSN, if someone tries to use your SSN to fraudulently verify their own employment status with a new employer, they’ll be blocked by the system. The service has been available since 2015 in all 50 states, and it is now gaining more traction with the recent out-of-control rates of data breaches.

If someone is working in your name, you’ll owe taxes to the IRS on their wages–no matter if you have a job or are unemployed or even retired. To avoid the possibility of that mess, it is worth it to use E-Verify to place a Self Lock on your SSN. Just keep in mind that if you’re applying for new jobs, you’ll need to unlock your SSN in order for employers to verify your eligibility to work.

To set up a Self Lock, go to E-Verify.gov and create an account or sign in. When creating a new account, you’ll need to verify your email

address, set up 2-factor authentication, create 5 security questions, accept terms of service, and correctly answer questions to confirm your identity. According to some sources we researched (here), it is not the most user-friendly online portal. But the consensus from the Social Security Administration and E-Verify is that it is worth doing. And unlocking your SSN is not difficult: just log back in and request to lift the Self Lock.


Freeze Your Credit Reports, Too.

Unfortunately, you read that right: Self Lock from E-Verify only helps prevent employment authorization fraud. When identity thieves single out your SSN and other personal details, they have that whole list of other options for stealing your money and ruining your credit.

Thankfully, there’s another tool that will at least prevent thieves from opening new lines of credit in your name. You can freeze your credit reports with all three of the major credit reporting bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian) in a matter of a few clicks. When you freeze your credit, no creditors can access your credit reports to approve new lines of credit in your name: credit cards or loans of any kind. That means that you’ll need to unfreeze your report/s when you want to apply for credit. Since you have to freeze each of the three reporting agencies’ reports separately, you can unfreeze them separately, too. If you know which agency a creditor is going to contact, you could unfreeze only that agency’s report.

To freeze your credit, log in or create accounts with each agency. Use these links to navigate directly to the page that lets you freeze your credit with each bureau: TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian.

For other kinds of identity fraud, vigilance is the best defense. Keeping your passwords safe will help protect your accounts, even when your SSN is compromised. You can sometimes save yourself from heartache by monitoring your accounts for suspicious activity and reporting it as soon as possible. And if you do become a victim, it is important to remember that it is not your fault. With almost everyone’s SSN floating out in the digital breeze, we only have so much control over preventing identity theft. But tools like Self Lock and credit freezes can help stack the deck in our favor.


Sources: 



Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors

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Skincare & Makeup Tips for Mature Women

 



New year, new opportunity to pamper your skin.


Back in October, we took a Coffee Break to check in with the men who read Senior Spirit in an article titled Grooming Secrets for Mature Men. Most of those facial care tips hold true for women, as well: we all benefit from wearing sunscreen everyday, adding a face scrub to our routine, and applying fragrance-free moisturizer. But one area we didn’t cover is makeup.

The Internet is teeming with makeup tutorials, including ones for women in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and up. All the advice out there acknowledges that as we age, the products that once made our skin glow may not achieve the same effect anymore. Some people want to stay loyal to the moisturizer or foundation they’ve been using daily for 20 years or more–but with a new year, why not try something new?

The First Step: Moisturize and Apply Sunscreen

Skin tends to become drier as we age, even if you were always fighting an oily shine in your younger years. Drier skin shows more fine lines and wrinkles. Hydrating the skin plumps up and smooths. Another way to up the plumpiness factor is to use a gua sha roller or your fingertips to apply your moisturizer. Massaging the face helps to boost circulation and integrate the moisturizer, and it is relaxing.

To state the obvious, wearing sunscreen daily is a must. Nothing else you do will have as much effect on maintaining unblemished, healthy skin. Foundation, eyeshadow, everything else is extra: moisturize and apply sunscreen every day, and you’re golden. If you want an actual golden glow, too, a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen could be the perfect all-in-one. According to Allure, tinted moisturizers “complement a wide range of skin tones, and their light, buildable tints tend to be more flexible than foundations, which is why the ranges are smaller than fuller-coverage formulas.”

Tips for Applying Foundation

If you like to go beyond step one and apply makeup, experts recommend using a priming oil or serum on mature skin. According to artist Beth Foller, prepping is essential before applying makeup: “That’s where primer comes in, as it can be particularly beneficial for mature skin types since it can keep makeup products from settling into fine lines and wrinkles. Priming formulas also often come with illuminating and hydrating benefits, both of which can be great for older skin.”

When applying foundation, go with light layers and use concealer where you need a bit more coverage. Also consider using a color-correcting foundation palette if you’re concerned about evening skin tone. Makeup artist Melissa Formica recommends these tips:

● For redness: Use yellow or green corrector

● For purple or brown: Use orange corrector (darker skin tones)

● For blues: Use peach (light/medium skin tones) or pink corrector (fair/light skin tones)

Opting for a liquid, rather than powder, foundation can give skin a dewy glow and add extra moisture. Power foundations may settle into wrinkles, and they offer less hydration. Another tip from the experts is to choose a foundation tone that is just slightly warmer than your actual skin tone–again, for that “glow” that makeup helps us achieve.

Tips for the Eyes

Using a primer on your eyelids has the same smoothing and moisturizing effects as a primer below foundation on your face. According to makeup artist Lindsay Katsuk on Ipsy, “The general rule of thumb for smoother texture is to use more matte shades on the eyelids. For brighter eyes, try to stick with lighter colors and also keep the darker shades more towards the outer portion of the eyelids.” Many women find that the inner eye area becomes darker with age, and a brightening concealer can help with that. If you’re looking for specific product recommendations, check out AARP’s eye makeup list here.

Did you notice? Like many beauty product manufacturers and the magazine Allure, among others, we don’t use the phrase “anti-aging” to describe the desired effect of makeup and skincare. There’s no need; after all, everyone’s aging, and we’re talking about beautiful, healthy skin at any age. With that in mind, promise yourself you’ll treat your skin to a little extra moisture as these January winds blow.


Sources: 


Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors


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Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Famous & 65

 

Look who's turning 65 this month

Find out which celebrities are turning 65 this month!


Image Source: Wikipedia


Image Source: Wikipedia

January 4 – April Winchell, actor

What do Cruella de Vil and Clarabelle Cow (one of Minnie Mouse’s best friends) have in common? Their voice: both cartoon characters are voiced by April Winchell, a multi-talented voice actor and radio host who turns 65 this month. The talent runs in the family: her dad was the original voice of Tigger in Winnie the Pooh.
New York City-native Winchell has contributed to many radio advertisements over the years as a director and performer. You can hear her voice in hundreds of TV episodes and dozens of films including Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006-2016) and the upcoming reboot Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ (2025), 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997-8), Tarzan (1999), Pepper Ann (1997-2000), and her original voice role in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988).





Image Source: Wikipedia

January 6 – Howie Long, NFL player and sports analyst

Howie Long is a football defensive end who played in the NFL for 13 seasons. If you don’t know what a defensive end is, you can look it up in Football for Dummies, which Howie Long authored as part of the For Dummies series. It’s now in its 7th edition.

Long played for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders his entire career, helping to lead the LA Raiders to Super Bowl glory in 1984. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. After retiring from the game, Long entered the entertainment and broadcasting industry. He served as a sports analyst for years on Fox News and won a Sports Emmy in 1996 as an Outstanding Sports Personality/Analyst. He appeared in advertising campaigns for a number of popular brands including Radio Shack, Nike, Pepsi, and Taco Bell. Between 1984 and 2001, he acted in 5 action films, perhaps most famously Broken Arrow (1996).

Howie Long’s son, Chris, is also a retired NFL defensive end with Super Bowl wins to his name. Readers probably know Johnny Whitaker best as the young star of the sitcom Family Affair (1966-1971), where he played the charming and resourceful red-haired orphan Jody Donovan. 
In 1965, even before Family Affair, young Johnny was the first actor to play Scotty Baldwin on General Hospital. The role of Scotty would be played by half a dozen actors over the years and become the longest-running character (in real time) on the famous soap opera. As a kid, Whitaker also portrayed a classic American character in the musical Tom Sawyer (1973), and he appeared in episodes of Bewitched and Bonanza.
As an adult, Whitaker mostly left acting and has worked over the years as a computer consultant and talent manager. 








Image Source: Wikipedia

January 20 - Will Wright, video game developer

If you’ve spent hours painstakingly modeling a virtual home for your family of Sims, or obsessively laying out your SimCity grid, you can thank (or blame) Will Wright for creating these addictive computer games. SimCity, originally released in 1989 and now

considered one of the most influential computer games ever made, involves designing a city plan and infrastructure and collecting taxes from residents.

When Wright had to rebuild his home after a wildfire a few years after the release of SimCity, he started thinking about a computer game with a similar premise, but focused on building a single home. His first developer passed on the idea, but when Electronic Arts (EA) picked up The Sims, it ultimately earned them over a billion dollars in six years, spawned many spin-offs and imitators, and became a cultural touchstone of the 1990s.

Wright developed multiple other hit games with the theme of simulation, including SimEarth, SimAnt, and Spore. His scientifically-minded and innovative approach has earned him a reputation as one of the most important developers in the history of computer gaming.








Image Source: Wikipedia

January 26 - Charlie Gillingman, musician and composer

Keyboard instrumentalist Charlie Gillingham is best known for his membership in the San Francisco rock band Counting Crows. Their breakout single, “Mr. Jones” (1993), which catapulted them to fame, was, ironically, about working musicians fantasizing about making it big. The song became a 90s anthem. After the release of “Mr. Jones,” Counting Crows toured internationally and opened for artists including the Rolling Stones, the Cranberries, and Bob Dylan.

Gillingham was nominated for an Academy Award for co-composing the Counting Crows song “Accidentally in Love,” ubiquitous on radio waves for years after it appeared in the movie Shrek 2. He’s originally from California and, before becoming a musician, studied artificial intelligence in the 1980s at UC Berkeley.



Source:

Wikipedia





Blog posting provided by Society of Certified Senior Advisors




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