Average Life Expectancy Falls Again

An older woman holding her hand out to someone


The average life expectancy in the U.S. dropped for the second year in a row, as COVID-19 deaths and drug overdoses pulled the average life expectancy down by almost a year to 76.1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The drop was smaller than the 1.8 year decline that we saw in 2020, but it’s still disturbing.  Deaths attributed to flu, pneumonia and Alzheimer’s disease declined in 2021.  The combined figures for the last two years are the biggest drop in life expectancy since the 1920’s.

Pebble Beach, CA Elder Abuse Scams Available At AARP Website

A woman and an older person sitting on the couch


Residents of wealthy pockets of Monterey County like Carmel, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach suffer from being prime targets for scammers, and you would be surprised at the number of people who fall for them and lose thousands of dollars.  Although we try to alert our clients on this blog as we become aware of them, there are just too many to track.  One useful tool to get real-time info on the latest fraud is to go to the interactive Scam-Tracking Map.  Go to www.aarp.org/scammap  and enter your zip code and it will pull up a list of frauds which have been reported to law enforcement and the AARP Fraud Watch Netwok Helpline.

Mount Hermon, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours : $2 Per Hour More On Weekends


Mount Hermon, CA  Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Caregiver Jobs Available : Set Your Own Hours : $2 Per Hour More On Weekends (Aptos, Ben Lomond,  Boulder Creek, Capitola, Davenport, Felton, Freedom, Mount Hermon, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Soquel & Watsonville)

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County over the past decade, and we are now expanding into Santa Cruz County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

Family inHome Caregiving is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Light housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.  We have immediate openings.

https://tsc221.ersp.biz/index.cfm?event=Apply.index

Carmel, CA Alzheimer’s Risk Lower With Aerobics, Stretching

A woman sitting on the ground with another person.


If you are a senior citizen at risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, you should do more aerobics and stretching, according to a new study from Wake Forest School of Medicine.  “There’s just more understanding of the underlying biology and what potential treatments can impact the disease, which actually includes exercise,†Maria Carillo, Chief Science Officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, told USA Today.  For the study, researchers recruited those with a sedentary lifestyle and assigned them to two groups.  One group regularly engaged in moderate to high intensity aerobics while the other group did less rigorous exercise.  All participants had mild cognitive impairment, but not enough to be diagnosed with dementia.  This is great news for a disease which researchers have had little success in finding drug treatments for.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my father and my grandmother had this terrible disease when they passed away.  There is a wonderful group of people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Monterey.  They also have a 24-hour hotline if you just need some support at 800-272-3900.

Telemedicine Is Here To Stay

A person holding a stethoscope in front of a laptop.


Telemedicine became very popular during the pandemic, although most patients now expect that sort of flexibility with their physicians.  The technology has gotten dramatically better over the last couple of years.  In a recent survey by McKinsey & Company, only 9% of those reporting negative aspects of an online doctor visit cited technical difficulties as a cause.  Cookies play an important role for repeat visitors.  “We realized there is a lot of cognitive overload for patients,†Lee Schwamm, VP of digital patient experience and virtual care at Mass General Brigham, told the Wall Street Journal.  “It is stressful to have to find an email, a link and a password when you are getting ready for an appointment with your doctor,†he said.  Since most patients login just minutes before an appointment, there is very little time to help people who are having technical problems.  In a 2021 McKinsey Physician Survey, 45% of doctors surveyed said that they invested in telehealth during the pandemic, and 41% said they have the technology to deliver telehealth seamlessly.  Doctors, however, are not fully on board with telemedicine.  In another McKinsey study earlier this year, two-thirds of doctors polled identified shortcomings in the system.  Their biggest complaint is the lack of an in-person visit.  “There are some conditions where I need a physical exam to make a decision on a patient’s care,†Keith Sale, VP of ambulatory services at the University of Kansas Health Systems, told the Wall Street Journal.

Invest In I Bonds With Inflation High

A jar of coins with the word retirement written on it.


With the stock market extremely volatile and interest rates low, many seniors are trying to figure out what to do with their nest egg.  A nice safe investments are I bonds, which are U.S. treasury bonds which pays interest based on the consumer price index (CPI).  They currently are paying 9.62%.  Any I bond that you purchase from now through October will pay that rate for six months, at which point it resets.  You can buy up to $10K in I Bonds per year.

Reduce Stress, Reduce Insomnia

A woman and an older man smiling for the camera.


As we grow older we often sleep less.  However, if you are having trouble falling asleep, it may be stress related.  About a third of Americans suffer from at least periodic insomnia, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).  In most cases, sleep issues resolve on their own.  But if it lasts for a month or longer, it’s considered a chronic condition (which affects about 1 in 10).  Lack of sleep can feed on itself.  Lying awake night after night can create anxiety about falling asleep, which serves to exacerbate the insomnia.  “This is something I see in almost all of my patients with insomnia,†Joshua Tal, a clinical sleep and health psychologist, told AARP Bulletin.  Avoid anything with caffeine after noon, and try not to eat late as our bodies digest food more slowly as we age.

Monterey, CA Elder Abuse Alert : FCC Targets Robocall Scammers

A pile of money sitting next to stacks of cash.


The Federal Communications Commission is accelerating rules aimed at curbing robocalls, many of which are scams targeting senior citizens. The requirements are focusing on “gateway providers,†which are smaller companies that move calls between larger networks. Scammers often use what is known as spoofing, which automatically picks a fake number in your area code. The rules will not allow this, as they require verification that the originating phone number shows up on caller ID.

New Study Says COVID-19 Can Lower Your IQ By 10 Points

A person holding hands with another person in bed.


A new study from the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London which was published in the journal eClinical Medicine found that COVID-19 can lower your IQ by 10 points, the equivalent of your brain aging from 50 to 70.   The findings jibe with a number of reports in the medical community about “brain fog,†which can persist for months or even years.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is occurring in millions of COVID survivors.

President Biden Signs Sweeping Prescription Drug Reform

A table with many different types of pills on it.


On August 16, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act which includes:

About $370 billion into policies aimed at reducing U.S. Greenhouse gas emissions.  $10’s of billions of dollars will go toward supporting renewable energy development, lowering the costs of electric vehicles, building out public electric car charging stations, etc.

The bill is the most significant prescription drug legislation to pass in 20 years. Diabetic seniors won’t have to pay more than $35 a month for insulin.  Starting in 2026, out-of-pocket costs for all prescription drugs will be capped at $2,000 a year for Medicare recipients.

Because the bill raises more revenue through higher taxes than it spends, it’s projected to reduce the federal budget deficit by close to $300 bill over the next ten years.