Moving Together to Reduce the Risk of Falls

Strength and conditioning classes focus on fall prevention and connecting with others

By Sherri Snelling for Next Avenue



Man in wheelchair at the hospital with a broken leg

Credit: Getty Images



Dance is for everybody. I believe it came from the people and it should always be delivered back to the people.

– Alvin Ailey



Verine Morris, 42, has spent more than a decade with a fear of falling. Wheelchair-bound for 10 years after a nasty fall at work, followed by a terrifying car accident, she decided she needed to overcome her anxiety and learn how to move independently again. This epiphany led Morris to Celeste Carlucci’s New York City-based classes, Fall Stop MOVE STRONG.



Carlucci, a former Alvin Ailey dance student who performed with Broadway’s legendary choreographer Bob Fosse (Chicago, Cabaret), has spent more than 20 years as a fitness and wellness expert teaching movement and body strengthening. Her fall prevention-designed class technique was created primarily to help those over 50 focus on proper alignment, posture and what she calls “the joy of movement.”

Fall Prevention Through ‘Fun and Community’


It is this last element that draws so many older adults — most of whom are in their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s — to her weekly classes. Or as Carlucci states, “We keep up with exercise when it’s joyful and not spoon-fed medicine. That is what makes these classes unique — it’s the sense of fun and community.” (Morris is more than a decade younger than the average student in Carlucci’s classes. But she says the older students have become both friends and mentors and she finds her older dance mates “inspiring — I want to be able to move like them when I’m 90.”)



“A good teacher is an entertainer and that is what Celeste delivers — great entertainment that makes us forget about age for a while,” says Tom Grubb (pictured below), 76, who has been taking her classes for the last five years.



Mature man working out with hand weightsA physician directed Grubb to Carlucci’s classes after Grubb fell and broke his arm. He had been walking his dog on a Manhattan street that was slippery with melting snow. He also had balance problems.



As a pianist and music teacher at The Juilliard School, Grubb says, “I understand that nothing gets better without practice, so I have dedicated myself to the routine of taking Celeste’s classes twice a week. One thing I like is that Celeste doesn’t treat us like old people.”



While the Fall Stop MOVE STRONG classes average a ratio of 10-to-1 women to men, a study showed men over 50 are more likely to fall than women of the same age.

All Too Common


Every year, 2.8 million older Americans are treated in emergency departments and 800,000 patients are hospitalized because of a fall injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, more than one out of four older people fall each year. But less than half tell their doctor.



Falling once can double the chance of falling again, according to research from the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence at the University of Southern California Andrus Gerontology School.



Often, older adults who have fallen restrict their activity by not leaving the house. Yet statistics show 55 percent of falls among the older population occur in the home.

Fall Season Means Falls Prevention


While health professionals say falling is not a normal part of aging, the causes for falling — especially as we age — can include: trip hazards in the home (such as throw rugs, poor lighting, lack of grab bars in bathrooms); medications that cause dizziness and poor vision or hearing.



However, the most important risk for falling is lack of good balance, strength and flexibility, which makes finding an appropriate exercise (or other) program to address these physical issues imperative as we grow older. In fact, the CDC website states that, “When a person is less active, they become weaker and this increases their chances of falling.”



Starting on Sept. 22 (the first official day of fall) and running through Sept. 28, awareness campaigns on preventing falls are promoted across the country, many of them at the 26,000 local senior centers and supported by the National Council on Aging (NCOA).



As one of NCOA’s Healthy Aging initiatives, this is the ninth year of the National Falls Prevention Awareness program. It encourages local social and community-based services to offer activities educating older adults on falls prevention. The NCOA provides resources and information through its Falls Prevention Resource Center.

Finding Power in the Body and the Community


Morris says that after taking Carlucci’s classes, her fear of falling has diminished and she now has the courage to take risks.



In fact, risking getting out of the wheelchair is a goal she has accomplished. Morris now frequently walks without assistance around her Manhattan neighborhood and told me, “I hear Celeste’s voice when I’m walking on my own and I feel empowered. I have my freedom back.”



Morris has lost 57 pounds since starting the falls prevention classes a little over a year ago. But the more important achievement, she said, is conquering her anxiety about falling.



“Celeste is a godsend,” added Morris. “I spent 11 years living in fear and in a wheelchair but these classes have challenged my body to work hard and I’ve gain a renewed confidence in exactly what our bodies are made to do. And with my new friends at these classes, I am not alone anymore.”



© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.

 

What I Found on My Ayurveda Spa Adventure

The ancient healing practice looks nothing like Western medicine

By Deborah Quilter for Next Avenue



Warm oil poured on the forehead of a reclining woman

Credit: The Raj



I love Ayurveda, the 5,000-year-old medicine of India. Its crown jewel is panchakarma (“five actions”), a deep rejuvenation protocol performed in a serene place, where you receive bliss-inducing spa treatments, not unpleasant Western regimens.



Instead of needle sticks in fluorescent-lit rooms, you receive luxurious oil massage from two people at once. Instead of a battery of computer-driven tests, a wise, kind person takes your pulses. Instead of pounding at the gym, you practice yoga and meditate. This gentle regimen, alleged to help with even serious maladies, can leave you glowing with vibrant health.



I’ve always wanted to experience panchakarma, so I booked a three-day package at the Raj, a spa specializing in traditional Ayurvedic treatments. (Packages range in price from $2,200 to $6,800, depending on duration.)



To prepare for my stay, I must adhere to a two-week dietary plan plus a castor oil cleanse. In Ayurveda, digestion is king. That which is not digested turns into ama, a substance that Ayurveda practitioners believe clogs the channels that our energy runs through and wreaks havoc with health.



Therefore, great attention is paid to cuisine. Food must be freshly prepared for each meal; leftovers and anything that has been refrigerated is verboten. So, for the days before my visit, my diet consisted of well-cooked vegetables, rice and dal. No raw foods were allowed.



The food part of the diet was fairly easy; giving up tea was not.



I drank fewer cups in the morning, none in the afternoon, then decaf, and finally herbal teas.

Arrival


After landing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and taking a long ride over country roads, the car makes a left turn onto the tree-lined drive, and the majestic Raj appears. I am ushered to a serene room. Vedic chanting fills the air from the radio. (That was designed to get my circadian rhythms back in tune, I learned later.)



They serve an elegant vegetarian meal in the dining room. Then, to bed.

Day 1


I feel completely underwater my first morning at the Raj. A headache looms. Maybe I didn’t stop the tea for long enough.



First, I visit with guest services manager Keli Dean, who orients me to the program. She explains how Ayurvedic massages would work to loosen toxins. There would be a thermos of hot water in my room. “Drink one and a half to twice the amount of water you usually drink,” she advises.



The treatments and oils are also designed to loosen toxins; bastis (oil enemas, which are optional) pull the toxins out so they don’t stay in the body. Ayurveda works on emotions, too, she explains, so in my desk I would find an “In Silence” pin that I could wear if desired. “That will help us respect your wishes — and also offer additional support if you need it,” she says.



Next comes a meeting with Mark Toomey, Ph.D, the Vedic health expert. He looks at my tongue, eyes, and fingernails and takes my pulses.



“Are you having trouble with your eyes?” he asks. Yes, I was. Mark reachs for a bottle of rosewater and dazzles my face with fragrant mist. How refreshing! “Keep this by your computer,” he advises.



He writes my instructions: a ginger decoction before meals, teas during the day and some herbal tablets at night. He also recommended treatments according to my dosha, or constitutional type. There are three doshas: Vata (which governs movement), Pitta (heat and metabolism) and Kapha (physical structure). Everyone has all three, but one or two can predominate, and any can be out of balance.



Mark emphasizes that the technicians’ job was to make me happy and that I shouldn’t hesitate to ask for anything. “The treatments are for quieting that busy mind of yours so you feel more blissful,” Mark declares.



My first day of panchakarma (universally called “PK” at the Raj) has been rough. A headache has dogged me all day, and detracted from the experience. The four-handed oil massage (abhyanga) administered by two technicians is skillfully done, but I feel heavy and sluggish afterward. Perhaps the massage, said to facilitate the release of toxins from the tissues, actually worked and my discomfort is the result. We were told transient symptoms could occur.



A technician brings me an Ayurvedic remedy, a black salt drink. If my discomfort is not gone tomorrow, I may drink green tea, as one person suggested. Meantime I’m fairly miserable; hoping to be sung back to health by the Vedic voice on the radio.



At dinner I wear an “In Silence” pin. I am too wiped out to chat. Besides, Mark said I needed to eat mindfully. Silence would help.



I’m entranced by the glowering Iowa sky — a hugely pregnant cloud slowly descends. Any moment I expect thunder. I struggle to stay awake, then give up and go to bed at 8:30 p.m. I sleep soundly until 6 a.m.

Day 2


The headache has receded but still haunts the outskirts of my brain.



Ayurveda speaks to all the senses. I shower with vanilla-scented soap, dress, walk onto the veranda and allow the wind to dry my hair. Birds flutter. A curious bumblebee visits; a fountain burbles to the left. Fluffy cirrus replaces the glowering sacks of gloom from last night. (We were told to close the windows of our room if we leave because the weather can change in an instant.)



My first treatment today: pizzichilli, aka the “King/Queen/Royal treatment.”​



Gallons of warm oil would be poured over my body ceaselessly for 36 minutes. That sounds like sheer heaven. In the changing room I don a cotton loincloth with elastic bands, and am ushered into the treatment room, where I sit on a chair. The technicians lift my feet to wash them and put a hot water bottle underneath. Then someone pours oil on my head, swirling my hair around gently. They knead my shoulders and neck, then ask me to lean forward while they massage my shoulder blades and upper back.



Then I am told to lie on the table on my back. Warm oil is hosed over my body starting at my feet. It’s hard to explain the kind of bliss that brings.



“Who thinks of these things?” I wonder. What genius came up with this idea?



Somewhere in the middle I am told to sit up and they take a cube of iced coconut oil, massage it on my forehead and then tie it to the top of my head with a strip of muslin cloth. The cooling coconut was a wonderful counterpoint to the warm oil. Occasionally they take the coconut and rub it across my forehead.



Rest, then lunch — a crêpe filled with vegetables. I sprinkle the vata churna (a delicious mixture of spices to help digest food) on it. Mark gives me a sheet on how to eat mindfully. Take a bite, chew well. Layer the food with sips of warm water, then wait and check in with your stomach and see if you still need more.



The real test comes at desert; there is delicious fruit compote. The old me would’ve eaten the whole thing because it tasted so good. But I wind up taking a few bites and leaving the remainder because I know I have had enough.



After lunch, I return to my room and realize how driven I am to do. I ignore my cell phone, the link to the outer world.



Next up: Gem light therapy.



This treatment “promotes higher states of consciousness,” according to the Raj, beaming light through 13 precious gemstones. Higher states of consciousness sound pretty good to me right now; maybe it will calm my Worry Mind.



The technician takes an instrument resembling a small flashlight tipped with different gems, shines them on my left palm and asks me what I feel. All the sensations are unique: a dancing butterfly, a needle, a Ferris wheel, a downward spiral. The gems, mounted on a flat, pronged apparatus, are poised above my body as I lie on the table. Maybe I would feel nothing, she warns. “It’s very subtle.”



I sink into sensation. At first I feel very heavy, but an hour or so later, I am infused with energy. My headache is gone.

Day 3


I’ve finally arrived at a point where I feel better. Now a treat: marma massage. I’ve always wanted to do this: it’s supposed to clear blockages.



There had been a mix-up with the technicians; so the manager moves heaven and earth to make this treatment happen for me. It begins with lying on the stomach with arms resting overhead. Then my two technicians — Lynn and Mary — begin to trace geometric patterns on my back from head to toe. They go very fast — four hands strumming my ribs as they sail up and down my limbs. At times they cross over so that the technician on my right is reaching over to my left side and vice versa.



Then onto my back. Starting at my fingers, they sweep down my arms, circle my navel twice, change hands to the opposite side, and go down to my toes. How could they go so fast and yet stay in such perfect sync? Yet they did.



Afterward, they said it was a real workout for them. Both of them enjoy giving this treatment.



At dinner, guests (many come yearly) compare notes. Some wear turbans over their oil-anointed heads to let the benefits continue. No one wears makeup. Everybody’s skin glows.



A woman talks about her massage and shirodhara, where warm oil is drizzled across your forehead for 20 minutes. “I kept thinking: Can this get any better?” she says. “And then they put on another hot towel.”

In the evenings, there are lectures in an upper room filled with cozy couches. Warm milk and a slumber tea are served.

Departure


I awake at 6 a.m., flip on the radio for the final dose of Vedic chanting, and gaze outside. There’s a large hole in a hazy gray cloud. I open the window to get one last shot of grass-scented air. Birds chirp to each other madly. Do I hear distant thunder? Yes, it had to be — I was awakened by some lightning piercing the night sky.



How can I leave this beautiful place?



I see Mark for my home instructions.



My prescription? I am to take herbs (Stress-Free Emotions, Stress-Free Mind, Vital Lady and Digest Tone); massage myself with Goddess Massage Oil; drink Vata tea; use a special nasal oil; and infuse the air with Blissful Heart, the aroma of roses. (Rose scent apparently does wonderful things for the brain.) Last, deep relaxation, breathing and walks in nature.



I like this medicine.



The benefits are supposed to continue after panchakarma is complete. For me, they did: I had more energy, slept soundly and my mind was focused. My blood pressure, which had been creeping slightly upward, went down to normal.



Next time, I’m staying longer than three days.



© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.

 

Why Working Longer is Good for Your Health

Here's how recent studies upend conventional wisdom

By Chris Farrell for Next Avenue



Man holding a pen while workingCredit: Getty Images



Retirement didn’t sit with Lee Humphrey when she tried it about a decade ago, at 62. About a year after leaving her St. Paul, Minn. job at the Department of Employment and Economic Development, she unretired and began creating indexes for books after taking an online course on this. She wanted to work longer. “As pleasant as that first year of retirement was — reading, gardening, walking, some volunteering but generally relaxing — I came to realize that, for me, it was very important to add something in my life that was more mentally taxing,” says Humphrey. “I found myself feeling a bit sluggish, mostly mentally sluggish, and that was way out of keeping with my entire life.”

Working Longer: Good for Your Health


Humphrey’s experience highlights a potentially revolutionary shift in our understanding of the dynamic relationship between health, work and aging. And it’s something worth noting as Labor Day approaches: A small, but growing coterie of scholars around the world is reaching the conclusion that, in many cases, work is good for our health as we age.



In Work Longer, Live Healthier, Gabriel Sahlgren, director of research at the Centre for the Study of Market Reform of Education in London, makes the case that jobs and health feed off and reinforce each other. Healthier, older people can work longer and working longer maintains their health. “Continuing some form of paid work in old age is one way to ensure a healthier population,” Sahlgren wrote.



Contrary to popular perception, despite the accumulated wear and tear from the passage of time, most older people in their 60s are healthy. Data from the U.S. and other industrial nations increasingly shows that most people around age 65 are healthy enough to work (if they can find employers who’ll let them or they work for themselves). What’s more, studies have found that the mental demands of a job can be a force for staving off cognitive decline, an insight summarized by the catchphrase “use it or lose it.” There’s growing appreciation that, from the factory floor to the office cubicle, work is an environment for promoting conversation and connection.

The Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong


This recent, growing body of knowledge runs counter to deeply ingrained assumptions about aging.



Conventional wisdom holds that older workers have a mounting litany of ailments, disabilities and mental decline, requiring them to call it quits. And, the thinking goes, those remaining on the job become less productive, less motivated and less willing to learn. Sadly, these archaic perspectives continue appearing in much economic forecasting and many demographic white papers as well as popular commentary.



Let’s start with the evidence about healthier longevity. Health Capacity to Work at Older Ages: Evidence from the U.S. tackles the question of whether older Americans are healthy enough to extend their work lives. It was done by Courtney Coile of Wellesley College, Kevin Milligan of the University of British Columbia and David Wise of National Bureau of Economic Research.



Among other things, they wanted to find out: How much longer could men work today if they worked as long as men with the same mortality rate in 1977? The answer: an additional 4.2 years between ages 55 and 69.



Economist Courtney Coile summarized this kind of research during an Age Boom Academy session at Columbia University I attended in June. “We’re getting healthier faster than we are increasing our labor force participation rate,” said Coile.

Why the Skeptics Are Wrong


But, the skeptics say, won’t the economy’s dynamism falter if more older workers remain on payroll? Here’s the truth: Productivity doesn’t decline with age. Like a fine wine, it’s far more likely that productivity improves with age (with one important caveat I’ll get to shortly).



Certainly, productivity improvement as we age is a reasonable conclusion to draw from research by economist Axel Börsch-Supan and colleagues at the Munich Center for the Economics of Aging. Börsch-Supan and Matthias Weiss examined productivity data from a Mercedes-Benz truck assembly plant in Germany and concluded that productivity progressed there all the way up to retirement, at age 65.



“Even in a work environment requiring substantial physical strength,” they wrote, any decline in physical ability “is compensated by characteristics that appear to increase with age and are hard to measure directly, such as experience and the ability to operate well in a team when tense situations occur, typically when things go wrong and there is little time to fix them.”

Similar Results at Insurer and Auto Plant


Börsch-Supan and colleagues conducted a similar study at a major insurance company in Germany, where employees work in cubicles, not at an assembly line. Once again, they discovered, older workers performed better than their younger peers.



“Experience accumulates,” Börsch-Supan told me at the 2016 Retirement Research Consortium conference in Washington, D.C. in early August. “The general results were very similar to the auto industry.”



The implications of studies like these go far beyond breaking down stereotypes. If only policymakers would put more emphasis on labor market reforms that would boost the labor force participation rate of all workers.

One Caveat About Productivity and Age


Now to my caveat about productivity and age: The positive relationship between health, work and aging depends greatly on the quality of the job. Productivity among older workers declines, studies have shown, for those with boring, repetitious tasks done year after year. The health benefits of employment in the second half of life are most noticeable when employees enjoy a measure of autonomy and variety in their jobs.



“The discussion should shift to what we really should worry about: the quality of jobs,” says Börsch-Supan. I couldn’t agree more.



© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.

An Invitation to Dump Your Obligations

It you're feeling overbooked, this simple anti-time management tool can set you free

by Achim Nowak for Next Avenue



Open desk calendar plannerCredit: Getty Images



It seems like the impossible dream: To carve out unobligated time.



We often complain that we don’t have enough time to do all the things we wish to do. For many of us, it’s a true statement. We truly don’t have enough time. We ardently desire a “time out” from our obligations.



Some call this time out “me time.” A faintly derogatory term. It smacks of self-indulgence and narcissism. I feel queasy when I hear these descriptors because I don’t wish to be thought of having either of those traits.



The moment we claim a slice of “me time,” we instantly obligate this time. We get the spa treatment we have postponed for months. The facial that is overdue. We finally play squash with our buddy Raul. Go to see the French movie with our friend Lori that she has raved about. All cool things, I know. Still obligated time.

What Is Unobligated Time?


But what about carving out unobligated time? I’m talking about something more radical here. A chunk of time for which you make absolutely no plans. Not a single one. Because you do not yet know what your state of mind will be come Saturday morning. What you will wish to do. What you may not wish to do.



Imagine. You wake up in the morning. You may go for a run. You may not. You may drink a cup of coffee. You may not. You may read a book. You may not. You will eat not because it’s time to eat, but because you’re hungry. You may lie in bed for 30 minutes and stare at the ceiling and do nothing. You may get in your car and drive nowhere in particular. You get to stop wherever you wish. You get to leave again whenever you want. Most importantly, you get to ignore the story of what you should be doing with your time: The Obligation Story.



Instead, you get to listen to yourself.



It sounds strange, I know. You have a family. Your children need you. Your spouse craves quality time with you. And you love your family and your children and your spouse. Your friends are itching to congregate with you, and you love them, as well. More story. More reasons to unobligate yourself.

Your Unobligation Experiment


But I dare you to try it: Unobligate, just for a sliver of time. A day, perhaps. Half a day. You decide. Schedule your unobligated time. A paradox, I know. But guess what? The folks you feel obligated to will be just fine.



Here’s what unobligated time will do for you. You get to hear yourself. You get to say “yes” to your desires. More imperatively, you get to notice. Every thought, impulse, hunch, craving, whim, body signal. You get to be real with yourself.



And you get to choose. Moment by moment, you begin to liberate yourself from the tyranny of time. You unravel the story of what you should be doing with your time. You rediscover the freedom to be yourself.



It may feel a little uncomfortable.



If you have ever been to a silent retreat, you have had a glimpse of unobligated time. A silent retreat is usually organized by a spiritual group or community to facilitate your quiet contemplation. It does so by ensuring that your basic physical needs are met. The organizers may impose varying degrees of structure on how the quiet time is spent. Most importantly, a silent retreat removes your access to familiar distractions. You stop doing and more doing. The exit doors are closed. You get still.



A silent retreat is like running a personal-wisdom marathon. The insights keep coming and coming. And yet, you are still in obligated time.



Unobligated time is the most radical personal choice you will make. You get to be silent if you so desire. You get to cook a brilliant meal for everyone you love. You get to create whatever you wish to create. You get to observe your desires. All exit doors are open. You get to play on a vast inner canvas. And you get to roam an infinite outer world.



Just for that sliver of time, you get your choice back.



What you hear, what you act on, what you walk away from during unobligated time infiltrates everything that follows. Because when we get real with ourselves, we get real with others. Each subsequent moment is enriched.



Unobligated time is a magical playground in which we approach every second with the curiosity of a child and the wisdom of an adult. And pardon me if this is obvious, but unobligated time feels pretty darn good. Why not give it a shot?



© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.

Why Smart People Fall for Investment Scams

The authors of 'Financial Serial Killers' explain how not to get duped

By Tom Ajamie and Bruce Kelly for Next Avenue

 

Magnifying glass over a dollar bill(This article is adapted from the book, Financial Serial Killers: Inside the World of Wall Street Money Hustlers, Swindlers, and Con Men by Tom Ajamie and Bruce Kelly.)


There are many reasons why we fall for investment scams. As we understand and realize these factors, we are less likely to fall prey to investment scamsters — who we call “financial serial killers.”


Robert Cialdini, formerly Regents’ Professor of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University, says the root cause of people falling victim to a financial fraud is their uncertainty about the details of the financial environment. When people feel uncertain about financial decisions, he notes, they look outside themselves, and this sets them up for the fraud.


Two Ways “Experts” Con Us


To seek reassurance and help reduce their uncertainty, people often turn to others who appear to be experts — or at least to ones who proclaim to be experts. Expertise and trustworthiness are the two components that constitute a great authority in most people’s minds.


Certifications and diplomas are symbols of expertise signifying that someone is an “expert.” These kinds of trappings can be sometimes genuine, but they can also easily be counterfeited to convince people that their holder is somebody who knows what he or she is talking about.


Cialdini notes that Bernie Madoff, who perpetuated what was likely the greatest financial fraud in history, “sat on a governing commission that was designed to offer policing policies for the financial industry.”


The second place we look when we are uncertain is to our peers. “That’s why so often [investment] scams turn out to be affinity scams,” says Cialdini. “Groups that share some kind of connection.” People use groups they belong to as a source of good information. Cialdini says that they think: ‘What are the people like me doing and telling me to do? I can usually trust that.’


Madoff had emissaries of various sorts in Jewish congregations and in golf clubs. He had people who were selling access to his funds to the people they were friends with within those organizations.


We tend to be willing to say “yes” to our friends because we think they’re steering us right and because it’s very awkward to say “no” to a friend who comes to us with a great proposition — and is staking his reputation and status on it.


The Club You Don’t Want to Join


Another compelling factor that leads us to fall for investment scams is the perceived scarcity of the opportunity.


“We are drawn to those opportunities that only a few are going to be allowed in or you have to have a certain level of finances in order to be allowed in or you have to know somebody to be allowed in,” explains Cialdini.


These psychological impulses come from a number of human needs. We want to feel special. We want to be thought of as one-of-a-kind. We want exclusivity. The secretive, or exclusive, factor plays into our psychological need to feel special.


All the while Madoff was giving the appearance of running an exclusive operation, he actually represented thousands of people. But he made all his customers feel like they were part of a very exclusive club, mastering his deception.


Madoff’s tack — and that of many other fraudsters — was to keep his investment formula secret. Cialdini says that “if anybody challenged him, he threatened to kick them out.”


Cialdini says fraud victims often fall for the scarcity principle when they’ve just lost money on another investment. “When people are dealing with the recent experiences where they’ve not done well, they don’t want to lose any more. So you can tell them that unless they move, they’re going to lose the opportunity,” he says.


Cialdini has seen this firsthand working with AARP investigating phone scams of the elderly. “They get burned and are so ashamed that they become vulnerable to the next scam so they can recoup their losses. They don’t want to think of themselves as losers and they don’t want their family to think of them as fools and idiots financially. So they wind up getting in again and losing yet another chunk of their savings,” he notes.


Lessons and Takeaways


To avoid being duped into investment scams, you need to be careful about doing business with people you know a little. Simply because you attend the same church or synagogue as someone does not mean that he is qualified to manage your money or has your best interests in mind. Look objectively at his qualifications. It’s better to select a money manager by interviewing two or three candidates and narrowing the choice from there.


You also need to prevent yourself from making investment decisions based on emotions. Cialdini says we often make decisions based on emotions and rationalize them later. But “if we truly take a step back and try to be dispassionate about a decision because it’s going to involve considerable resources, we can do a pretty good job of countering a purely emotional decision,” he notes.


Don’t be gullible, either. Otherwise smart and cautious people sometimes are when a financial serial killer approaches them with an investment. Says Cialdini: “I think that a lot of people who are not normally gullible can get caught up in these scams because it has to do with the distortion of — the undermining of — normally good decision-making principles.”


7 Questions You Need to Ask


White-collar crime can and does pay — and it pays because of you. To prevent you from becoming a victim, we’ve pulled together seven questions to ask:


1. Is the broker or adviser using high-pressure sales tactics and telling you that you must invest right now?


2. Is the broker or adviser pressuring you just as you are dealing with a dramatic life change, like the death of a loved one, particularly a spouse who handled the household’s money? (People are very vulnerable after the death of loved ones.)


3. Is the broker or adviser telling you the investment has a no-risk, guaranteed return of 10 percent, 15 percent or higher?


4. Can you find information about the broker or adviser and his firm at public websites such as www.FINRA.org, www.cfp.net or www.sec.gov? (If you can’t, you should probably stay away.)


5. Does the broker or adviser say the investments or strategies are too complex to explain or that they’re top secret?


6. Is your investment adviser too perfect? Like Madoff, is he or she generating returns that closely resemble each other year in and year out regardless of the market’s fluctuations?


7. Did the investment “opportunity” come through email? Increasingly con artists use that method of communication to target victims, the SEC warns. If you receive an unsolicited email from someone you don’t know with a “can’t-miss” investment, your best move is to pass up the “opportunity.”



Photo Credit: Thinkstock


© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.

Pet Rent Puts the Bite on Empty Nesters

In a tight rental market, owning a dog or cat may be pricier than you think

By Irene S. Levine for Next Avenue



Cute dog sitting on a couch

Credit: Thinkstock



One of the primary reasons empty nesters decide to downsize is to reduce fixed costs. But many boomers poised to enter the tight rental market may encounter an unanticipated recurring cost that’s increasingly common: having to pay a monthly rental surcharge for their pets.



A growing number of landlords across the nation are adding “pet rent” to monthly rental fees. In addition to one-time refundable pet security deposits to cover potential property damage and one-time non-refundable pet move-in fees, many landlords are now charging renters an extra $25 to $50 (or more) per month for a single cat or dog.



When Tara Parsell and her husband moved from New York City to Columbus, Ohio, they were shocked to learn that no matter where they rented, they would have to pay extra for their cat to live in their apartment. “The apartment complex we ended up choosing had one of the lowest pet rents in the area, $20 per month for the first pet and $10 for each additional one,” says Parsell.



“Pet rent is something we are seeing nationwide, although the amount charged varies by the location, competitiveness of the market and particular property,” says Dan Laufer, co-founder of the apartment review site RentLingo.com and a pet owner himself.



One anomaly worth noting is that pet rent hasn’t caught on as quickly in New York as it has in many other major markets. “Pet fees in New York City are legal but very uncommon,” says Max Galka, a real estate researcher who runs Metrocosm. He says it’s much more common for buildings to require an additional security deposit from pet owners, which can run as high as $1,000.



Ironically, some of the properties charging pet rent may even brand themselves as “pet-friendly” because they allow certain types and breeds of pets. They may offer special amenities like puppy parks, dog runs, costume parties and celebrations of National Dog and Cat Days.


The Property Owner’s Perspective


The rationale for charging pet rent is that pets create additional wear and tear (scratching and clawing carpets and wood floors, leaving odors, etc.), and require landlords to provide more services (for example, cleaning up behind the pets and in public spaces and supplying doggie pick-up bags in the courtyard), says Laufer.



Realtor and attorney Bruce Ailion, who manages 120 rental properties for Success Real Estate Brokers in Atlanta, says: “With pet owners it is about 70/30 positive vs. negative experiences. Unfortunately, responsible owners are penalized for irresponsible ones.”



When an owner isn’t responsible, Ailion notes, “a deposit seldom covers the costs of repairs.” The worst call he has had to make, he says, was to inform an apartment building owner that a tenant with a pet left the place a mess and the carpets or hardwoods need to be replaced.



“In our office, half the pet rent collected goes to the [property] owner and half to the property manager as a pet management fee, compensation for the difficult discussions we need to have with the owner and tenant,” Ailion explains.



Property owners also cite higher insurance costs associated with having pets on premises. “While there are many pros to having tenants with pets — like a larger tenant pool to draw from and higher rental incomes — landlords also need to consider increased liability costs for personal or property damage when determining what fees or how much extra rent to charge,” says Michael Park, president of Renters Warehouse in Dallas.

The Pet Owner’s Perspective


From the pet owner’s perspective, the general shortage of affordable housing coupled with restrictive lease policies prohibiting pets from many properties, places them over a barrel when they try to rent an apartment, condo or single-family dwelling. A recent survey by Trupanion, a company that offers medical insurance for cats and dogs, found that less than 3 percent of all available rentals in New York City are dog-friendly.



One city where the problem is particularly acute is Orlando, Fla., says Christie Zizo, a pet owner who blogs at Life With Beagle. “This past summer, we saw an upswing in people surrendering their dogs to shelters because they were moving into properties where they couldn’t take their pets, either because of restrictions or because they couldn’t afford to pay for their pets,” she says.



Laufer of RentLingo.com points out that some landlords aren’t collecting pet rents to recoup costs. Rather, they are using the money as a means to pick up additional revenue given the market dynamics.



Kathy Ludwig and her husband were living on seven acres in Pierson, Iowa, with a clowder of outdoor kitties during the mortgage crisis when her husband, newly diagnosed with cancer, had no work for six months. They were forced to sell their acreage and look for a house rental in a larger city about 13 miles away.



“After owning a home for 20 years, we were shocked by the rental situation,” says Ludwig. “Rental property was limited and prices had skyrocketed.” Although the couple was fortunate to know someone who owned a rental property, the landlord didn’t want to accept Ludwig’s 12-year-old neutered, declawed, “lazy old” rescue cat.



“There was no way I was getting rid of my baby,” she says. Ludwig pleaded with the landlord and finally negotiated a $1,000 security deposit and an additional $50 rent per month to keep her pet.



Her advice to other pet lovers: Don’t be afraid to negotiate. Showing up with cash in hand can help, too.

How Pet Fees Vary Across America


Trulia, a real estate search website, conducted a study looking at geographic differences in pet fees, rent and deposits across the 25 largest rental markets. See the key findings here.

 

© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.

Parker Brings Project Healthy Bones to Community

Lori Morell and Julie Madsen with Healthy Bones poster(Photo caption: Lori Morell, Senior Manager of Health and Wellness, left, and Julie Madsen, Personal Trainer, with a poster describing the benefits of Project Healthy Bones.) 



When Parker offered the Project Healthy Bones 24-week exercise program for osteoporosis prevention, it was so beneficial to members of Parker’s Center for Healthy Aging that Lori Morell, Senior Manager of the health and wellness center was compelled to share it with the community-at-large at no cost.



To combat osteoporosis, project participants learn the importance of exercise, nutrition, drug therapy and lifestyle choices which can impact bone health. The participants use hand and ankle weights during exercises that target the body’s larger muscle groups. They are also educated about the benefits of vitamin D and calcium to improve bone density and prevent fractures.



In a 2008 research study with Rutgers University and the New Jersey Interagency Council on Osteoporosis, Parker’s Center for Healthy Aging facilitated Project Healthy Bones classes over a two-year period with several groups of active adults. The research outcome showed progression in balance and strength, decreased fear of falling, improved flexibility, healthy eating and increased self-confidence.



In January 2016, the first Project Healthy Bones program outside of Parker was facilitated at the Four Seasons in Cranbury to a group of 30 people. Lori Morell and her staff of personal trainers from Parker’s Health and Wellness Center provided education about nutrition, safe movement, and fall prevention, followed by the exercise class. The participants reported moving easier with better balance and coordination, stamina, increased energy and an overall feeling of wellness.



The successful 24-week program was offered to 35 residents of the Rossmoor Community in Monroe, and will soon be offered to members of the Plainsboro Senior Community Center. For more information about Parker’s Project Healthy Bones programs, call 732-902-4200.

 

The Surprising Secrets of Successful Retirees

What 'The Retiree Next Door' author learned by surveying them

By Richard Eisenberg for Next Avenue



Older man gardeningIf you’re in your 40s, 50s or early 60s, odds are you’d like to know what it takes to have a happy and successful retirement. To find out, a few authors — such as Wes Moss (You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think) and Bob Lowry (Living a Satisfying Retirement) — have surveyed retirees.



And now Marc Diana, the Los-Angeles-based CEO of the new personal-finance site MoneyTips.com site, has surveyed 510 retirees to learn the magic elixir. He published the findings in the free e-book, The Retiree Next Door: Successful Seniors’ Surprising Secrets (you can download it at the MoneyTips site).



I spoke with Diana, a serial entrepreneur who also founded Savings.com, to find out what those surprising secrets were and what pre-retirees should do now if they want to join the club. I confess that the results did, indeed, surprise me. 



Highlights from my conversation with Diana:



Next Avenue: What made you decide to do this survey?



Diana: We did a survey of boomers four months ago and found that half of boomers were not satisfied with their finances and a third had no plan. We thought that was a recipe for disaster for a large body of Americans, so we said: ‘Let’s reach some successful retirees and see how they are doing and how did they get there so we can help boomers approaching retirement.’



What did the successful retirees have in common?



They’re living within their means and they had a savings plan for retirement. About a quarter of them calculated how much they’d need to retire when they were in their 40s; another 21 percent did it in their 50s.



And how much were they saving each year before they retired?



Nearly 60 percent saved between 6 and 20 percent a year.

What surprised you in the survey results?


44 percent said they were comfortably retired with less than $500,000 in assets. That surprised me quite a bit.  I’m in my 40s and that wouldn’t cut it for me.


What does this tell you?


It hits on one of the ingredients in the root of what I uncovered through the survey, which is that successful does not mean ‘I’ve got gobs of money and houses all over the place and cars.’ People who came to terms with what they wanted out of life and managed to figure how to budget and live within that were happily retired.


Are the successful retirees frugal?


No. They’ve been prudent, not frugal. Only 35 percent call themselves frugal; the rest said they spend enough to live comfortably. And 67 percent live on less than a $100,000 a year; 23 percent are in the 25 to 50 grand bucket.


The key is that two-thirds of them have been on some kind of monthly budget and stuck to it.


Did they use financial advisers to plan for retirement?


About 62 percent consulted advisers, at least some of the time, through their career to make investment decisions.


Was having a financial adviser useful for them?


Without a doubt. Engaging an adviser made them more likely to have a budget and to live within it.


What investment mistakes did the successful retirees regret making?


One big mistake they made was getting into the stock market too late or getting out of it too late. They tried to rifle-shot the market. And the other mistake they made was making bad real estate bets.


What keeps them up at night?


The fear of outliving their savings and incurring substantial health care costs. And twenty five percent are concerned about maintaining their standard of living. They worry that something might happen — like inflation or their lifespan increasing.


What are they doing to minimize the risk of running out of money?


More than half don’t have a car that’s newer than two years old. A lot own their homes outright. And they’re cutting back on extras, like travel and memberships.


I noticed that most of the successful retirees worked for large companies and in the public sector. They generally weren’t the self-employed ‘Millionaire Next Door’ types. What does that tell you?


That’s interesting because of what comes with being at those forms of employment. Things like matching retirement plan contributions are great because they push you into a style of saving. You lower your risk of not having a comfortable retirement by the sheer nature of working there.


Based on what the successful retirees said, what should people nearing retirement be doing so they can have successful retirements?


Number one: have an annual or monthly budget and stick to it. Number two: have a plan to retire. Number three: be disciplined as an investor. It’s very risky to make bets on the stock market or on real estate. If you’re disciplined, you can have a nice nest egg in retirement.



Photo Credit: Thinkstock


© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.

 

Happy 100th Birthday, Irene!

Irene's granddaughter helps her blow out the birthday candles



By Harry Glazer



At Parker we have the distinct privilege of celebrating major milestones with Elders – like 100 years-old-birthdays. And we’ve learned that each person’s milestone, like their life’s circumstances, is a story all on its own.

 

In this photo Irene Olivi, a resident of the Evergreen Way neighborhood of Parker’s senior residence in Piscataway, prepares to blow out the candle on her 100 years birthday cake, with the assistance of her great-granddaughter, Eden, on September 30th.  

 

Irene was the youngest of four siblings in the Sinibaldi family, which immigrated to the United States from Italy in the 1920’s and lived in Union City, NJ. She was extremely close to her family, including a brother who was a bicyclist in the Olympics in the 1930s and a sister Blanche who took trips to Atlantic City with her.

 

Irene worked briefly in an embroidery factory in her youth and married Guy Olivi, a US Air Force supply sergeant who served in England in World War II and later in Texas. She devoted herself full-time as a homemaker and took great pride in her role as a mother of two children and as a creative and resourceful cook for her family. When grandchildren arrived, she delighted in being a doting Nonnie (grandmother, in Italian) to them all.

 

Irene has outlived her husband and, sadly, her two children. Her daughter-in-law Margaret oversees her care and often visits with her. Irene’s unfortunate losses, though, have not eclipsed her taste for life’s simple joys – the pleasure of singing along with a familiar song, the delight in visits from her grandchildren and great- grandchildren, and the decency of graciousness to her caregivers.

 

Parker is pleased to celebrate Irene’s 100th birthday with her and very honored to play a role in this proud and sweet woman’s life.

Where Clinton and Trump Stand on Caregiving and Long-Term Care

What the candidates have said, or not said, on these vital topics

By Emily Gurnon for Next Avenue



Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

Credit: Instagram



(This is the fourth in a series of Next Avenue’s Election 2016 blog posts on where presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on key issues of interest to Americans over 50. The first article was about where they stand on Social Security. The second article was about health care and Medicare. The third article explored their views and policies on retirement security.)



Considering that Americans 65 and older are the demographic group most likely to vote, it is astounding how little the major parties’ presidential candidates have talked about two issues that loom so large in older adults’ lives: caregiving and long-term care.



About 34 million Americans provided unpaid care to an adult 50 or older in 2014, according to a 2015 report by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. Half of those so-called “informal” caregivers were caring for a parent or parent-in-law. And the impact of that caregiving on their pocketbooks is profound. About one in five said caregiving created a financial strain on them.



The availability and affordability of long-term care is another growing concern for the aging boomer population. About 8 million people received long-term care services in 2012, according to the Centers for the Disease Control. Those services those provide through home health care, nursing homes, assisted living centers, adult day centers and hospice care. Among people 65 or older, 69 percent will develop disabilities and 35 percent will enter a nursing home at some point, according to a 2007 Urban Institute study.



Hillary Clinton has more detailed plans on these topics, and has spoken more often and more in depth about them, than Donald Trump, who rarely mentioned them until his September 13 announcement of his child care and elder care proposals. Let’s drill down to explore further:

Social Security, Taxes and Caregiving


Clinton: As my colleague Richard Eisenberg wrote in his Next Avenue article about the candidates’ positions on Social Security, Clinton wants to increase Social Security benefits for people who take time off from their paying jobs for family caregiving duties. Currently, leaving the workforce can result in reduced Social Security retirement benefits, since they are based on earnings during your top 35 working years.



Clinton wants to change that. “Americans should receive credit toward their Social Security benefits when they are out of the paid workforce because they are acting as caregivers,” she told AARP.



Clinton also announced last year that she would invest in the “caring economy,” as reported by the Associated Press. She favors a new tax break for individuals caring for aging parents or grandparents. Under the proposal, a family caregiver would be able to deduct 20 percent of caregiving expenses, up to a total of $6,000. That would result in a total tax savings of up to $1,200. (The proposal would not apply to those taking care of a spouse, however.) “The lost wages and the work that is sometimes given up are costing families — especially women, who make up the majority of both paid and unpaid caregivers,” Clinton told AP.



Trump: Next Avenue could find no mentions by Trump of caregiving in general. But he responded to a question about Alzheimer’s at a campaign event by saying the disease is “a total top priority for me… That’s something that we should be working on and we can get an answer.” And his September 13 child care/elder care proposal said (on his website): “The ability to set aside funds for elder care is critically important because taking time off from working to care for elderly family members reduces a woman’s financial readiness for retirement, and can increase a woman’s risk of living in poverty in old age.”



His elder care proposal would allow a deduction of up to $5,000 per year for “elder care costs necessary to keep a family member working outside the home.” The costs could include home care or adult day care for elderly dependents when those expenses are needed to keep family members in the workforce.



Trump also proposed letting Americans open Dependent Care Savings Accounts of up to $2,000 a year, so they “can plan for future expenses relating to child and elder care.” Annual contributions and earnings on the account wouldn’t be taxed. The savings account funds could be used for “adult day care, in-home or long-term care services.”



One passage of the 2016 Republican Party platform refers to “homecare:” It says: “Our aging population must have access to safe and affordable care. Because most seniors desire to age at home, we will make homecare a priority in public policy and will implement programs to protect against elder abuse.” As for taxes, the Republican platform says, “We will be mindful of the burdens on families with children and the impact on an aging population. We will seek simplicity and clarity so that every taxpayer can understand how much of their income is consumed by the federal government.”

Respite Care for Caregivers


Clinton: She favors greatly increasing the amount the federal government spends on its Lifespan Respite Care program, which provides money to states to give family caregivers a temporary break. It spent $2 million in 2015, according to CNN. Obama asked for $5 million for 2016, and Clinton proposes increasing funding to $10 million a year.



Trump: We found no evidence of Trump commenting during the campaign on government-subsidized respite care for caregivers. However, he recorded a guest spot for an Alzheimer’s Foundation of America telethon in 2010 urging viewers to contribute to the foundation for its helpline, educational materials, hands-on care programs and “grants to families for respite care.”

Paid Family Leave for Caregivers


Clinton: Under the heading, “Supporting Working Families,” the Democratic Party platform states “…Democrats will make sure that the United States finally enacts national paid family and medical leave by passing a family and medical leave act that would provide all workers at least 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a new child or address a personal or family member’s serious health issue.



“Our work and family policies must also help family caregivers,” the platform continues. “We will ensure that family caregivers have the support, respite care, and training they need to support their loved ones. We will create a strong, stable, paid caregiving workforce to help meet families’ needs, by raising wages, improving access to training, and giving workers the opportunity to come together to make their voices heard in support of a stronger system. We will address the conditions that make it hard for workers with unpredictable or inflexible schedules to meet caregiving responsibilities… and support the millions of people paying for, coordinating, or providing care for aging relatives or those with disabilities.”



Trump: Fox Business Network’s Stuart Varney asked the Republican nominee last fall what Trump’s position was on paid family leave (he didn’t specify under what circumstances). Trump’s response: “Well, it’s something that’s being discussed. I think we have to keep our country very competitive, so you have to be careful of it, but certainly there are a lot of people discussing it.”



He has not talked specifically about paid leave for those taking care of older relatives, as far as Next Avenue could find.

Long-Term Care Costs


Other than the comments noted above, both candidates have been virtually silent on how to make the cost of long-term care more affordable for Americans.



Clinton: The Democratic nominee states in a fact sheet: “Hillary Clinton knows that as baby boomers age, more and more families will need to provide care for or will need care from loved ones. In fact, the number of Americans needing long-term care and support is projected to grow from about 12 million today to 27 million by 2050, and nearly 7 in 10 people turning age 65 will need long-term care at some point in life.” That’s why she has proposed the tax break for caregivers and the Social Security adjustment, the fact sheet says. But those would not affect the difficulties many families face in paying for other types of long-term care, such as assisted living centers and nursing homes.



The Democratic platform includes a section titled “Ensuring Long-Term Care, Services, and Supports” that is low on specifics. It reads: “Our country faces a long-term care crisis that prevents too many seniors and people with disabilities from being able to live with dignity at home or in their communities. The vast majority of people who are aging or living with a disability want to do so at home, but face challenges finding and affording the support they need to do so…. Democrats will take steps to strengthen and expand the home care workforce, give seniors and people with disabilities access to quality, affordable long-term care, services, and supports, and ensure that all of these resources are readily available at home or in the community.”



Trump: He has made no statements that Next Avenue could find regarding long-term care costs.



The Republican platform mentions the issue once, in the context of Medicaid — which pays for nursing home care for people who have exhausted their assets. The platform says: “As the dominant force in the health market with regard to long-term care, births, and persons with mental illness, [Medicaid] is the next frontier of welfare reform,” the platform says. “It is simply too big and too flawed to be administered from Washington.”



© Twin Cities Public Television – 2016. All rights reserved.

Parker Main Office: 1421 River Road Piscataway, NJ 08854   732.902.4200    © Parker Health Group, Inc.