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Mapping Out Your Future
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There's nothing like a good map. When you're trying to get from Point A to Point B, facing multiple options and need to figure out which way is best for you to go, a map is what you can rely on. Maps help you even if you have to change your destination or how you get there due to unforeseen circumstances and changes. This month we would like to point you in the right direction and let you in on all of your options when it comes to senior care, health and wellness. We hope to help you with both the big and little decisions that affect your life, your health and your finances by alerting you to all the misconceptions and missteps that you need to know about when making decisions, because we are dedicated to keeping you safe, happy and informed.
Happy Reading!
The Gilbert Guide Team
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Reverse Mortgages Are Nothing to Be Afraid Of
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The first time I heard the term "reverse mortgage" was during a job interview. Sitting nervously, I was asked if I'd ever heard of a reverse mortgage. I responded that I hadn't. Now that I've educated myself on the product, I realize many of the seniors I've talked to have the same vacant reaction I'd once had to the term.
But that's not how it has to be. Reverse mortgages are not inherently complicated and scary, and it is my hope that this column will help make them easier to understand.
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Caregiving: Parenting Your Parents |
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How to Communicate with Elderly Parents
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 When you communicate with your elderly parents, do you ever think, "Maybe we're just not speaking the same language?" Or, "Why don't my senior parents understand? I only want to help, but there's just no talking to them."
We "kids," many of whom are aged 50 to 70 ourselves, are dealing with all kinds of parental challenges, especially if Mom or Dad still lives at home on their own. We can clearly see the problems—everything from financial struggles like paying high taxes on a large home, to yard, garden and home maintenance, to safety issues.
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Dust to Dust: How to Have a "Green" Burial
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 Everywhere you look these days, the word "green" is used to describe everything from kitty litter to building materials and with living green as the current rage it stands to reason we'd eventually get around to dying green, or the green burial, as well. And so we have.
Ten years ago the UK—who is far ahead of us on this—had five designated green cemeteries. Today there are more than 200. The United States is getting on board, with green cemeteries cropping up all over and some regular cemeteries starting to offer green burial options as well.
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How to Avoid Developing Bone Density Deficiency and Osteoporosis
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 Osteoporosis is a bone disease that is characterized by a decrease in bone mass, with decreased bone density and enlargement of bone spaces. Osteoporosis is also associated with porosity and fragility in the bone, which makes bones particularly susceptible to fractures.
Bones are a vital and renewable organ composed of a combination of minerals, soft tissue and bone marrow. The amount of minerals such as calcium and phosphorous we have to support the underlying soft tissue structure determines how strong our bones are. read more
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Brain Health, Memory Loss & Alzheimer's |
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Want to Know the Biggest Problem with Current Alzheimer's Disease Treatment?—It's Late Diagnosis
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 We all know about the obvious problems associated with Alzheimer's disease—but very few people know that late diagnosis is one of the biggest issues facing the public today. The media carries daily stories about the aging of the population structure (nearly 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 each day) and about how current medications seem to be minimally efficacious against this poorly understood disease.
Our inability to treat a disease that affects a burgeoning elderly population also makes for dire headlines. However, there is a third problem associated with Alzheimer's disease that seems to be commonly overlooked in this conversation.
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Should You Have Your Thyroid Checked?
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 In 1998, the American College of Physicians published guidelines on how and when the thyroid gland should be checked as part of the medical evaluation in patients who are not suspected as having thyroid conditions. These guidelines specify who should be screened for thyroid disease.
Patients with health problems of many kinds should undergo thyroid testing to rule out the thyroid as the cause of these problems. Of course, it is important to note that all the known findings in thyroid disease can also be associated with other diseases.
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