Monthly Archives: December, 2019

If you are a senior driver, take an online defensive driving course – AAA

By berkslancasterlebanonlink on December 30, 2019 | Leave a comment

Take an Online Defensive Driving Course

AAA’s Roadwise™, a senior defensive driving program is an online course designed to positively affect driving behavior and help you learn about and adjust to age-related physical changes. It can be taken online in the comfort of your home or wherever you have an Internet connection. The course covers topics like:

Extending Your Safe Driving Career
Distractions, Drowsiness, Aggressive Driving & Road Rage
Managing Visibility, Time & Space
Alcohol & Medications
Comfort & Safety Tips

AAA members, check with your local club for special benefits or discounts on the course. Automobile insurance discounts also may apply upon course completion, check with your insurance provider for details.

Educational offerings are not available in all areas. Contact your local AAA club for more information.

Raodwise

“Medications have both intended and unintended effects on your body, and these effects change based on the other medications that you’re taking and the foods that you eat. Not only does that affect how you feel, many of these effects can also impact your ability to safely drive.

“Roadwise Rx is a tool designed to help you learn more about your medications and how they may affect your driving.

“Any information that you enter in this tool is completely confidential and cannot be viewed by any other party.”

Posted in: Aging, Education, Events & Actvities

“1040-SR: The New Tax Return Form for Seniors” – The Balance

By berkslancasterlebanonlink on December 30, 2019 | Leave a comment

Here’s what senior citizens should know about the new tax form.

1040-SR

“Lawmakers have been trying for years to cut seniors a bit of a break at tax time, and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 finally took a solid step in that direction by simplifying tax filing for individuals aged 65 and older. They’ll now have their own tax form, the 1040-SR.

It’s said to be similar to the 1040-EZ in several ways and much easier to negotiate than Form 1040. The tax form was first proposed in 2013 as part of the Seniors Tax Reconciliation Act. The AARP, the National Taxpayers Union, and the Association of Mature Americans all supported the bill. Alas, it never won the approval of the Senate.

Continue reading this article at the balance, click here.

Posted in: Aging, Money

“Careers & Degrees in Healthcare: A Guide for Students with Disabilities”

By berkslancasterlebanonlink on December 28, 2019 | Leave a comment

person in front of laptop

Healthcare can be a great career path for individuals with disabilities as they can provide valuable perspectives and experiences that directly benefit patients. However, they also face many unique challenges in school and later as professionals, and it can be difficult to know where to turn for quality information.

To help, EduMed produced a comprehensive guidebook that addresses these challenges, gives students career recommendations that accommodate their disabilities, helps explain their rights under the ADA, and much more. You can read the entire guide at the link below.

Careers & Degrees in Healthcare: Guide for Students with Disabilities

EduMed knows that higher education can be the ticket to a rewarding career in medical and health. We also know that every student needs different things when it comes to education, whether a fully online program to maximize flexibility or help finding and securing financial aid or scholarships. To get students moving in the right direction, we work with hundreds of healthcare and higher education experts to provide well-researched and user-friendly content, from detailed school rankings of schools and programs to interviews with online program leaders at colleges and universities across the country. Learn how EduMed can help you succeed.

SOURCE: provided

Posted in: Disabilitiies, Education, Healthcare, Uncategorized

OPINION| “We’re Getting Old, but We’re Not Doing Anything About It” – The New York Times

By berkslancasterlebanonlink on December 24, 2019 | Leave a comment

“Like climate change, the aging of America demands a serious rethinking of the way we live.”

getting older “Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The New York Times”

by Sysan Jacoby

“One of the paradoxes of this presidential campaign is that while many of the candidates are in their eighth decade of life, fundamental issues associated with the aging of American society are still receiving relatively little attention from the public, the press and politicians themselves. In 2031, the oldest baby boomers will turn 85, entering the land of the ‘old old’ and facing exponentially higher risk for dementia, serious physical disabilities and long-term dependency.

“Like climate change, the aging of America demands serious reconsideration of the way we live. Confronting the issue and its many implications, from Medicare’s failure to cover long-term care to the ethics of physician-assisted dying, requires what seems to be the most difficult task for human beings — thinking about the future.

“In November, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that the birthrate among women of childbearing age had dropped to a record low, continuing a sharp decline in births that began around the financial crisis of 2008. At the same time, The Journal of the American Medical Association reported an increased death rate in the 25- to 64-year-old age group, with the main causes thought to be opioid overdoses, alcoholism and suicide.”

Continue reading this New York Times opinion piece, click here.

Posted in: Aging, Caregiving, Health

How popular is your name? Believe it or not the Social Security Administration has this information.

By berkslancasterlebanonlink on December 20, 2019 | Leave a comment

popular names

What were the most popular names when you were born?

Top 5 Names in Each of the Last 100 Years

The following table shows the five most frequent given names for male and female babies born in each year 1919-2018. Over the last 100 years, the male name Michael has held the top spot most often (44 times), while the female name Mary has been ranked number one 37 times over those years.

Click here to see that list.

Click here to see the top names list for each decade back to the 1880s.

Click here to see the top names list for by state.

Posted in: Uncategorized

Grandparents raising grandchildren: unanticipated new roles for many.

By berkslancasterlebanonlink on December 20, 2019 | Leave a comment

“… grandparents who are thrust back into the role of parents, their duties include instilling discipline, enforcing the rules, and, of course, paying the bills to feed, clothe, and shelter the children, who now depend on them for stability and security. It’s a lot to ask, especially as many grandparents have already retired and live on a limited budget.”

This is a tall order, yet it’s happening across the nation. This Boston Globe article, “A grandmother takes on an all too familiar role as the primary caregiver for her granddaughter,” is just one story that shows just how tough it is.

grandparents

The number of grandfamilies in America has been growing and Generations United expects that to continue. Some of this is due to the population increase of older adults, but a lot has to do with poverty, substance abuse (especially during the current opioid epidemic), the death of a grandchild’s parent and extended military deployment.
Read more at this next avenue article.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Aging has this to say:

“Significant life changes occur when a grandparent or relative assumes care of a child. It can be challenging emotionally, legally, and financially. Children may also experience emotional or behavioral issues and require additional support. Connecting with related caregivers of children in similar situations often offers support.

“Contact your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) to find out if any support groups for grandparents or relatives raising children are available in your area. Some additional resources are provided below.”

“Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: No matter how much you love your grandkids, raising them comes with many challenges as well as rewards. These guidelines can help you succeed at parenting the second time around.” – HelpGuide.org

Posted in: Uncategorized

If you’re a person with a disability | Help test a voting system for use in Pennsylvania

By berkslancasterlebanonlink on December 18, 2019 | Leave a comment

help test a voting system

Posted in: Disabilitiies, Uncategorized

“Death Cafes let participants explore end-of-life questions” – The Blade

By berkslancasterlebanonlink on December 17, 2019 | Leave a comment

by Nicki Gorny | The Blade, Toledo, OH

“Where would you like to die?

“In a hospital or at home? Perhaps in the course of doing something you love?

“And what do you think happens when you die? Angel choirs or a great big nothing?

“How do you feel about hospice? About social media announcements of a loved one’s death? Would you want someone to eulogize you on Facebook or Twitter? Would you want them to keep it off the Internet? Or would it not matter to you at all because … well, you’re dead?”

Continue reading this article at The Blade, click here.

Discover what Death Cafes are all about. The Pennsylvania Link to Aging and Disability Resources | Berks-Lancaster-Lebanon Service Area has Death Cafes scheduled for each of our counties for early 2020.

Lancaster County on Saturday, January 18 at the Manheim Township Public Library

Lebanon County on Saturday, January 25 at the Lebanon Community Library

Berks County on February 15 at the Cramp-Hummel Funeral Home in Reading

Come out to a Death Cafe near you to learn more about living and dying. And why Death Cafes have become such popular events.

Posted in: End-of-life issues

“Frail Older Patients Struggle After Even Minor Operations” – The New York Times

By berkslancasterlebanonlink on December 14, 2019 | Leave a comment

These patients are not aware of the true risks, and surgeons aren’t telling them, new research suggests.

older surgery James Steinberg

by Paula Span

“The patient, a man in his 70s, had abdominal pain serious enough to send him to a VA Pittsburgh Healthcare hospital. Doctors there found the culprit: a gallstone had inflamed his pancreas.

“Dr. Daniel Hall, a surgeon who met with the patient, explained that pancreatitis can be fairly mild, as in this case, or severe enough to cause death. Recovery usually requires five to seven days, some of them in a hospital, during which the stone passes or a doctor uses a flexible scope to remove the blockage.

“But ‘because it can be life-threatening, after patients recover, we usually take out the gall bladder to prevent its happening again,’ Dr. Hall said.”

Read this article in its entirety at The New York Times.

Posted in: Aging, Health, Healthcare, Uncategorized

Berks – Lancaster – Lebanon LINK Service Area