Hands to Help Seniors

Recovering from a major surgery can be a long and arduous road.  Many physicians are now abandoning the traditional heavy IV fluids, powerful narcotics and bed rest as a growing body of research is showing that this type of routine can do more harm than good.  There is now a new method called “enhanced recovery” which was developed in Europe and is starting to roll out more widely in the U.S.  With traditional recovery methods patients can remain in the hospital or recovery centers for 10 days or more with complication rates of up to 48%, according to research from the Duke University School of Medicine.  With enhanced recovery protocols, patients get a carbohydrate-loaded drink fortified with electrolytes, minerals and vitamins two or three hours prior to surgery instead of the traditional fasting.  They are given nonnarcotic painkillers and epidurals and get only necessary levels of IV fluid during surgery.  Soon after surgery, they are able to eat solid food and are discharged within a short period of time with careful instructions for home care.  A study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that using this new method on colorectal-surgery patients reduced the length of hospital stays by an average of 2.2 days.  Talk to your surgeon about this new method if you are about to have surgery.  if you need in-home help, please call our Platinum Sponsor Alliance Home Health at 455-8901.

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A new study found that when a diabetic is diagnosed with cancer, their blood glucose monitoring often goes out the window as they worry about the more deadly disease they’ve been diagnosed with.  Researchers found that at the time of cancer diagnosis, there was a 6% drop in diabetes medication use in diabetic cancer patients compared with diabetes without cancer.  Although it can be difficult struggling with multiple diseases at the same time, don’t let it get you down and don’t stop taking your meds.

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A new study by AARP has found that those in the 65-74 age group have fared better than other economic groups since the recession.  The median assets of people aged 65-74 doubled between 1989 and 2013, a far greater gain than other groups experienced.  Many senior citizens aren't having an easy time, and one of the biggest challenges is that people are living longer so they need to make their retirement funds stretch.  This sometimes requires working well past they had planned to.  In the late 1990's, only one in five Americans in their 60's had a job.  That has since risen to one in three.  Working into your late 60's does have its benefits.  If you can afford to work longer, every year you postpone retirement increases your payment by 8% (up to the age of 70).

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Despite the rebound in the stock market, wages have been stagnant for many workers which is causing those hiring to have to raise wages and hire employees from the competition.  Many older workers are having to support kids who lost jobs during the recession and are afraid to seek new employment for fear they may not last in a new environment.  Recent statistics show that in 2011, three times the number of older home owners who were retiring still had a mortgage compared with 2001.  About 6.1 million homeowners aged 65 and older were paying a mortgage in 2011, up from 3.8 million a decade before.  Although there is no easy solution to the problem, industry experts are saying that interest rates are so low it's probably not a huge problem as long as you budget properly for retirement.

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Many military retirees forget how complicated the tax system can be in the U.S. after serving overseas.  The IRS says that almost half of the unpaid taxes that are owed by current and retired federal employees at tax time are owed by retired military.  When retiring from the military, you need to fill out a form W-4P which tells the Defense Finance and Accounting Service how much tax you want withheld from your retirement pay.  Many employees underestimate this and end up owing interest and penalties.  To find out what a logical amount to have withheld is, go to www.kiplinger.com/links/retireetaxmap.  If you decide that you need to change your withholding, call 1-800-321-1080 or if you have an online account you can change it at https://mypay.dfas.mil.

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