A Simple Request

Let's help make a WISH come true for a Boomer.  

Wish of a Lifetime is a program for senior citizens similar to the Make a Wish Program for kids.   Their mission is to inspire an entire generation and to create a cultural shift on how we view aging. They believe that growing older doesn't mean you have to stop dreaming and living a life of purpose.

By granting lifelong wishes to seniors who have overcome tremendous challenges in their own lives, the foundation is able to spread its inspirational stories of hope.
Wish of a Lifetime needs your help to fulfill the wish of a 70 year old who is in the end stages of COPD.   Tom Burgett has been fascinated by the vast diversity of cultures throughout our World.   Unfortunately, Tom’s ability to travel has become unfeasible given his current medical condition.

Whether your home or on vacation, why not take just a few minutes and brighten Tom's day with a postcard highlighting the culture, landscape or people of our world.  Send to:
 

 Wish of a Lifetime  
Attn: Tom Burgett
1821 Blake St. Suite 200
Denver, CO 80202

SO FAR:   785 Postcards from 65 countries and 47 states



Do you know a senior citizen with a special wish or need? If so, please contact WISH OF A LIFETIME program at:  http://seniorwish.org/

 

An Invitation

Don't you just love getting invited to a party or being asked to join a group of like-minded friends in a new adventure?  

     Normally, I do but this is one invitation I wasn't quite ready to get......one dictated solely by my age.   And it made me feel so old, because since I've hit that magic number -- 64.5 years of age --
I've been invited by the Federal Government to begin the MEDICARE application process.  

And what a process!!    Let's face it -- the Government sends out your notice 6 months in advance, because it takes that long just to review the complicated maze of paperwork. 

Parts A, B, C or D --- what do I really need? 
It's like trying to figure out a jigsaw puzzle with my eyes closed!   And I even have an advantage over other Boomers because as a retired Federal employee, I'm used to the terminology and their long-winded way of explaining a simple procedure.  Still I get a headache just reading through the Government brochures and the numerous private supplemental policy offerings I've been receiving daily in the mail.
One thing I know for sure - though it's expensive, I'm keeping my Anthem-Blue Cross Federal Plan as my supplemental coverage as many of the nationally offerred plans just don't cover enough.

And please be wary of those "FREE" supplemental plans.   That's right - FREE -  no monthly charge, but just how good could that be?     NOT MUCH!!
        I found this out the hard way recently when my 87-year old mother was hospitalized.   She'd been bragging for years about the free supplemental plan she had.   Well, I never could get her to change plans and her recent hospital stay cost her over $2,000 when it probably would have cost her ZERO had she been paying for a better supplemental plan.

If you're on MEDICARE and have any tips to effortlessly get through the process, please share them.

Some helpful websites: 
Medicare:   http://www.medicare.gov/
AARP:  http://www.aarphealthcare.com/understanding-health-products/medicare-supplement.html

Great Retirement, Great Sex!

Do I dare mention "sex" in the same sentence with retirement as it seems the younger generation think of us as shriveled up and half dead? 

 

Several studies have shown that instead of enjoying a blissful sex life in retirement, many Boomers find that stopping work is a depressing and demoralizing experience, resulting in a loss of confidence in both social situations and the bedroom.

 

But Mr. Gould busts right through many of the myths surrounding older-age sex and tackles the delicate issues of body image, sexual dysfunction, and overcoming the embarrassment of re-entering the dating field.    I especially liked Chapter 5, "The Magic Three", referring to your physical health, your mindset, and your sex life. 

 

Great Retirement, Great Sex  will take you through the pleasures and pitfalls of life after work, showing you how to plot a more satisfying, joyful course for retirement.   Check out his BLOG at: http://greatretirementgreatsex.blogspot.com/ 

 

For more info:   http://www.amazon.com/Great-Retirement-Sex-retire-Volume/dp/0985333006

 

At the End of your Rope

then tie a knot and hang on! 

Dear Readers --- I'm back! 
I last wrote in March on "Who's your Support Team?" and how ironic as exactly 2 weeks later I was thrown into the hospital with heart trouble, resulting in a transradial angiogram.

I am not qualified to offer medical advice, so I'm speaking strictly from my, the patient's, perspective........BUT please get a second opinion for any major medical procedure or surgery.   I was in a very vulnerable state in the hospital and allowed the doctor and nurses to convince me that the 'wrist' angiogram was much safer than the 'femoral' approach and that I needed it immediately.

At first, everything seemed OK especially since I was thrilled to find out I have clean arteries, but within a few days I had a total blockage of the radial artery resulting in a massive blood clot in my right arm.   I was immediately rehospitalized facing a possible heart attack and the loss of the use of my right hand.    I was a basket case!    I just didn't know how I could handle all this having just had knee surgery 2 months before.  Then, when released I had medical treatments I wasn't sure I could endure, but thank God I'm back and feeling about 95% well. 

So, if you're currently facing a medical crisis, I just want to encourage you, that when you're at the 'end of your rope', to keep pushing on.    It's never easy to find that inner strength or ask for help, but know who you can rely on and ask for their help; then use whatever techniques you need to reduce your stress (I listen to Yanni and watch funny movies); and realize that you can survive this period!