Author: Aria Mikkola-Sears

Once you have come to terms with your diagnosis, it’s a big step to let others know. You can’t control their reactions, but you can help them learn more about your condition and how best to support you.

April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day. To honor the importance of advance planning, we present issues to consider when you appoint someone to make healthcare decisions for you should you become unable to voice your own wishes (a coma, dementia, under anesthesia during surgery). This person is known as your “healthcare power of attorney.”

If you want to make one last move to where you can receive all the levels of care you might need all in the same place, you may want to consider a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). From independent living with high-end amenities to assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing, it’s all available on a single campus.

If you don’t wish to remarry or live together, there is a growing trend of older adult couples keeping their respective homes while enjoying a romantically exclusive and intimate relationship. They are freed from expectations of domestic chores and eventual caregiving, yet enjoy more emotional support and companionship than if they were simply dating.

Medicare provides a yearly opportunity to address prevention and wellness with your doctor. These visits are 100 percent paid for by Medicare. But they are NOT the “annual physical” you were accustomed to in younger years. It’s wise to understand the difference.

We tend to think friendships should grow organically. They don’t. Particularly in our later years, when we often lose friends—to death, illness, or moving away—we need to be much more intentional about making new ones. …

When Medicare first began in 1965, the idea was that it was for everyone over age 65, not just those who were poor. There would be no stigma. Things are different now. We live longer. …

Imagine your life as a movie. If you are the director, an Aging Life Care Manager is your production manager. He or she is a deeply knowledgeable guide (usually a nurse, social worker, or allied …

It’s possible to “age in place” with paid caregivers and a mix-and-match of community services. Such one-on-one attention is one of the most expensive options. And finding caregivers can be challenging.

Seniors experience property crime thirteen times more often than violent crime. Burglary is the most common. (Interestingly, it typically occurs between noon and 4:00 pm!) The average loss is roughly $3,000, although that does not …