The Shadow – Death House Rescue

From September 26, 1937 – The Shadow in “Death House Rescue”.

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This is the earliest episode of The Shadow in our collection. You can either listen to the show on the player above, or you can DOWNLOAD the mp3 onto your own computer by right-clicking the “DOWNLOAD” link and selecting “Save As”.

If you would like to get some more information about our Old Time Radio shows, including a listing of the programs in our vault, Click Here.

We hope you enjoy it.

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State Farm Wants to Quit Florida

State Farm, Florida’s largest private insurer, wants to quit the market for homeowners’ insurance.  In a plan announced Tuesday, State Farm proposes to exit the market within two years.

State Farm claims that they can no longer operate in the Florida home market profitably.  The state’s Office of Insurance Regulation has refused State Farm’s last request for a 47% average rate increase.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was quite stern in his reply to the announcement:

“They probably charged about the highest rates in the state anyway,”
Crist said. “I think that Floridians will be much better off without
them.”

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Medicare Increases Cancer Drug Coverage

Medicare is now willing to pay for “off-label” cancer drug treatments.  While sure to increase Medicare spending, and cause a certain amount of controversy, Medicare will now pay for treatment using drugs that have received FDA approval – but not for use as a cancer treatment.

“In some instances … the medical community may have scientific
evidence that supports using a drug to treat a disease even if the
drug’s FDA-approved label does not include those clinical conditions,”
Medicare explained in a June 5 news release describing the policy.

Oncologists appear to strongly support the new rules, which went in to effect this past autum.  While “off-label” prescribing has been a standard practice for some time, not all groups are supportive:

“I’m not sure I would say it’s a bad thing, but I think it was
ill-advised and needs to be re-evaluated,” said Steven Findlay, a
health policy analyst for Consumers Union, publishers of Consumer
Reports. “We think it’s better to be cautious. Evidence shows that some
of these drugs extend life by a very small amount and at great cost.”

Medicare notes it is not obligated to pay for the treatments.  Physicians must still provide evidence the treatments are “reasonable and necessary”.

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Time to Retire? … or Just Rethink

Baby Boomers are often referred to as “the lump in the snake” when describing their effect on the economy. And right now, that lump is nearing retirement, taking with it an enormous amount of experience, wisdom and time-tested street smarts. “Companies could lose everyone who remembers how they handled the last economic downturn,” said Alison Sander, in a recent New York Times feature on retirement.

On the other side of the issue, boomers approaching retirement age may not be prepared, mentally or physically, to simply walk off the job and into retirement. Between the declining value of the dollar and unstable economy, the expense of individual health insurance and lengthening life spans, many potential retirees find themselves at retirement age unready, unwilling or unable to quit.

If you’re facing this dilemma, what are your options? What things do you need to consider?

[Read more]

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Watch Out for Those Scams!

Unfortunately, scams will always be with us.  As the recent Madoff scandal has proven, even old, well known scams like the Ponzi scheme are still around in one shape or another.  Because of the relative wealth of our current boomers and seniors, we are prime targets of today’s con artists.

Because we’re prime targets, we need to be even more vigilant.

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Ole! Seniors Choosing Assisted Living in Mexico

As millions of baby boomers reach retirement age and U.S. health care costs soar, Mexican nursing home managers expect more American seniors to head south in coming years.

Mexico’s proximity to the USA, low labor costs and warm climate make it attractive, although residents caution that quality of care varies greatly in an industry that is just getting off the ground there.

Here’s more:

After Jean Douglas turned 70, she realized she couldn’t take care of herself anymore. Her knees were giving out, and winters in Bandon, Oregon, were getting harder to

bear alone. Douglas was shocked by the high cost and impersonal care at assisted living facilities near her home. After searching the Internet for other options, she joined a small but steadily growing number of Americans who are moving across the border to nursing homes in Mexico, where the sun is bright and the living is cheap.

For $1,300 a month–a quarter of what an average nursing home costs in Oregon–Douglas gets a studio apartment, three meals a day, laundry and cleaning service, and 24-hour care from an attentive staff, many of whom speak English. She wakes up every morning next to a glimmering mountain lake, and the average annual high temperature is a toasty 79 degrees. “It is paradise,” says Douglas, 74. “If you need help living or coping, this is the place to be. I don’t know that there is such a thing back (in the USA), and certainly not for this amount of money.”

[Read more]

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Preventing Falls in the Home

Yes, we’ve all seen the commercial.  In fact, we’ve heard the lady cry, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” so many times that it’s become a cliche.  Unfortunately, fall in the home are still a leading form of injury among seniors.

Here’s a video that discusses things that you can do in your own home to help prevent falls:

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Bathroom Design Tips

As we get older we find that we can use a little help, particularly in the bathroom.  Here are few ideas for your bathroom to help prevent injury AND to just make things a little easier.

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Traveling Seniors Get Great Discounts

Seniors and baby-boomers are  unique compared to their predecessors of less than ten years ago.  They are more affluent and in many cases as healthy and strong as they were in their 30’s. They are  able and more willing to do things they could not do in their young adult lives or while raising a family. One of those things is traveling.  They travel to many places that are a far reach from their reality. They travel  to places that are the source of their being. The destinations are limitless. Some seniors and baby-boomers prefer the convenience of travel agencies.
[Read more]

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Baby Boomers and Retirement!

In a recent press release on “The New Retirement Survey”- James P. Gorman, president of Merrill Lynch Global Private Client Group relayed a couple of interesting finding on baby boomers and their impending retirement.

Mr. Gordon said, “Baby boomers fundamentally will reinvent retirement. With boomers living longer and remaining engaged and employed beyond age 65, many of the traditional financial assumptions regarding retirement need to be re-examined”.

Interesting points that emerged from the survey were:
[Read more]

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The Senior Housing Industry Today

Note from the Editors of Active Senior Online -  Although Wayne Kaplan wrote this article almost one year ago, much of what he predicted has come true.  We can most probably look forward to more of what Mr. Kaplan predicts.  Whether you are an investor, a consumer, or a potential consumer of Senior Housing, Mr. Kaplan’s words should be relevant.

The Industry Today

The U.S. is in fear of a deep recession, the stock market is tanking, home prices are plummeting, unemployment is rising, retail sales are tumbling, demand for commodities is sinking, bank earnings keep falling, and consumer confidence is shaky at best. The disconnect between the seniors housing buyer and seller in today’s market continues to be fairly wide and there is apprehension on both sides of the table that didn’t exist a year or two ago. Is all lost in the seniors housing industry?

NO.  The demographics are still strong and are getting stronger. Also, there will be fewer new entrants to the industry, new construction will be scaled back and therefore there will be less competition in the coming years. As a result, good operators will go forth and prosper. The industry will periodically experience significant challenges just as it always has, including financial bubbles much like the one whose collapse is plaguing us now. In this slow acquisitions market, the few transactions that are getting done are either small, at a low price, or both.  However, the increasing size of the senior population will intensify demand for senior housing opportunities in the future, making current senior living communities even more valuable.

[Read more]

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Wisdom of the Seniors

We have often heard adults make the statement “if I only knew then what I know now…” Perhaps it doesn’t have so much to do with our knowledge but with the way an older person’s brain processes the ups and downs of life. Researchers believe that older people respond differently to their negative feelings than persons of a younger generation. Researchers are discovering that an older person will not respond as strongly to life’s negative aspects.

An interesting study was carried out where older women and younger ones were shown a series of images. These images were a combination of photos to stimulate a positive, neutral or negative response. The younger women were around 25 years old while the older ladies averaged 70 years. At a later date the women were tested to see which photos they remembered. Both groups showed the tendency to remember the negative photos, but interestingly a significant amount of the older women recalled fewer of them than the younger subjects in the study. It was concluded that the older women have an ability to suppress the way they process the information. The possibility exists that they may prefer to center on more positive information and downplay the negatives. There are several theories as to why this happens.
[Read more]

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Hey Boomers – Here Is Some Travel Advice Just For You

If you were born between the end of World War II and the beginning of the Vietnam War, you are a Baby Boomer. Some Boomers have taken early retirement already, and others are on the verge of this new chapter in their lives. ‘Travel’ is at the top of the list for many.

Planning Your Trip

Your travel itinerary should be part of a careful process. Plan a holiday with plenty of ‘you’ time. You should finish every vacation feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.

Baby Boomers are generally quite fit when compared to our ancestors. However, increasing numbers of obese or overweight adults are plagued with bad backs, high cholesterol levels, and fragile knee joints.
[Read more]

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Ten Great Web Sites for Boomers and Seniors

I’ve researched thousands of web sites on my quest to find reliable and age-relevant resources for Boomers and seniors. I know how difficult it can be to find information on the net that’s accurate, trustworthy, user-friendly, and relevant to our 50something lifestyle. I’m committed to helping Baby Boomers and seniors discover the best content on the net, and I would never endorse a site that I wouldn’t use myself.

• FamilyDoctor.org -  In addition to providing clear and concise senior health information, this site features a user-friendly format that’s easy to read.

• FootSmart.com -  From the company that provides “smarter, better products for lower body health,” this user-friendly site allows Boomers to shop by brand, style, or by health condition.

[Read more]

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How Has Increased Life Expectancy Changed Aging?

Author Lilian Rubin discusses the impact of our increased life expectancy on aging; not only the impact us, but how it has impacted our children and society in general.

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Fran Drescher Discusses Her Battle With Cancer

Actress Fran Drescher, best remembered for her long running TV series The Nanny, discusses her winning battle against cancer as well as her fight to help others overcome adversity.  courtesy of AARP TV

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iPod Hearing Loss Protection for Boomers: Five HearPod Solutions

Since their debut in the marketplace, iPods have revolutionized the way we listen to music. iPod hard drives store up to 300 hours of music, batteries last for 12 hours, and the volume can be cranked up to 120 decibels. That’s louder than a chain saw or pneumatic drill, and equivalent to a jet plane taking off! But iPod fans are being warned to turn their music down. Even manufacturer, Apple, includes a cautionary note with every iPod, warning, “permanent hearing loss may occur if earphones or headphones are used at high volume.”

Currently, 16 million baby boomers have hearing loss and the number is expected to surge to 78 million by 2030. Amazingly, nearly three-quarters of them admit that they have never visited a doctor or hearing health specialist to have a hearing test. In spite of this lack of concern, there are more boomers aged 46 to 64 with hearing loss than seniors over the age of 65 with the same condition, and hearing loss among baby boomers is 26 percent more common than in previous generations.
[Read more]

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Caregiving Tips for Boomers: 5 Tips for Decreasing the Cost of Caring for Elderly Parents

Over 30 million Baby Boomers provide countless hours of assistance to elderly parents at no charge. It is estimated that, using average hourly wages, the total amount of this uncompensated care is comparable to the entire Medicare budget. For the estimated 7 million Boomers who provide long distance care, actual out of pocket expenses amount to almost $5,000 per month. For caregivers who have, or are considering leaving the workforce to care for an ailing parent, the costs are even greater – over $650,000 in forfeited salaries, benefits and pensions.

This stark economic reality shows only one dimension of the price caregivers pay for this act of love.

Caregivers pay with losses that extend well beyond their bank accounts. They often forego the activities that bring joy and richness to their lives, like meeting friends for dinner, or going out to the movies or taking family vacations. They pay with their time, the loss of professional opportunities and the erosion of personal relationships that result in isolation.

Sometimes, otherwise healthy loved ones need a short dose of care as they recover from an acute medical episode like a broken leg. Usually loved ones are on a path of steady decline with cascading assistance needs. Some caregivers sacrifice large chunks of their own lives as they help their parents and other family members and friends peacefully make their transitions. Caregivers can pay with their own health and well-being. In fact, we have evidence that some caregivers pay for their acts of care with their very lives.

You can decrease the personal and economic costs of caregiving. This means proactive planning rather than reactive responding. Planning saves money. You know this as you reflect upon your experiences of going to the grocery store with and without a shopping list. Planning also minimizes personal wear and tear and decreases stress. You will feel much better when you know your options and develop back-up plans before you jump into a challenging project.

5 Tips to Decrease the Cost of Caregiving:

1. Begin the conversation today. We have tremendous cultural resistance to the recognition of aging, disability and death. Just as the first few steps uphill are the hardest, so, too, you may meet the greatest resistance simply starting the conversation about their possible need for care. Say today, “Mom and Dad, it would be great if you lived forever, but the discovery for the fountain of youth is nowhere on the horizon. What thoughts and plans do you have about enjoying your golden years?”

2. Create a plan. Talk with your parents about their ideal plan if they are no longer able to care for themselves. Then, start to work toward that proactively. Investigate long-term care insurance. Draw up the appropriate legal documents. Find out who would make medical choices if they were not able to make them on their own, along with some guiding principles for the choices. You can anticipate and limit parental resistance by saying, “Mom and Dad, I just got back from the lawyer’s office signing my will and durable medical power of attorney. I’ve asked Mitch to make my medical choices if I cannot make them myself. Just so you know, if I were in vegetative state, I wouldn’t want to be maintained on a machine. You probably already planned ahead too, right?”

3. Use personal and community resources. Make caregiving a family job to which each member contributes. Even children can make grandma’s life special with drawings and phone calls. Identify services that make your job as a caregiver easier. If you and your parents live in the same community, check with friends and neighbors and local organizations to learn about services and resources that will make your job easier. You say, “Mom has just moved in with us, and she wants to ‘find a card game with the girls.’ Do you know of any senior centers that have social events? How about transportation?”

We’re a mobile society and millions of caregivers live more than an hour away from their parents. Executive William Gillis learned from his own personal experience how challenging it is to identify community resources from afar. As he was carving the path that ultimately led his on-line portfolio management service, he became the caregiver for his father. Talk about mixed emotions! Professionally, he was introducing a service that let millions manage their investments with one click of a computer mouse. Personally, he was investing untold hours just to find one bit of information to help his dad.”

As with so many innovators, he used his personal and professional experience to launch Parent Care (www.parents-care.com), a service that he wished would have made his life as a caregiver-at-a-distance easier.

4. Gather cost-savings tips. This might mean something as simple as ordering generic medication or regularly inquiring about senior discounts. But, most cost savings opportunities aren’t as obvious. Mr. Gillis found, for example, that some states will pay for phones for hearing, visually or mobility limited seniors or fund home safety improvements. He said, “We’ve invested heavily to locate time and money saving resources that most would have difficulty finding. I made it a personal mission to help other caregivers avoid some of the costs and frustration I encountered.” You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Tap into the resources others have collected.

5. Take care of yourself. You will be able to provide the best care as a caregiver when you’re at your best. Get good nutrition, enough sleep and regular exercise. Manage your stress and do a little something every day to nurture your soul. Understand that you are at increased risk for anxiety, depression, and weakening your immune system. Talk to your doctor if you see worrisome signs such as problems sleeping, changes in appetite or loss of interest in activities you enjoy.

Despite the costs, most caregivers say that they received much more than they gave. Most say they would do it again, and many do.

Sometimes the question is not the personal cost of caregiving; it’s the value that you bring to the lives of others that matter at the end. What personal cost are you willing to pay for the privilege of helping those who welcomed you into the world to enjoy their golden years and travel the road of illness with love and dignity?

About the Author:
Dr. Vicki Rackner is a board-certified surgeon and Clinical Instructor at the University of Washington School of Medicine who left the operating room to help caregivers and patients take the most direct path from illness to optimal health. Want more tips about caregiving? Get your free report “Caring for the Caregiver” by emailing Dr. Vicki Rackner today at DrVicki@DrVicki.org and be sure to check out her regular column with the Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Group’s new caregiver web site http://www.strengthforcaring.com

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Booming Kitchen Cabinets For Baby Boomers

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent estimates, there are 78.2 million Baby Boomers in the United States. This generation, which represents individuals who were born between the years 1946 and 1964, comprises such a large percentage of the consuming public that their spending habits and lifestyles have a powerful influence on the economy.

Setting the current state of the economy aside, as they approach retirement age, Baby Boomers tend to have more disposable income than their other generational counterparts. Indeed, SeniorJournal.com claims that “the estimated annual spending power of the Baby Boomers is more than $2 trillion.” What is this generation spending all that money on? “Older Boomers (born 1946-55), many of whom are empty nesters, put their money into upgrading their homes,” adds Senior Journal.
[Read more]

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Burns & Allen – Gracie Plays Sadie Thompson

From January 15, 1936 – George Burns and Gracie Allen in “Gracie Plays Sadie Thompson”.

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This is the earliest Burns & Allen show in our collection with decent audio quality.  You can either listen to the show on the player above, or you can DOWNLOAD the mp3 onto your own computer by right-clicking the “DOWNLOAD” link and selecting “Save As”. [Read more]

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