QUESTION: I keep hearing that our lifestyle can affect our memory. Can diet and exercise really help our memory and prevent dementia? ANSWER: I wish I had the perfect answer that by changing your diet and exercising more you could prevent dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease. Unfortunately, we still have no sure way to prevent or [...]

QUESTION : I always hear everyone talk about being grateful this time of year. Sometimes I just don’t feel so grateful though! My life has changed so much these past few years as I have gotten older and the holidays just aren’t the same as they used to be. How I can be more positive [...]

QUESTION: I am reading and hearing more and more about family caregivers and family caregiving. Do you have any facts or figures about this subject? ANSWER: You are hearing more and more about family caregiving and family caregivers because the need for this type of care is growing every day. During any given year one-third [...]

QUESTION: I am a caregiver for a family member and currently doing okay but I know in the future I will need to seek placement. What should I look for in selecting a facility? ANSWER: You are to be commended for looking into placement well in advance of when you are actually going to need [...]

QUESTION: My dad has always handled the finances and paperwork for the household. My mother has said she didn’t want the responsibility but now I am concerned about what will happen if something happens to my dad and then could no longer do it. Any suggestions as to how to get my mother involved? ANSWER: [...]

QUESTION: I have been told walking will help my physical problems. While I think walking a great exercise I am concerned with traffic and potential accidents. Do you have any hints on ways to reduce a chance of an accident? ANSWER: Pedestrian safety is very important because it affects each of us every time we [...]

QUESTION: Every day I seem to have a mailbox full of “invitations” to free seminars on living trusts and financial planning. I’m not really sure I need to be concerned with such topics, but if I do, would these seminars provide me with the information I need? ANSWER: This is an excellent question and one [...]

QUESTION: My mother has been in and out of hospitals for the past two years. She used her 100 days in a skilled nursing facility and now my father is paying the bill. She went back in the hospital for four days. I thought that if you were hospitalized and returned to a skilled nursing [...]

QUESTION: I recently applied for my Medicare benefits and soon after received a form to complete asking for information about employer’s health plans that I might be entitled to. Why would Medicare need such information? ANSWER: Medicare needs to know about other health care coverage in order to establish your benefits file and to determine [...]

QUESTION: If I remember correctly it is about this time of year that Medicare has its Annual Open Enrollment. Can you provide the dates and any information that would be helpful? ANSWER: Medicare Annual Open Enrollment will start on Tuesday October 15th and run through Saturday December 7th. During this period you can change the [...]