Physicians often grade our health by looking at a variety of test numbers and screening results. Even more so the older you get. Blood pressure measures the heart, while it’s working and at rest. Pulse measures the number of times your heart beats per minute (BPM). Body mass index is a ratio of how much you weigh compared with how tall you are. And then there is cholesterol.

While most seniors have routine bloodwork to determine cholesterol, some of us aren’t quite sure what these numbers mean and why they matter. Even health care professionals don’t necessarily agree on what cholesterol numbers should be, and how they affect our overall health. So, it’s no surprise older adults are confused.

Experts from Harvard Medical School say an overall cholesterol score of 200 or less places you in the healthy category. If your numbers total between 200–239, it’s considered to be a borderline score that is a cause for concern and needs to be addressed. Once you hit a score of 240 or greater, your physician will likely say you have high cholesterol.

There are two different types of cholesterol that contribute to your overall score:

HDL: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol or HDL is the good form of cholesterol. This is one score where higher is better. An HDL score over 60 is believed to protect you from heart disease, while a score of 40 or less puts you at risk for cardiac problems.

LDL: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is often referred to as the lousy cholesterol. Lower scores are better. Too much LDL can cause blood vessels in the heart to clog. Physicians generally want patients to keep their LDL at 100 or less. (This number was revised in 2013 from a previous recommendation of 70.)

Another type of blood testing often done during a cholesterol screening measures triglycerides. They are a type of fat found in the blood. Some triglycerides are necessary for maintaining heart health, but too much can put you at risk for heart disease. The normal range for triglycerides is considered to be 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or less.

How Often Should You Have a Cholesterol Test?

Experts typically recommend anyone over the age of 20 be screened. Testing should be repeated every 4 to 6 years, unless you fall into a high-risk category. Here are some factors that may contribute to an individual being high-risk:

Family history of cardiac disease or stroke

Most physicians require patients fast for at least 9 hours prior to having a blood test to measure their cholesterol and triglycerides.

The bottom line is to work closely with a trusted physician to help screen and manage your numbers. Undetected or untreated, high cholesterol can put you at high risk for not only a heart attack, but a stroke too. Strokes are a leading cause of disability in America. Act FAST: Warning Signs of a Stroke is an article that offers insight about strokes, as well as an easy-to-remember acronym for recognizing the warning signs.

If you or a loved one live with heart disease or high cholesterol, it might be beneficial to invest in a mobile emergency alert device. It will allow you to summon help in the event of a medical crisis. Call 1-844-203-5617 to learn more.

Do you know how to interpret your cholesterol results or why it’s important to be screened? This information explains both.

Understanding Cholesterol Screening Results

Older adults might feel like they are frequent targets of financial scams, and they’d be right. According to research published in the American Journal of Public Health, 1 in 18 seniors falls victim to these scams each year. Some believe the numbers might be significantly higher, as many people are too embarrassed to admit what happened to them.

Many criminals think seniors are more vulnerable than other age groups, so they seek out neighborhoods with greater numbers of older adults. Door-to-door scams are common and usually increase during the warmer months of the year.

Why Financial Scammers Target Older Adults

According to the FBI, scammers target older adults for a variety of reasons. A few of the most common include:

Financially stable: Older adults are considered to be in a stronger financial position than younger people, such as a home without a mortgage, a car, good credit, and investments.

Home during daytime: Retired seniors are more likely to be home during the daytime, when scammers typically come calling.

Trusting by nature: Those who came of age before the internet are believed to be a trusting generation more likely to fall for scammers’ lies.

Perceived health challenges: Criminals might also think older adults are more likely to have medical issues that prevent them from stopping a crime or remembering the details afterward.

Embarrassment: Scammers count on older adults being too embarrassed to report being the victim of a crime like this. And it’s true that many seniors think telling their adult children what happened will affect their ability to live on their own.

One way to protect yourself or an aging loved one is to learn more about the most common types of summer scams against seniors.

One type of fraud older adults need to be mindful of is a fake contractor saying he’s “working in the neighborhood.” They’ll often offer a senior what sounds like too-good-to-be-true pricing, justifying it by saying they already have a job in progress nearby. Once the victim pays the deposit, the fraudulent contractor disappears and the work is never completed.

Another ploy criminals frequently use is playing on a senior’s sympathies. One way they do that is through promoting fake fundraisers. They might even use unsuspecting children or teenagers in their scam, such as paying them to go door-to-door selling items like magazines or candy. The kids will ask the senior to pay up front, but the product never arrives.

Finally, be on guard for people looking for reasons to gain entry to your or a senior’s home. They may pose as a utility worker claiming there is a gas leak in the neighborhood and they need to check your connection. Or they might claim to be conducting a free energy audit to help local seniors save money. Whatever their excuse, their goal is to gain access to the home. They might steal from you at the time of entry or come back later to rob the house.

One final suggestion is to keep your eyes and ears open for new types of scams. Pay attention to your local news. It’s often a good source of information on what types of fraud are occurring in your community. If you are on Facebook, follow your local police or sheriff’s department. Those organizations often post this type of information on their Facebook page.

If you found this article of interest, we encourage you to bookmark the Life Protect 24/7 blog and visit again soon. We share weekly updates on senior care, healthy aging, caregiving, and more!

Older adults are targets of financial scams for many reasons. To protect yourself or a senior, it’s important to know why, and learn about the most common scams.

Would you be surprised to learn that almost 11 million people over the age of 12 have a vision issue that requires some kind of correction? Many of us take vision for granted until we begin to experience problems. Unfortunately, that approach might prevent the early intervention necessary to keep a small problem from becoming a big one.

In honor of National Eye Exam Month in August, we are sharing why it’s a good idea to schedule a yearly vision checkup.

The Importance of a Yearly Visit to the Eye Doctor

Guidelines from the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommend adults over the age of 65 have an annual vision exam that includes dilating the eyes. This simple practice allows the doctor to get a better look at the retina and optic nerve. Doing so helps them identify potential problems and intervene early.

A yearly vision exam helps identify changes in the eye that are common among seniors, such as:

Cataracts: This condition causes clouding of the eye’s lens. It can cause vision to become blurry. Fortunately, cataracts can usually be corrected with an outpatient procedure. Left untreated, however, it can lead to blindness. In fact, research shows that cataracts account for 50% of all cases of blindness around the globe.

Glaucoma: This is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve in the eye. It is a very serious condition that can cause vision loss and blindness. While the damage caused by glaucoma can’t be reversed, early intervention and treatment may help slow the progression.

Macular degeneration: This age-related vision problem affects the light-sensitive tissue in the eye. Macular degeneration symptoms are gradual and typically not painful. They include loss of central vision, trouble recognizing faces, feeling the need for increased lighting to properly see, and difficulty reading printed words.

Diabetic retinopathy: This vision problem is a complication of diabetes. It happens when high blood sugar levels cause damage to blood vessels in the retina. These blood vessels can swell and leak or close, stopping blood from passing through. Among its most common symptoms are blurry vision, problems with night vision, seeing floaters in your field of vision, and colors appearing washed out or faded.

Retinal tearing: With aging comes a higher risk for small tears in the inner lining of the eye. These can lead to a dangerous retinal detachment or other conditions that impact vision, like black spots or floaters. Surgery may be needed to repair a torn retina.

Surprisingly, an ophthalmologist might be able to detect other health problems during a vision exam, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and some autoimmune diseases.

Although Medicare usually doesn’t pay for routine eye exams or corrective lenses, Medicare Part B does cover some vision exams. Check with your eye doctor for further clarification on coverage.

For older adults on a limited income, there might be local programs or funding available to help defray these costs. Call the agency on aging to see if they are aware of any resources. Another option is the American Academy of Ophthalmology Foundation. The organization provides free or low-cost exams to seniors who qualify through the EyeCare America program.

Staying on track with routine health screenings, including a yearly vision exam, is just one of many components of healthy aging. How Lifestyle Impacts Healthy Aging is a good article to learn about other ways you can protect your health as you grow older.

When it comes to eye health, early detection and intervention are important. Learn more about common eye diseases and why a yearly eye exam is vital.

Caring for a senior loved one who has Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia can be physically and emotionally exhausting. Sometimes a change of scenery might help you unwind. Whether it’s a beach weekend or a lakeside retreat, caregivers deserve a vacation too, even if it means bringing their aging parent along.

It’s understandable to worry about their safety as you travel. Disruption in routine can present unique challenges for adults with dementia. With careful planning, however, vacationing with a loved one who has dementia is possible. These tips can help you plan.

Vacation Planning When a Family Member Has Dementia

A change in environment is often tough for an adult with dementia whose memory is impaired. Agitation and wandering may increase in unfamiliar surroundings. One way to get around these potential concerns is to return to a favorite family vacation spot. Because short-term memory is usually lost first, the older adult might have fond memories of vacation destinations from the past.

If that isn’t possible, consider destinations that might not be as busy as popular vacation spots. Adults with Alzheimer’s and dementia often have difficulty in loud, busy places.

Another consideration is when and how you will travel. Many people with dementia have times of day that are better for them than others. When is your senior loved one usually at their best? Try to plan your travel arrangements around those times.

Also give thought to transportation. Air travel is usually the quickest, but it might also be the most stressful for someone with memory loss. Airports are noisy and chaotic, especially in larger cities. The whole process of getting through security can be time-consuming and even frightening. Flight delays and cancellations are all too common.

Traveling by car, on the other hand, allows you to control the pace of the trip. If your family member becomes restless or needs to use the bathroom, you can usually find a place along the way to take a quick break. Car travel also allows you to create a safe, soothing environment. Soft music, pillows, and activities to keep them busy might help prevent agitation and anxiety.

When you are the family caregiver for a senior who has dementia, it’s always a good idea to plan ahead for potential emergencies. In addition to keeping an ample supply of their medications and necessities on hand, create a mobile health file to take with you. Include copies of their medical history, a medication list, physician contact information, and important legal documents.

It's also a good idea to familiarize yourself with hospital emergency rooms and urgent care centers in the areas you will be traveling to and through. While no one wants to think about a medical emergency happening while they are away from home, it’s important to plan for the worst.

Finally, consider investing in a mobile medical alert system. If your senior loved one becomes separated from you, they can press a button to connect with 911 or a Life Protect 24/7 operator. The choice is yours. Either option can allow you to be reunited wherever you are.

If you have questions about mobile monitoring devices or would like to learn more, call us today at 1-844-203-5617. One of our experienced team members will be happy to help!

Vacations might not seem feasible when a senior family member has Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. These tips might make planning easier.

Traveling When a Loved One Has Alzheimer's

As newly or soon-to-be retired adults plan for their futures, a topic that often comes up is how to pay for senior care. While no one likes to think they’ll need it, research shows that nearly 70% of older adults will need long-term care at some point. In some cases, the need is temporary, such as after a hospital stay. For others, however, the change will be permanent. For both situations, long-term care insurance (LTCI) may be helpful.

While both men and women should discuss long-term care insurance with a trusted financial planner, women should take it especially seriously. Most women earn less than their husbands, which often translates to lower social security payments and less (if any) pension. Add to that the fact that women live longer than men.

Here's a quick overview of long-term care insurance along with what it does and doesn’t cover.

Many seniors and adult children are surprised to learn that Medicare doesn’t pay for non-medical home care, assisted living, or nursing home care. It is a health insurance program that focuses on a senior’s medical needs. By contrast, long-term care insurance helps pay for expenses associated with activities of daily living (ADLs).

ADLs fall under the category of custodial care. That incorporates tasks such as bathing, grooming, dressing, using the bathroom, and transferring safely to and from a chair or bed. When a senior can no longer perform these tasks safely on their own, their long-term care insurance policy might help.

LTCI might also be used to support older adults who are not safe living alone. Adults with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, for example, are often unable to live alone. Their disease causes cognitive losses that can put their physical well-being in jeopardy.

While long-term care insurance covers at least part of the cost of nursing homes, many newer policies pay for more than that. Depending upon the plan, an LTCI policy might also pay for part or all of the care in other settings, such as:

If the policyholder meets the company’s criteria—often that an older adult requires help with two out of five recognized ADLs—their LTCI will usually pay a pre-determined daily rate. One caveat to look for is that most companies have an elimination period, typically 90 days, that must be met before payment begins. This is comparable to the deductible on your health care insurance.

The cost of long-term care insurance varies according to each person’s age and health. Because women tend to outlive men, they usually pay more for LTCI. Couples often receive a discount.

If you are looking for a price range, the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance Price Index says the average cost of long-term care insurance in 2020, based on a three-year policy, was:

Single male, 65 years old, in good health: $1,400 a year

Single male, 65 years old, with some health issues: $2,100 a year

Single female, 55 years old: $2,675 a year

Single female, 65 years old, in good health: $2,100 a year

Single female, 65 years old, with some health issues: $3,100 a year

Couple, both 55 years old: $3,050 a year (combined)

Keep in mind, these are estimates. You’re or a senior loved one’s unique circumstances might result in higher or lower expenses.

Use a Mobile Monitoring Device for Peace of Mind

Whether it’s a chronic health condition or the risk of experiencing a fall, seniors who live alone might benefit from a mobile monitoring device. These discreet units allow the user to connect with an emergency operator who can summon help 24/7. It offers older adults and those who love them peace of mind.

Call us at 1-844-203-5617 or email info@lifeprotect247.com to learn more!

Are you or a senior loved one considering long-term care insurance but not sure what it really covers? This article will help provide a basic overview.

As worldwide travel is once again on the rise, older adults might be looking for senior-friendly international destinations. While ancient ruins and centuries-old churches are enticing, many aren’t easily accessible.

Fortunately, there are many international travel options that aren’t as challenging for older adults to navigate. This includes cities that have made great strides in accessibility. If you are looking for some interesting and fun destinations, one of the following suggestions might be appealing.

5 International Vacation Ideas for Seniors

River cruises allow older travelers to set their own pace. Central Europe has become a popular destination for senior travels through France, Austria, Germany, Hungary, and more. These smaller vessels offer an up-close view of popular attractions along the river, ranging from vineyards and castles to picturesque villages. River cruises offer an additional benefit of being a home base. You won’t have to repack, drag a suitcase around, and unpack at each destination!

Hiking the Inca Trail in the Andes in southern Peru is a popular bucket list item. But the physical aspects of that dream may be unrealistic for many. Fortunately, there is another option: train travel. Luxury trains like the Andean Explorer allow passengers to traverse the Andes on some of the world’s highest train routes. Private sleeping quarters, a spa, a dining car, and an observation car with an open deck make this the ultimate getaway for people of all ages.

People fortunate enough to have gone on an African safari often say it was the “trip of a lifetime.” While the process of getting there is lengthy, you’ll find a senior-friendly destination once you arrive. Unlike some locations where walking is a primary means of transportation, most visitors to South Africa travel in all-terrain vehicles. Kruger National Park is one of the best-known safari destinations. Beaches and vineyards are other day trips to explore.

Recognizing that ancient churches and buildings are a core attraction in this beautiful old city, leaders knew that accessibility issues were limiting tourism. They successfully fought to change that. Older visitors will now find sidewalks and businesses with ramps to make it easier for those using wheelchairs, walkers, and canes. Instead of having to drag a scooter or another mobility device around the world with you, they can be rented easily. Public transportation is also accessible.

This German city has also worked diligently to improve accessibility. In fact, Berlin is working to be 100% accessible. The city has done everything from making all galleries and museums easy for people in wheelchairs to navigate to widening sidewalks to better accommodate mobility devices. Berlin also has hotels, restaurants, and lounges that go as far as to have wheelchair lifts and raised toilet seats.

No one wants to prevent a senior loved one from enjoying their retirement and living life to the fullest. One way you can help protect an aging family member’s independence is by investing in a mobile monitoring unit. If they experience an emergency, a quick press of a button will connect them with an operator who can assist.

Because the units work wirelessly, older adults can call for help from wherever they roam. That brings peace of mind to the senior and those who love them. Call 1-844-203-5617 today to get started!

Seniors may fear their days of traveling to international destinations are behind them. Fortunately, there are plenty of options to consider.

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