70% of people turning 65 can expect to use some form of long-term care during their lives. 90% of those who receive long-term care assistance live at home or in a community setting. These stats are pretty sobering and yet most of us are not really prepared to have to pay for outside help for 10 or possibly 20 years during retirement.  In fact, many people believe assisted living is covered by Medicare.  57% of people surveyed said they plan to rely on Medicare to help pay for any senior care they might need.   However, while Medicare is available to help with short-term personal health coverage or pharmaceuticals, it is not available to pay for assisted living in most cases.  And Medicaid is only available to [...]

It wasn’t that long ago that many women found the subject of menopause to be taboo.  It was bad enough to deal with the side effects but the stigma of it was almost as difficult to acknowledge.  Luckily, society is more open about the topic now which has been a relief for many women who suffered in silence.  But, what about “man”opause or andropause which describes age-related changes in male hormone levels?   Well, it turns out that although there are significant differences in the way men and women experience the aging process, there are some similarities such as reduced energy, mood swings, lack of sexual drive, insomnia and irritability.   However, because these changes happen more gradually for men, they often can be overlooked or ignored [...]

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We all know that homelessness has become a big problem in the U.S. On any given night, over half a million people are homeless. Approximately 65 percent are found in shelters, and the other 35 percent—just under 200,000—are found unsheltered on the streets.   But you may not know that a large percentage of the homeless are actually working families with children.  Family homelessness has become chronic, accounting for 37% of the overall homeless population and 50% of the sheltered population. Growing up as a homeless child leaves you with a lot of uncertainties and even more questions – how long can we stay at this shelter, what school will I be attending next month, will I have enough to eat today?  In our blog this week, [...]

COVID-19 has already changed some things about our lives forever.  And while much of the country is starting to ease restrictions, it will be quite a while before we can go back to our “old normal”.  In the meantime, we will have to adjust to continued social distancing as well as other precautions to stay healthy.  For seniors, there are some additional considerations that should be taken into account such as how they can get extra support if necessary and additional ways to protect their health.  FirstLantic has put together some helpful tips and resources that are available so that you and your loved ones can stay safe. As we age, our immune system becomes weaker. It’s called Immunosenescence.  That’s why older people are at [...]