You want to stay healthy but sometimes it can be a struggle to keep track of what you should and shouldn’t eat. So LiveWell Placements is going to make it easy for you. With a little help from HealthCastle.com, we have compiled a list of some of the must-eat foods after 50. Simply, download our guide and you won’t ever have an excuse to grab a donut instead! That said, we won’t judge if you treat yourself now and then!   Foods You Should Eat More Of After 50   Bulgur With increasing use of medications, regularity may be an issue and bulgur rates the highest on the insoluble fiber scale, at 8.6 grams of insoluble fiber per serving. Spelt and barley come in second [...]

In the last two blogs we have given tips on travel and shopping perks as well as health and home service benefits. In part three, we focus on other services that are either free or at a very low cost specifically for seniors.   Free Tax Preparation As we mentioned previously, AARP provides many different types of discounts to their members but they also provide completely free services such as tax preparation. In fact, they have the largest volunteer-run tax preparation and assistance service in the U.S. and help over 2.6 million taxpayers every year. The IRS also has a program called the TCE or Tax Counseling for the Elderly which offers free tax help for all taxpayers, particularly those who are 60 years of [...]

Part two in a three part series In our previous blog, we provided information about some of the perks that seniors can take advantage of as it pertains to entertainment, shopping and travel. In the second part of our three part series, we are going to provide some tips about home and healthcare services that eligible seniors can utilize. Part three will focus on other free or discounted benefits such as tax preparation, insurance and banking.   Free Transportation One of the most frustrating things for many seniors is their inability to leave their home without asking for help from friends or family. Fortunately, there are other options. Many communities have transportation services that are funded by the Federal government to help the elderly and [...]

Part one in a three part series   Getting older can have its’ perks and FirstLantic is here to help you take advantage of as many of them as possible! In the first part of this three part series, we are going to provide guidance on discounts or free services offered specifically to senior citizens. Some of these are provided by organizations and some are government run programs. In part one of this series, we are going to help you get the most out of your leisure time with helpful hints on perks available for dining out, traveling and shopping. Part two will focus on healthcare and home service allowances and benefits and part three will focus on other services which offer special rate such [...]

What do an artist, a long-distance runner and a body builder all have in common? For starters, they are all women at the top of their game and they are all over 80 years young. While some of us act old at 30, other people manage to keep their spirit young throughout their entire life and they don’t let their age define them. The three women that are profiled here not only are amazing at what they do but they achieved their success later in life proving that it is never too late to be your best self!   Painter Carmen Herrera is now 103 and she has been painting since the late 1940s. However, she did not sell her first painting until she was [...]

What was the name of that Italian restaurant again?   If you are like many people, you hear yourself asking those type of questions more frequently as you get older. Most of the time, you forget little or insignificant things but sometimes you may forget something important like a doctor’s appointment or remembering to take your medication. Part of the problem is that the sheer volume and access to information has increased exponentially. Social media, email, texts, phone calls, news feeds, pop-ups are all vying for our attention. And as we age, it is also normal to lose some cognitive function. However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t proactively take steps to minimize memory loss. There are many ways for seniors to stay mentally active [...]

While there are many benefits of retirement, there are also some adjustments that many people need to make in order to transition to this next phase of life. While most of us do not miss the stress that came along with our careers, we do miss the mental stimulation. There is also less social interaction when you don’t go to an office every day. However, instead of dwelling on the downsides, think of all the things you have always wanted to do but never got around to doing. Remember that art history class that you wanted to take but never had time? Or what about when you wanted to learn how to make the perfect lasagna or become a wine connoisseur?   Well, now is [...]

Memories are forever but only if you share them with others! Why not make a permanent record of your personal history through photos, journals or recordings that you can give to your children and grandchildren? There are some easy ways that you can create a gift for yourself (and for others) that will not only be personal but long lasting as well. Here are some tips for getting started:   There are many imaginative ways to display photos and tell a story through them. Apple offers a service that allows you to upload your photos and they will create a hardbound album or even a calendar for you. You can customize with different layouts, colors, text etc. It is fairly easy to get started and [...]

We are finally eliminating some of the prejudices associated with race, gender and sexual orientation. Yet, ageism is alive and well and there doesn’t seem to be any moral outrage against it. Our cultural and structural disregard for older populations “is almost the last prejudice that we are allowed to have.” says Kathryn Lawler, the director of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Area Agency on Aging. This is ironic considering that aging is a universal human experience for those of us lucky enough to have the opportunity to grow older.   And whether we acknowledge it or not, our population is aging and we are going to have to come to terms with the bias that persists. By 2050, the global population of people aged 60 [...]

While Americans 65 and older are the most active demographic group politically with 60% of eligible voters going to the polls, that still means that 40% are not voting. As we age, it is important to be aware of how public policy affects us and the ways that we can get involved.   "A lot of the benefits of our government go to older people," says Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and author of Governing America: The Revival of Political History. "If you look at the major domestic benefit programs, from Medicare to Social Security to Medicaid, the older people just have a greater interest in voting than younger people who don't see the same benefits." So while [...]