You Say You Are Not Ready For A Retirement Community?

Have you lost the enthusiasm that made you a magnet to friends? Has a dish of ice cream replaced your healthy dinner?  Are your days depressingly long? If so, you may benefit from living in a retirement community.

Before you say, “I’m not ready for that yet,” consider your options. You could be missing an opportunity to enhance your life and the lives of others.

Test yourself on these eight points and see how many apply to you. What you discover may surprise you.

1. Has your circle of friends dwindled? For some, the effort to create new friendships is difficult. Friendships are easy and as close as the front door in a retirement community. Companionship increases the pleasure of living.

2. Has your health suffered or your weight changed recently? Reaching for the food that’s handy is a habit that is difficult to break. In a retirement community, dietary professionals prepare delicious, nutritious meals. Meal plans vary from restaurant-style menus to a 30-main-meal a month program or an all-inclusive arrangement.

3. Have you given up interests you once enjoyed? For some, the effort to find compatible groups becomes a hurdle. Once human interaction becomes a choice, many people begin to limit their social calendars. Retirement community social directors create a full range of activities and rewarding volunteer work to select from. Residents can be as busy as they desire. Isolation is no longer a way-of-life.

4. Has home maintenance and housekeeping become a chore? As people age, the need for stronger arms and backs is often necessary. In a retirement community, one’s home is maintained on a regular schedule. Qualified help during emergencies is as close as your telephone. Housekeeping is routinely offered.

5. Do thoughts of a sudden health emergency frighten you? Knowledgeable staff will respond and remain with you until medical help arrives in a retirement community. Continuing Care Communities offer the additional assurance of skilled nursing care on campus with friends nearby.

6. Have you stopped driving at night? Do you rely on others to take you to appointments or shopping? Transportation is provided in retirement communities. Trips with friends are among the favorite social gatherings.

7. Do you worry about your safety? In retirement communities a variety of security measures are incorporated to protect you. From the emergency response system to the security guard who patrols the property, the management takes your peace-of-mind seriously.

8. Can you entertain guests on the spur-of-the-moment? Retirement communities include a variety of common areas that are an extension of your home. Most have private dining rooms for small parties, where staff do the preparation and clean up. Community spaces usually include game rooms, a chapel, library and arts and crafts rooms. Additional amenities, such as a corner market, swimming pool and theatre are often available.

If you find yourself saying, “I’m not ready for that yet,” now could be the right time to reconsider. Visit a community. You may be pleasantly surprised.

You’ll observe many young-at-heart, energetic retirees. You’ll see friends laughing or enjoying quiet moments together. You’ll encounter people gardening, walking, playing cards or working together on a craft. The sights of love in action may change your perception of retirement community living. Indeed, you may be ready for “that” after all.

Stretching The Simple Dollar

If you’re trying to save money, the first step is always the hardest – not spending as much money.

You may already know these tips, but it never hurts to be reminded. Each of these tactics is a simple little move you can make to improve your financial situation. Each of them save significant money, especially over the long haul, and when combined together these tips can save you a lot of money now.

Obviously, not all of these tips will apply to everyone. Just find a few that do apply to you and use them in your life – you’ll quickly find yourself saving some serious scratch.

1. Turn off the television. Benefits: less exposure to guilt-inducing ads, more time to focus on other things in life, less electrical use and so on.

2. Turn a critical eye to your “collections.” Could you perhaps get rid of duplicates or the items you no longer use? Focus on trimming the things you don’t feel strongly about. (Remember, if you dig into things that bother you, you’re going to eventually relapse.)

3. Remove your credit card numbers from your online accounts. It’s easy to spend online when you have your card information stored in an account – just click and buy. The best way to break this habit is to simply delete your card from the account. That way, when you’re tempted to spend, you’ll be forced to spend the time to dig out your card – and really think about why you’re spending this money.

4. Master the thirty-day rule. Whenever you’re considering making an unnecessary purchase, wait thirty days and then ask yourself if you still want that item.

5. Write a list before you go shopping – and stick to it. Make a careful plan of what you’ll b uy before you go, then stick strictly to that list when you go to the store. Don’t put anything in the cart that’s not on the list, no matter how tempting.

6. Invite friends over instead of going out. Almost every activity at home is less expensive than going out. Eat a light snack or dessert and then play some cards.

7. Don’t spend big money entertaining young children. Make a game out of ordinary stuff around the house, like tossing pennies into a jar. Realize that what children want most of all is your time, not your stuff. (What to do with teenagers on this score is anyone’s guess.)

8. Call your credit card company and ask for a rate reduction. Take any of your credit cards that are carrying a balance, flip them over and call the number on the back. Tell them that you want an interest rate reduction or you’ll take your business elsewhere. If the first person you talk to won’t do it, ask to talk to a supervisor. If you have a $5,000 balance, even a 3 percent rate reduction saves you $150 a year.

9. Drink more water. Not only does drinking plenty of water have great health benefits, water drinking has financial benefits, too.

10. Don’t spend money just to de-stress. Instead of spending to de-stress, try some basic meditation techniques, stretching or yoga. Go for a walk, read a book, call a friend.

Take Action to Avoid Driving Distractions

It may seem harmless to answer a quick call, grab a bite to eat or let your dog ride in your lap when you’re behind the wheel. But it’s not and we know it.

Follow these four tips to steer clear of distraction:

1. Hit the “off” button. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, for every 4.6 seconds spent texting behind the wheel, drivers travel the length of a football field without looking up. And talking on your cell phone delays reaction time, even a hands-free model.

2. Eat up before you start up. An Exxon survey of 1,000 drivers showed that more than 70 percent liked to use their steering wheels as tray tables and 83 percent used their center consoles as beverage carts. Save the burgers, tacos and cups of coffee for your home or office.

3. Pull over. Maps and GPS systems are handy tools to get you from point A to point B. Check your grid or change your destination at the next exit or  rest area. Pulling over on the side of the road is a dangerous and unsafe alternative.

4. Keep ‘em caged. Keep all your passengers safe by securing your pets in a harness or a crate so you can focus on what’s in front of you rather than the rearview mirror.

To learn more on how to avoid DWD, visit distraction.gov. (NAPSA)

Adults Head Back to School in National Parks

The fall season brings big changes to the visitor composition in U.S. national parks. Right before Labor Day, families with children wrap up their vacations and head home to prepare for school while increased numbers of adult travelers – equipped with backpacks, binoculars, hiking boots and guidebooks – visit U.S. national parks to learn about park history, wildlife and geology.

“Soon we will begin to notice greater numbers of adults participating in activities such as Yellowstone tours and the Grand Canyon Abyss Overlook mule ride,” said Dave Hartvigsen, vice president of sales and marketing for Xanterra Parks & Resorts, operator of concessions in several national parks. “National parks are nature’s classrooms, and in some ways, our fall season adult visitors are also going back to school too when they participate in interpretive programs.”

Xanterra operates lodges, restaurants, gift shops, tours and activities in Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Crater Lake, Zion, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks and Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Although visitation typically drops significantly between the months of July – the highest visitation month for most parks – and September, fall-season visitation has generally increased in many parks. So if you’re thinking about going back to school, think National Parks!

For details about learning-based vacations in national parks, or to make reservations, visit xanterra.com or individual park websites.

Social Security Questions Answered

Q: I have never worked, but my spouse has. What will my benefits be?

A: You can be entitled to as much as one-half of your spouse’s benefit amount when you reach full retirement age. If you want to get Social Security retirement benefits before you reach full retirement age, the amount of your benefit is reduced. The amount of reduction depends on when you will reach full retirement age. For example, if you file at age 62, and your full retirement age is 65, you can get 37.5 percent of your spouse’s unreduced benefit; if your full retirement age is 66, you can get 35 percent of your spouse’s unreduced benefit; if your full retirement age is 67, you can get 32.5 percent of your spouse’s unreduced benefit.

The amount of your benefit increases if your entitlement begins at a later age, up to the maximum of 50 percent at full retirement age. If your full retirement age is other than those shown here, the amount of your benefit will fall between 32.5 percent and 37 percent at age 62. However, if you are taking care of a child who is under age 16 or who gets Social Security disability benefits on your spouse’s record, you get the full spouse’s benefits, regardless of your age.

Learn more about retirement benefits at socialsecurity.gov/retirement.

Preventing Clutter Creep from Taking Over

A lifetime of possessions combined with stacks of magazines, newspapers and financial statements can easily overwhelm seniors and put them at risk for fires, falls and infestations.

Getting rid of stuff may be the right thing to do, but convincing seniors can be a challenge. After all, at one time these possessions meant something to them.

Here are some strategies provided through Home Instead Senior Care:

1. Arrange and cheer small victories such as clearing off a table.

2. Suggest donating part of a collection (such as empty butter tubs) to a school. Knowing some of their stuff has other uses helps them let go and feel good about it.

3. Gently remind them of health and safety, and that too much clutter can actually keep Mom from being safe in her own home and jeopardize her ability to stay at home.

4. Draw up an agreement that you’ll box up unused clothing and tools, list and label it and track it for six months. If your loved one has either forgotten about the box or has not needed the items in it during that time, suggest they donate it to charity.

5. Clutter is all about control, but so is being the one to decide where stuff goes. Remind Dad that he can make that decision before someone else has to. Work to empower him to make that decision for himself.

A list containing the names of organizations with senior help contact information can be obtained by calling Home Instead Senior Care at (727) 845-5819.

Mr. Modem: Laptops vs Notebooks vs Netbooks

Q: What’s the difference between laptop, notebook, and netbook computers? What are the pros and cons of a laptop computer and a desktop model?

A: Years ago, when laptops made their debut, we called them “luggables” because they were like suitcases: large, heavy and cumbersome. That spawned the next generation of much smaller, lighter computers called notebooks that were literally the size of a notebook. Today, rightly or wrongly, the terms are used interchangeably.

To further confuse matters, a netbook is not a misspelled notebook. Netbooks (sometimes called mini notebooks or ultra portables) are a very popular and growing category of small, inexpensive, somewhat limited-use laptop computers, best suited for accessing Web-based applications. They are often marketed as “companion devices” to full-featured laptop or desktop computers.

As far as the pros and cons of desktops versus laptops, a desktop computer is usually less expensive and it is easier to replace or upgrade its components. On the other hand, a desktop PC is more difficult to move, and you can’t take it outside on a sunny day. Not easily, anyway.

A laptop/notebook computer is smaller, lighter, and flexible – not unlike Mr. Modem was 25 years ago. If you prefer a full-size keyboard or large monitor, you can easily connect them to a laptop and convert it to a quasi desktop, yet still have the flexibility of unplugging the monitor and keyboard (or docking station) for mobility, when needed.

Q: When a message is sent using Outlook, can I get it back before it is opened at the receiver’s end?

A: Maybe. How’s that for a definitive answer? If you and the recipient are both using Outlook, you may be able to retrieve a message. Realistically, the odds aren’t terrific that that’s going to be the case. Further, the message must be in the recipient’s Inbox, it must remain unopened, and you must have a garlic clove in your left pocket. Well, okay, no garlic clove, but there are some very specific conditions that must exist for this to work.

In the unlikely event the above conditions do exist, to retrieve a message, open your Sent Items folder, double-click the message in question, select “Recall this Message” from the Tools menu, then select “Delete Unread Copies of this Message.”

To replace the retrieved message with a new one, select “Delete Unread Copies and Replace with a New Message” followed by OK, then type a new message.

If you want to know if your desperate attempt to recall your message was successful, select the box labeled “Tell Me if Recall Succeeds or Fails for Each Recipient.”

When it comes to retrieving e-mail, I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Ideally, you won’t ever need to retrieve an e-mail that’s been sent, and hopefully never one sent in anger. My best advice is to never, EVER send a message written in anger. It’s fine to compose it, pound the keyboard, vent your spleen, but then save your vitriolic message and wait until the next day. Review it 18 or 24 hours later, and 99 times out of 100 you won’t want to send it and you’ll be very glad you didn’t.

For answers to questions or more computing tips by e-mail, visit www.MrModem.com and subscribe to his award-winning weekly newsletter.