Elder CareTips:
Mastering The Eldercare Maze™

A hearty welcome to all our new readers. We're glad to have you along on this up and down ride!  Remember, there's no such thing as a dumb question, and none of us know what we don't know.

Flu Vaccine Again

I have no idea how they figure these things out, but the CDC is saying that they expect flu season to start earlier than usual this year. There is reportedly plenty of vaccine available, for a change. The trick is you need to go get the shot.

Since it takes a few weeks to become fully effective, the time to get it is now. Use the yellow locator button on the left to find locations where you can conveniently get it. And do make sure your seniors get theirs, too. If your elder is living in a nursing facility you should have been contacted for permission to give the vaccine, as they had to order sufficient quantities early. Some assisted living residences are offering the vaccine to all their residents, as well. If it's up to you to make sure everyone gets shot, either make sure the vaccine is given at your elder's next doctor appointment or at a public vaccination location within the next few weeks.

The flu vaccine is covered by Medicare, as is the pneumonia vaccine if your elder hasn't had it recently.

Financial Advisors: It's Alphabet Goulash

Unless you have very limited financial assets, one piece of advice you will hear repeatedly is that you should seek advice from a financial professional before making any serious financial decisions. Unless you happen to be a trained financial professional yourself this is excellent advice. You'll see that same advice on the bottom of this very page. In the case of this site, this is because I am not a financial professional, and I do not give financial advice. I know just enough to know how much I don't know in this field, and I turn to the professionals when I have questions. So should you.

One of the questions you will face when you need competent financial advice is who to consult. There are a host of certifications. The alphabet soup on business cards is stupefying. I refer to it as goulash because you can sometimes see to the bottom of the alphabet soup bowl (it's at least semi-clear, depending on how many alphabet letters are in the bowl). You can't see to the bottom of the goulash bowl (it's clear as ... well ... goulash).

Continue reading Financial Advisors: It's Alphabet Goulash >>>

Simply by not owning three medium-sized castles in Tuscany I have saved enough money in the last forty years on insurance premiums alone to buy a medium-sized castle in Tuscany. ~ Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe