Community News

The Consumer Guide to Financial Self-Defense is a new booklet that educates seniors on the warning signs of potential fraud or abuse by their financial advisors. It was produced by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

AARP shares 10 time-tested steps that every senior should know for the 2012 tax filing season.

Reuters reports on a new study that shows millions of seniors are missing out on $20 billion in aid that could pay for everything from food to heating.

The New York Times reports on two new studies that show that Alzheimer’s disease may spread like an infection from brain cell to brain cell.

Agingcare.com shares a list of 12 handy apps for caregivers.

The Atlantic reports that exercise enhanced by virtual reality is better for seniors due to the greater cognitive benefits.

The Sacramento Bee reports that a federal judge has issued a tentative ruling to halt a 10 percent cut in Medi-Cal reimbursement rates.

The Washington Post shares a story on how millions of families are struggling to care for elderly parents from afar.

AARP offers guidance on the best vitamins, minerals and other supplements that seniors should know about for a balanced healthy life.

Just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you have to give up running. The Los Angeles Times reports that several studies show running doesn’t necessarily lead to joint problems.

2011 was another challenging year for the U.S. economy and financial markets. The ongoing rollercoaster ride we find ourselves on has us asking one question: What should I be doing to protect my money?

What NOT to do is panic, according to Darin L. Gibson, owner and president of Irvine-based Burnham Gibson Financial Group, Inc. But doing a critical assessment is definitely required. “Retirees need to take a hard look at their cash flow, expenses and overall investment allocations,” he said in the latest issue of be.magazine.

In his interview, Gibson shares some worthwhile advice on how to protect your retirement finances and stretch your dollars during a time of fiscal uncertainty. You can check out what he had to say in the be.magazine article.

Bradbury Oaks Senior Living resident Phyllis Hudson knows an optimistic viewpoint can make all the difference.

Hudson moved to Royal Oaks more than six years ago, and she adored having her own apartment with three patios and a place to garden. In 2008, she fractured a couple of vertebrae which resulted in her moving from her independent lifestyle to Bradbury Oaks, Royal Oaks’ skilled nursing community. She had a goal of returning to her apartment, but further spine fractures resulted in her not being able to walk without assistance.

Sustained by her deep Christian faith, Hudson has found a way to see the positives and to be appreciative of the people who support her.

“When you find yourself in a situation like this, you better make the best of it,” she says. “The nurses are so thoughtful and patient. They as well as the rest of the staff do so much for me.”

While she practices walking with a walker every day under the supervision of a nurse, Hudson prefers to do as much as she can for herself.

“My power chair makes all the difference,” she says. “It gets me around the campus, up and down the hills.”

Hudson usually dines with friends in Bradbury Oaks, and every Wednesday she meets four other residents for dinner in Royal Oaks’ dining room to share the happy things that happened during the week.

“It’s wonderful to accentuate the positive,” she says.

After cruising through her emails, The New York Times and Glendale News-Press, Royal Oaks resident Mary Ann Prelock likes to catch up on family news on Facebook.

“I’m primarily a lurker,” says Prelock in the latest issue of be.magazine. “I want to keep in touch with what my family is doing, all of whom live in the Midwest.”

Prelock is one of the many seniors who are joining Facebook and other social networking sites at a fast clip. According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 33 percent of people 65 and older are using social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace. That’s up from 26 percent in 2010 and 13 percent in 2009, the survey shows.

The attraction to social media is understandable. For many it’s the quickest and best spot to check out what children and grandchildren are up to. That’s become especially true for those who have family who are spread out geographically.

Read more about our residents’ social media experiences in be.magazine.

The Administration on Aging is gearing up for this year’s Older Americans Month, to be held in May. The 2012 theme is “Never Too Old to Play.”

Time magazine reports on a new study that shows that Nintendo’s video game Brain Age can help improve cognitive functions in seniors.

The National Institutes of Health released its latest annual report on Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, which shares important research developments and a look at new treatments.