MAY 13, 2015 A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO
It’s Never Too Late
How to rebound from a late start to saving for retirement
Ticker Talk
Keep your heart running strong well into your golden years
Revisiting Your Regimen Trendy exercises to rev up your workouts
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015 • The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
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4 Pointers for adults returning to school 7 Steps involved with estate planning 10 Vision changes as you age 14 Keep your heart running strong into your golden years
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aby Boomers make up the largest generation of Americans born in United States history. Boomers include anyone born between the years 1946 and 1964, as the number of births began to rise as World War II veterans returned home from battle. The greatest number of Baby Boomers were born in 1957, when numbers peaked at 4,300,00. That equates to roughly 8 children born per minute throughout the year. By 2019, the last of the Baby Boomers, or those born in 1964, will be eligible for many senior benefits offered to people age 55 and up. Ten years later, most will be eligible for retirement.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015 • The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
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Pointers for adults returning to school
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oday’s seniors, particularly those who already have passed retirement age, may find themselves with many free hours to fill now that a job no longer accounts for most of their time. Returning to school may help seniors realize lifelong dreams of finishing a degree, exploring a hobby, getting educated to gain work in a new field, or just to fill some time in a productive way. Information from the United States Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics finds the demand for continuing education is still growing. For those aged 35 and older, the center says adult enrollment should grow by at least another 7 percent through 2016. It’s possible to return to school at any age. Adults looking at continuing education possibilities can heed these easy tips to make stepping into a classroom again successful. • Get some help. Some time may have passed since you last toted textbooks or entered a classroom setting. Things have changed since you last were in school. Sit down with a guidance counselor or a career advisor and go over your schooling goals to plot out a degree map. This will help you determine which courses to take or what schools will best fit your needs. • Research schooling options. According to the National Survey of Students in Continuing Education, adult learners prefer postsecondary education that is affordable and close to home. Recognize that many schools now offer online learning, which may be ideal for you if you prefer to learn from the comfort of home. Decide what is important to you in a
school, then narrow down your prospects. • Schedule a campus visit. Tour the campus to get a feel for the school environment. Visit with someone in student services or attend an event for adult learners so you will know what the admissions process entails. • Get financial assistance. Scholarships, grants and other financial aid are not just for young students. You may be eligible for financial help. Speak with a financial aid advisor to determine your eligibility for programs. • Decide enrollment status. Do you want to go to school full time or part time or do you want to take classes here and there? Knowing in advance will help you develop the right schedule. • Take a few refresher courses. Rather than delve into the tough stuff right away, enroll in a few basic classes to ease yourself back into the academic environment. Then next semester you can increase the difficulty level and workload. • Be prepared for homework and study. You may have grown accustomed to being only accountable to yourself as of late. Once in school you will have assignments and tests. Plan for study time and develop a schedule to allow for school commitments. • Take it slow. There’s no race to the finish line. Going back to school is your decision, and you can go at your own pace. Adult students return to the classroom for many reasons. Involve family in the decision to continue education and embrace the positive changes that are in store.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015 • The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
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Steps involved with estate planning
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lthough inevitable, death is an emotional subject that’s difficult to discuss. While estate planning can make people uncomfortable, it is an essential part of securing assets for future generations and can make a death in the family easier for loved ones to handle. Estate planning is an umbrella term that refers to a host of things that must be done prior to a person’s death, including writing a will and even making funeral arrangements. Estate planning attempts to eliminate financial uncertainties and maximize the value of an estate, and allows men and women to state their wishes with regard to long-term healthcare and guardianship for their children. When done right, estate planning can prevent family feuds and ensure that the deceased’s estate stays in the hands of family rather than being relegated to the government. Estate planning can be a complex process, so men and women should seek help to ensure the process goes smoothly.
Getting started Estate planning should begin early in a person’s life, especially for young parents. It’s easy to talk about saving for a home or retirement, but it’s not so simple to discuss who will care for your children should you die while they are still minors. Those who are not able to sort through these answers on their own should enlist the help of an attorney or a financial adviser, both of whom can take some of the emotion out of the discussion and put it in more practical terms.
The will A will is an important component of estate planning. Without clearly and legally spelling out your wishes, there is no guarantee that those wishes will be honored. It will be up to a state or province to make potentially life-altering decisions that can impact your surviving family members, and the only way to ensure your wishes will be carried out is to put them into a will. Although men and women can write their own wills, many people prefer to seek the assistance of an attorney, who can make sure all necessary details are included in the will.
Medical directives In addition to a will, estate planning includes your wishes if you become incapacitated or suffer from a serious medical condition that precludes you from making decisions about your care and finances. Spouses can be named to make important health decisions, but you may want to indicate other information, such as life support measures or organ donation, as well. If you have strong opinions on treatment, medical directives and living wills are a necessity.
Funeral arrangements Another aspect of estate planning concerns funeral arrangements. Many people prefer to make their own funeral and burial plans so that these heart-wrenching decisions do not fall on the shoulders of grieving family members. Funeral planning may include choosing a burial plot, selecting a casket, indicating cremation, and paying for everything in advance so there is no financial burden on surviving family members. According to the funeral planning website Efuneral.com, the average cost of a funeral in the United States in 2012 was more than $8,500 for a burial service and $3,700 for a cremation. That’s a considerable expense that you may not want surviving family members to pay. Estate planning is a process that is difficult to discuss, but one that is essential to maximize your assets and ensure your end-of-life wishes are honored.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015 • The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015 • The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
Vision changes as you age
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s a person gets older certain bodily changes are to be expected. For example, muscle tone may diminish and bones can become more fragile as we age. Exercise and healthy eating may be able to stave off some of the effects of aging, but avoiding vision problems may require some additional effort. Vision naturally diminishes as we age, but not all vision changes are related to aging. Many natural changes are not severe and may only require a minor adjustment in prescription glasses or contact lenses. Improved lighting or bigger print may help remedy other issues, including blurry text. However, certain conditions that people blame on getting older really may be hereditary or a byproduct of an illness. There’s a difference between changes that are the result of aging and those that are not. Recognizing the differences can help individuals get the treatment necessary to prevent permanent eye damage.
Age-related changes Difficulty seeing clearly for reading and close work is one of the most common age-related vision issues. This condition can begin as early as age 40 and worsen as a person gets older. Variation in the eyes’ ability to focus properly is called presbyopia, and it will worsen over time. Other normal signs of aging include problems with glare from headlights or the sun. Lens changes in the eye can cause light to be scattered rather than focused on the retina. This leads to more glare. In dim conditions, a person may find he or she needs more light to see well. That’s because muscles that control pupil size and reaction to light lose some strength. Changes in color perception also may begin. The normally clear lens of the eye can discolor, making it difficult to distinguish between certain hues.
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Conditions not directly tied to aging Certain eye disorders may become more prevalent as a person gets older, but that does not mean they are a byproduct of aging. Macular degeneration, which causes spotty loss of detail or sudden and severe loss of central vision, may occur. This condition is a result of damage to the macula, the central part of the retina responsible for detail, color and daylight vision. Risk factors for macular degeneration include high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and untreated high blood pressure. Poor circulation to the retina is the most common cause of macular degeneration. Glaucoma is another condition linked to aging. Glaucoma is caused by damage to the optic nerve by fluid pressure inside the eye. Patients with glaucoma typically do not exhibit early symptoms. Glaucoma is only detectable through routine vision examinations. According to the Mayo Clinic, about half of all 65-year-old Americans have some degree of cataract formation in their eyes. People who have cataracts may think they’re an unavoidable part of getting older. While aging may increase the risk of getting cataracts, according to Lighthouse International its true cause is unknown. Other risks include long-term exposure to the sun’s rays, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and eye injury. Illnesses like diabetes can affect eyesight in many different ways. Proper treatment for diabetes and management of the condition can prevent a number of eye disorders. Adults should not assume all vision changes are a direct result of getting older. Annual vision examinations by qualified eye doctors can pinpoint the cause of problems and find treatment options that are successful.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015 • The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
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GENEROSITY THROUGH GENERATIONS “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
- Winston Churchill
For 30 years, the North Georgia Community Foundation has been partnering with generous people who have a heart for making a positive impact in the region through their giving. NGCF offers charitable funds to provide a simple, flexible and effective way to support causes important to you today and for generations to come. Let us tell you about the many giving opportunities through NGCF. Please call us at (770) 535-7880 or visit www.ngcf.org.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015 • The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
Keep your heart running strong into your golden years
gainesvilletimes com attack are different than the symptoms of heart disease that may lead to heart attack. The former can be found by visiting www. heart.org. Signs that you may be heading toward a heart attack include undue fatigue, palpitations (the sensation that your heart is skipping a beat or beating too rapidly), dyspnea (difficulty or labored breathing), chest pain or discomfort from increased activity. • Arrhythmia: Arrhythmia means your heartbeat is irregular, and men and women often mistakenly believe arrhythmia only afflicts those who already have been diagnosed with heart disease or have had a heart attack. But arrhythmia can affect even those men and women who have healthy hearts and no history of cardiovascular disease. Symptoms of arrhythmia can vary greatly, from a single premature beat to a series of premature beats that occur in rapid succession. Arrhythmia that lasts long enough to affect heart function may include symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, fatigue, dizziness, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
H
eart health should be a concern for people of all ages, but especially so for men and women over 50. That’s because, according to the American Heart Association, even men and women who are free of cardiovascular disease at age 50 are at a significant lifetime risk of developing the disease.
What are the symptoms of heart disease?
But heart disease does not have to be an accepted byproduct of aging. For example, a 2014 study published in the AHA journal Circulation found that maintaining or increasing physical activity after age 65 can improve the heart’s well-being and lower risk of heart attack.
• Hypertension: Also known as high blood pressure, hypertension is a largely symptomless form of heart disease. The AHA notes that the idea that hypertension produces symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, facial flushing, nervousness, and sweating is a misconception. Symptoms typically do not alert men and women to the presence of hypertension, highlighting the emphasis men and women should place on routine visits to the doctor’s office, where their blood pressure can be taken.
In addition to increasing physical activity as they age, older men and women who understand heart disease and learn to recognize its symptoms have a greater chance of minimizing its affects and lowering their risk of having a heart attack.
Heart disease is a blanket term used to describe a host of conditions, so symptoms vary depending on each individual condition. The following are some of the more widely known conditions and their symptoms:
• Heart attack: The symptoms of a heart
How can I protect my heart? Heart healthy habits take some effort, but men and women can protect their hearts regardless of their ages.
• Get sufficient exercise. At least 30 minutes of exercise per day can protect against disease. • Quit smoking. Smoking increases your risk for a host of ailments, including heart disease. Quitting is a great way to start getting your heart and other parts of your body back on track. • Include heart-healthy foods in your diet. A diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables and low in cholesterol, salt and saturated fat promotes heart health. • Don’t drink alcohol to excess. Like smoking, drinking alcohol to excess can lead to a host of problems, such as high blood pressure, arrhythmia and high cholesterol, each of which increases your risk of heart disease. • Lose weight. Being overweight or obese is a major risk factor for heart disease. If you have already started to exercise daily and eat a more heart-healthy diet, then you’re on your way to losing weight. Consult your physician if diet and exercise don’t seem to be helping you to shed pounds. Heart disease kills millions of people across the globe each year, many of whom are over 50. But men and women who learn about heart disease and how to reduce their risk stand a far greater chance of fighting the disease.
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015 • The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |
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