Auto Insurance For Seniors: Save Money While Being Safe

Senior drivers often pose a greater risk than other drivers so they face higher auto insurance costs. In order to get the lowest possible rates, follow these simple guidelines:

1. Pay close attention at intersections where accidents often occur. When stopped, make sure your tires face straight ahead so that a rear-ender won't push you into oncoming traffic.

2. Drive at or near the speed limit. Driving too slowly can be just as dangerous as speeding.

3. Know and follow the laws about yielding right-of-way and lane changes.

4. Sit high enough to view at least 10 feet in front of your car. You may need a cushion.

5. Sunglasses or tinted glasses are for daylight only, not at night when your vision is reduced.

6. Be familiar with the quirks of the car you are driving.

7. Take driving refresher courses.

8. Rear-view mirrors that automatically dim and filter out headlight glare are recommended.

9. When in the market for a new car, select ones with front AND SIDE air bags.

10. Consider the ease (automatic transmission, power steering and power brakes) and comfort (seat-belt adjustment) of driving the car.

11. Select a car that is less expensive to insure (yes, some makes and models beat others in insurance costs and this should be factored into the overall cost of the car).

12. Ask for senior discounts.

For more on car insurance and on driving, visit50somethinginfo.com.

Bowling For Boomers and Seniors: Wii Changes Our Lives

Here’s a game where you don’t have to buy any of the equipment but still score close to 300! No ball, no bag, no dorky shoes.

Car-Man and I have Wii Sports. Several times a week we bowl. He’s barefoot. I’m in my fuzzy slippers. We back up to the sofa, glide down the living room and aim our hand device at the pins.

He’s better than I (right now) but I’m becoming tougher competition. It’s great exercise and lots of fun.

For more on bowling, check out 50somethinginfo.com.

World War II & Other Veterans, Spouses or Survivors…This Is For You

You may qualify for the Improved Pension Program provided by the VA—Basic, Housebound, or Aid and Attendance (A&A).

Aid and Attendance, the highest level of care in the Improved Pension Program, can help pay for care in the home, nursing home or assisted living facility. A veteran can be eligible for up to $1,632/month while a surviving spouse may qualify for $1,055/month.

Debbie Burak of VeteranAid.org is anxious to help you get the assistance you have not only earned but deserve. And she’ll respond personally to your email.

Her site (about Aid and Attendance only) is packed with information so read it and her Frequently Asked Questions prior to contacting her. You’ll learn from her experience. You’ll have access to all the proper forms. And she’ll keep you posted on the latest issues and events like the new VA Power of Attorney form.

The site is easy to navigate. Simply consult the left column and you will find chapters on eligibility, how to apply, what to expect, resources, and direct access to her blog.

Don’t miss out. Check out this valuable site. And thank you for your service to our country. We cherish you.

For more on everything for Veterans, check out 50somethinginfo.com.

50+ Women Haircut Tips

According to Vivienne Neweling, an ezine expert author, one of the many ways you can change or alter your appearance gracefully (and defy old age) is by having the perfect hairstyle.

Most important, she confides, is your facial shape. Consider your best features to accentuate them and give your hair shine by moisturizing it properly.

Fine facial lines and wrinkles can be softened by adding layers around the face. These will also add body and volume to your hair. She suggests side swept bangs for added softness and a chic edge.

For more on what to do about the gray, what to do for thinning hair or how to achieve the perfect haircut for the man in your life, visit 50somethinginfo.com.

Diagnosis Hemorrhoid

More of us have them than care to admit.

Hemorrhoids are a common problem but not simple to deal with. They can be sensitive and painful and cause itching and irritation.

Very large or recurring hemorrhoids might need surgery but there are a few things you can do at home first to reduce the discomfort:

Eat lots of fiber--plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans

Move around

Try a sitz bath

Witch hazel can alleviate pain and itching

Eat blander food

Use stool softeners

For more about this ailment including viewing a surgery tutorial, visit 50somethinginfo.com.

Throw Away the Iron: Dressing Tips For the Elderly

Let's be honest. Some people struggle with the basic activities we take for granted. Like dressing. You can help turn an arduous task into a pleasant, effortless one with a few suggestions:

1. Choose fabrics with a high level of washability and elasticity

2. Choose velcro easy touch closures

3. Arthritic hands work better with long front zippers

4. Choose clothing with larger openings to pull over or step into

A website like Silverts has provided customers with adaptive clothing at affordable prices for close to 80 years. I particularly like the "Clothing By Need" department where you'll find items for those people who are handicapped or suffer from ALS, Alzheimer's, arthritis, diabetes, edema, incontinence, leg stiffness, Parkinson's or any other ailment. Full-figured problems are also addressed.

There is an unconditional money-back guarantee and exchange policy and an easy-to-reach customer service at 1-800-387-7088.

For more personal care items (including grooming, washing and toileting aids), check out this site.

Where It's Great to be Grand: Grandparents.com

Grandparents.com always has great ideas. Just recently it featured 13 grandparents sharing outdoor summer activities they do with their own grandchildren that strengthens their bonds:

1. Run or maybe walk to the park

2. Plant a veggie garden

3. Pull that bathing suit out of the drawer and play in the pool

4. Camp in your backyard (sleep in the tent, sing, make s'mores)

5. Make your own rules to old games--get the ball over the net any which way you can

6. Smell the roses and watch the birds

7. Go take a hike--really

8. Go to the beach--boat, build sandcastles, draw in the sand, picnic

9. Climb the jungle gym and slide

10. Scavenge for art supplies in the great outdoors--find the pine cone, sticks, leaves

11. Travel to a national park

12. Go fish (not the card game)

13. Rollerblade (a little too daring for me!)

Find out more how to be a super grandparent and take advantage of the grandparenting resources in your community.

Boomers Unite: It's Time to Raid Your Daughter's Closet

Ladies, it's time to raid your daughter's closet, according to 40+ style consultant and costumer to the stars Sherrie Mathieson. Borrow the denim jacket, cashmere cardigan or cool, chunky necklace.

Sure you should purchase the classic wardrobe pieces. But spruce them up (and make yourself look more hip) by borrowing the best of your daughter's look in age-appropriate ways.

Mathieson recommends staying out of stores that cater to boomers. Instead add a twist to age-old classic styles.

"Sporty (not sloppy) makes you look younger...(but you) need to learn how to get sporty right." Accessorize well by wearing more prominent jewelry rather than delicate chains. Choose nice quality fabrics. Don't overdo anything and check out ageless collections at J. Crew and Ralph Lauren.

I bought Sherrie Mathieson's book, Forever Cool, and got great ideas to create a more youthful and modern personal style.

Check out the other blogs I've written concerning ladies fashion and start having fun:

Modern, Youthful Fashion

A Favorite Boomer Fashion Site

Buying Clothes When You're Over 50

Affording Clothes when You Don't Have the $$$$

Mama Knows Best: Clothes for the Older Woman

eBay to the Rescue: Ladies Clothes at Great Prices

You Can Find Clothes That Suit You--Honestly!

Seniors Needn't Go Hungry

Meals on Wheels shared some shocking figures.

By 2025, an estimated 9.5 million senior Americans will experience some form of food insecurity, about 75% higher than the number in 2005.

The effects are noteworthy:

On average a marginally food insecure family spends about 60% less on food relative to needs. Being marginally food insecure is roughly equivalent to being 14 years older. It also means that these senior Americans will not get a proper daily nutrient intake so they are more likely to fall into poor or fair health and more likely to experience difficulty in activities of daily living.

Don't you or a senior you know go without proper nutrition. Help them take advantage of food programs that are easily accessible.

Getting In a Good Cry

Painful life events cause a build-up in your body. In order to feel better, you need to release them. According to author Tina Vindum, working out may help.

Vindum believes that exercising, especially outdoors, helps to trigger powerful stored emotions. And it's a natural and healthy way to express them.

By releasing your emotions, you are channeling your thoughts and feelings. You end up replacing the emotions that no longer serve you with ones that promote your well-being.

People can learn how to cope with change, loss and grief by knowing which grief responses are common and by realizing that each person has his/her own unique experience with grief based on his/her physical, emotional and behavioral reactions.

Over time the powerful emotions should become less intense and last shorter periods of time.

Should you feel worse over time, however, think about consulting a mental health professional who is familiar with grief issues.