Thursday, August 05, 2010
OUCH!
OUCH. Received my renewal membership materials just the other day. Have been debating whether or not to renew because I have not really experienced any benefits of substance received to date. Thanks for the heads up.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Don't Go Breaking my "AARP"
I recently received an insurance promotional mailer from AARP, and I responded to the Hartford Co. for a quote on home, auto, and liability coverage.
After going through a lengthy conversation with the Hartford representative, in an effort to match the current coverage I have with MetLife Auto and Home, I was given an annual premium for auto, home and liability coverage of $5,100.
The annual MetLife premium I pay for the same coverage is $2,248.
They certainly have a long way to go in perfecting their negotiating skills. On behalf of their staggering number of members, I would like to ask, "is this what an advocate for seniors, with your huge member base to negotiate from, does for us?" AARP is nothing more than a marketing machine, not the advocate for your members that you would like us to believe. AARP should go get a lesson from Wal Mart's buyers on negotiating. In fact, I think I am going to suggest to them that they might want to consider competing with AARP.
Their promotional material said that I would save hundreds of dollars over my current insurance company, if I would just call the enclosed phone #.
When I called MetLife to double check my annual premium, after getting the information from Hartford, the representative I spoke with said he had personally had the same experience with AARP/Hartford.
Has anyone else had this experience?
Sunday, November 08, 2009
What about Mom’s Stuff?
What about Mom’s Stuff?
By Emily M. Butler-Morton
Mom had lived in her home for 47 years. Dad had passed away two years ago. With my busy career and other family responsibilities it had not been possible for me to spend more than a couple of hours a week with her. Consequently, she was feeling lonely and isolated. The obvious solution for her was to move to an independent living community where she could socialize yet still remain independent. Her biggest concern was what to do with all of her stuff! Even though there are many nice, large accommodations available in most senior living communities, with lots of closet space, downsizing is still necessary when condensing years of accumulated possessions.
Together, we came up with a plan. First, to be objective, we took a pen and paper and went to a location where all of the stuff was not visible. We then drew a line down the center of the paper - on one side put “NEEDS” and on the other side put “WANTS”. It was surprising how short the list was on the “NEEDS” side of the paper. We found that the “WANTS” side was a little longer and had to work on it a couple of times. What Mom ended up doing was giving some of her favorite pieces to family members, knowing that she could “visit” her stuff on occasion. She also stored some things in a local storage for later review and consideration. The rest was given to a local charity. That way there were no hurried goodbyes to any of Mom’s stuff.
In some cases an Estate Sale Professional can be hired and is the answer to scaling down. Usually in this case, all furnishing and items can be left in the house and priced for sale. An event such as this is usually held over a 1-2 day period. For anyone who wants to start over, buy new furniture and other household furnishings this is a great option.
Some senior living communities have a staff member who will come out to your home, take measurements and give you a detailed plan on how and what will fit into your new home. They will sometimes provide help with packing, transporting and even help to the last detail with hanging pictures, etc.
They say that de-cluttering can be a freeing experience. In my Mom’s case, she said she felt lighter and fresher after she downsized. And, when all was said and done, she did not miss any of her Stuff!
Emily M. Butler-Morton
Senior Advocate/Consultant
Resident of Talent, Oregon. B.S. in Psychology/Family Studies, Certificate in Gerontology.
After spending 25 years in the senior living business wrote a book on how to carefully select a senior living community. “Care Enough to Know-Keep Your Parents Safe”.
www.theparentcare.net for more information
Monday, March 30, 2009
Welcome to Our Blog!
Senior Guidebook, beginning its 7th year of thoughtful options for seniors, families, caregivers, and friends, is dedicated to providing information and resources for those looking to understand their choices, and the experiences of others
Our Guidebook Blog looks to provide information with a new angle; your feedback and requests. Initially, our topics cover health, nutrition, and finance, with more to come as we incorporate your feedback and interests. We will continue to bring many experts together including traditional and nontraditional experts, physicians, nurses, nutritionists, elder law and estate planners, travel specialists and many more.
Our physical and fiscal health are tied to each other. With so many people concerned about our economy, we chose our opening topic to be Finance. We have an excellent assortment of videos (clickable to videos), articles (clickable to articles) and posts to help us educate ourselves.
The increase in gas prices has people using their cars less, and walking or biking more. My hope is they are enjoying the outdoors, their neighborhoods and neighbors. Are you feeling the pinch and cutting your travel budget? Why not spend a weekend close by – frequenting shops and cafes where you live? How are you spending you travel budget? If you are fortunate enough to travel now:
