Welcome to the SandwichINK Boomers and Seniors: News You Can Use blog carnival for January 26, 2010. We've got a grand bunch of interesting articles to educate, inform, and encourage you, from tips for medical records to good brain habits to making sure you and your aging parents get signed up for Medicare in the right way at the right time. Come along and join us for this fun tour of the best of this week's posts for the baby boomer generation and senior home care givers, not to mention all of us grandparents! Hmmm. That sounds like – the Sandwich Generation. 
HEALTH AND WELLNESS NEWS FOR THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION AND THEIR BELOVED SENIORS:
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. Kaye Swain's article, Glaucoma Awareness Month Resources for Senior Home Care Givers, at SandwichINK, shares some important facts about glaucoma as well as some valuable resources for glaucoma testing and treatment for senior citizens.
Carebuzz presents some simple lifestyle changes you and your aging parents can make to help boost brain health in Brain Habits that Will Improve Cognitive Processes posted at Home Care Rhode Island.
You've probably heard of the Kelly Blue Book for buying cars. Did you know there is a Health Blue Book? I sure didn't so I was very glad to read up on it in Patricia Grace's interesting article, How to Save Money on Healthcare Cost at Aging With Grace CareConnection!
According to WebMD, "the risk of…high blood pressure normally increases with age, due in part to normal changes during aging." Not only that, ABC News is now reporting a possible link between high blood pressure and dementia. All of which makes this article by Dr. Armughan, 10 misconceptions about High Blood Pressure, posted at High Blood Pressure Symptoms Treatment Diet, very timely!
CARING FOR ELDERLY PARENTS:
Of course, senior home care giving, in and of itself, includes plenty of health needs. For instance, top on my list for the next few weeks are several doctor appointments for both my senior mom and myself as we continue our adjustment to a whole new state. Just in time to help comes a great article from Shelley Webb, R.N., Finding a Good Doctor For Your Loved One, posted at The Eldercare Support Group, Taking Care of The Folks.
Speaking of elderly parents and the doctor's office, Viki Kind reminds us to help them (and ourselves) practice patience when sitting in the doctor's waiting room in Shared Suffering – Doctors and Patients Are In This Together posted at KindEthics.com.
Dale Carter writes about Preventing Polypharmacy Problems in your Elderly Parent posted at Transition Aging Parents, saying, "Many elderly have trouble reading a prescription label and understanding related information given to them. Also, most are taking two or more medications. It can cause confusion and errors. This article offers helpful steps for family caregivers to ensure their loved one is getting the most benefit out of their prescribed medications."
Matt Johnson, CEO for Healthbridge In-Home Care, has a way with words – great titles with solid meat in the articles. A prime example is Need a Superstar Caregiver? Hire a ZEBRA. Terrific tips for what to look for in a care giver, made easier to remember with that Zebra! Another good article - Three Big Mistakes When Talking to Your Parents About Elder Care. I was blessed to have pro-active parents who took the lead on planning for the help they knew they would need. But for those whose parents haven't brought the subject up, these suggestions may help.
Having spent much of the weekend sorting through bills, medical records and paperwork, I really appreciated reading the article by Baily Hayden, 10 Tips to Help You Take Control of Your Medical Records, posted at MPH Degree. As Baily puts it, "Your medical records, whether paper or electronic, are important documents that are generated or updated every time you visit a doctor." My family has found this control is valuable, whether the medical records are for a young grandchild or an elderly parent.
It's very important to make sure our senior parents properly enroll for Medicare at the right time. Super Saver shares some special conditions to monitor in A Medicare Enrollment Watchout posted at My Wealth Builder.
THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION – TRENDY INFO AND NEWS:
A large trend in the lives of many in the Baby Boomer generation continues to be GRANDCHILDREN. We grandparents are always "on call" when it comes to our grandkids. Sadly, some bad guys like to take advantage of that "strong tie that binds!" Gina LaGuardia has an excellent warning for us in the article, Phone Scam Alert: Fake Grandkids Calling for Cash, posted at Seniors For Living.
Speaking of grandchildren, Herbert Anderson has a list of Top 50 Early Childhood Health Blogs posted at Ultra Healthy. It looks like a great resource for grandparents, including sites for special needs, autism, asthma, children's literacy and more.
Do you ever wonder how long you might live? BigRed Hagans has provided us with 25 Intriguing Online Quizzes and Calculators to Test Your Life Expectancy, posted at Best masters in healthcare. I have to admit, I did take the "Death by Caffeine" test. I was pleasantly relieved to find that, even though I'm sure I drink too many of my diet cherry colas, I'm probably in no danger of dying from them.
SENIOR CITIZEN HOUSING:
Are you considering buying an older house, either because you love the era or you need the space for your Sandwich Generation multi-generational family? These can be wonderful investment properties / homes, especially in this market. There are, however, some important considerations before making that decision. In Older Homes with Bigger Rooms for the Sandwich Generation, at SandwichINK Real Estate Info, Kaye Swain looks into some of the questions you might want to ask.
Tom Bills has some great tips for showers for our elderly parents in his article, Enjoying Universal Design For The Shower, posted at In-LawSuite.com.
SMART FINANCIAL INFO FOR BOOMERS AND SENIORS:
April 15 is right around the corner, so it's good timing to read PT's article, Roth and Traditional IRA Contribution Limits for 2010, posted at Prime Time Money. It includes info specific for those in the Baby Boomer Generation who are 50 and above.
Many Baby Boomers are starting to think of retiring. Those who own their own businesses, like a former boss of mine, are trying to decide how to downsize. If selling a business is something you are considering, you'll want to read Dave Kauppi's, Sell a Business – Ten Keys to a Successful Exit posted at Business Broker Chicago, where he writes, "The purpose of this post is to discuss the ten key factors that a business owner should consider in their once in a lifetime opportunity to maximize the rewards from their life's work with the sale of their business."
Well, there you have it. The Boomers and Seniors: News You Can Use blog carnival for January 26, 2010, full of Boomer News for seniors and their caregivers. We hope you enjoyed all these great articles and look forward to seeing you at the next edition. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page. Also, we'd love for you to submit your blog article to the next edition of Boomers & Seniors – News You Can Use using our carnival submission form.
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Boomers and Seniors: News You Can Use – Glaucoma, Medicare, Grandparent Scam, Sandwich Generation House Buyers… | S… http://ow.ly/16qI55
Thanks Matt!
And thank you for joining us for this fun event! 
What a great compilation! Certainly news we can use.
Thanks for what you do, Kaye!!!
Insightful blog. Actually, most of those who are currently part of the “sandwich generation life phase” are not Boomers, but rather are part of Generation Jones (born 1954-1965, between Boomers and Gen X). As numerous top national commentators have pointed out, GenJones voters might well decide the 2010 midterms, so it’s not a surprise to see the Obama administration targeting GenJonesers with these new proposals.
BTW, “sandwich generation” is not an actual generation, but rather a term which has been used for over 30 years to describe the life stage which various actual generations (Boomers, Jonesers, Xers, etc.) pass through.
Hi, Thanks for stopping by and for the interesting points you shared. According to Wikipedia, “the census bureau considers a baby boomer to be someone born during the demographic birth boom between 1946 and 1964,” which is what i’ve heard elsewhere as well. Wikipedia also mentions Generation Jones, but lists the years for that as 1956-1964. Since all these designations are basically just man-made, cultural labels, as is the Sandwich Generation, I’m sure there’s definitely some flux on either side for each one. I’m quite happy be be a Baby Boomer Generation Baby, but I’ll be quite willing to be considered the “head of the class” for the Generation Jones too – since I’m basically right at the end of both.
And you are definitely right that the Sandwich Generation can and does impact those much younger than me as well. It’s a bit more prevalent with my age group, particularly when you add in the grandkids, but I was doing all this while still in my 40s AND busy helping with my grandparents when my first baby was only a year. So you’re quite right that it’s really more of a season of life than an age.
Have a blessed week.
What a fantastic #Boomers #Seniors blog carnival over at @SandwichINK: http://bit.ly/69ktqO (pls. RT!)