Restaurants
Applebee's: 15% off with Golden Apple Card (60+)
Arby's: 10% off (55+)
Ben & Jerry's: 10% off (60+)
Bennigan's: discount varies by location
Bob's Big Boy: discount varies by location (60+)
Boston Market: 10% off (65+)
Burger King: 10% off (60+)
Captain D's Seafood: discount varies on location (62+)
Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or coffee (55+)
Chili's: 10% off (55+)
CiCi's Pizza: 10% off (60+)
Culver's: 10% off (60+)
Denny's: 10% off, 20% off for AARP members (55+)
Dunkin' Donuts: 10% off or free coffee (55+)
Einstein's Bagels: 10% off baker's dozen of bagels (60+)
Fuddrucker's: 10% off any senior platter (55+)
Gatti's Pizza: 10% off (60+)
Golden Corral: 10% off (60+)
Hardee's: $0.33 beverages everyday (65+)
IHOP: 10% off (55+)
Jack in the Box: up to 20% off (55+)
KFC: free small drink with any meal (55+)
Krispy Kreme: 10% off (50+)
Long John Silver's: various discounts at participating locations (55+)
McDonald's: discounts on coffee everyday (55+)
Mrs. Fields: 10% off at participating locations (60+)
Shoney's: 10% off
Sonic: 10% off or free beverage (60+)
Steak 'n Shake: 10% off every Monday & Tuesday (50+)
Subway: 10% off (60+)
Sweet Tomatoes: 10% off (62+)
Taco Bell : 5% off; free beverages for seniors (65+)
TCBY: 10% off (55+)
Tea Room Cafe: 10% off (50+)
Village Inn: 10% off (60+)
Waffle House: 10% off every Monday (60+)
Wendy 's: 10% off (55+) White Castle : 10% off (62+)
Retail And Apparel
Banana Republic: 10% off (50+)
Bealls: 20% off first Tuesday of each month (50+)
Belk's: 15% off first Tuesday of every month (55+)
Big Lots: 10% off
Bon-Ton Department Stores: 15% off on senior discount days (55+)
C.J. Banks: 10% off every Wednesday (60+)
Clarks : 10% off (62+)
Dress Barn: 10% off (55+)
Goodwill: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
Hallmark: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
Kmart: 20% off (50+)
Kohl's: 15% off (60+)
Modell's Sporting Goods: 10% off
Rite Aid: 10% off on Tuesdays & 10% off prescriptions
Ross Stores: 10% off every Tuesday (55+)
The Salvation Army Thrift Stores: up to 50% off (55+) Stein Mart: 20% off red dot/clearance items first Monday of every month (55+)
Grocery
Albertson's: 10% off first Wednesday of each month (55+)
American Discount Stores: 10% off every Monday (50+)
Compare Foods Supermarket: 10% off every Wednesday (60+)
DeCicco Family Markets: 5% off every Wednesday (60+)
Food Lion: 6% off every Monday (60+)
Fry's Supermarket: free Fry's VIP Club Membership & 10% off every Monday (55+)
Great Valu Food Store: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
Gristedes Supermarket: 10% off every Tuesday (60+)
Harris Teeter: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
Hy-Vee: 5% off one day a week (date varies by location)
Kroger: 10% off (date varies by location)
Morton Williams Supermarket: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
The Plant Shed: 10% off every Tuesday (50+)
Publix: 5% off every Wednesday (55+)
Rogers Marketplace: 5% off every Thursday (60+) Uncle Guiseppe's Marketplace: 5% off (62+)
Travel
Alaska Airlines: 10% off (65+)
Alamo : up to 25% off for AARP members
American Airlines: various discounts for 65 and up (call before booking for discount)
Amtrak: 15% off (62+)
Avis: up to 25% off for AARP members
Best Western: 10% off (55+)
Budget Rental Cars: 10% off; up to 20% off for AARP members (50+)
Cambria Suites: 20%-30% off (60+)
Clarion: 20%-30% off (60+)
Comfort Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
Comfort Suites: 20%-30% off (60+)
Continental Airlines: no initiation fee for Continental Presidents Club & special fares for select destinations
Dollar Rent-A-Car: 10% off (50+)
Econo Lodge: 20%-30% off (60+)
Enterprise Rent-A-Car: 5% off for AARP members
Greyhound: 5% off (62+)
Hampton Inns & Suites: 10% off when booked 72 hours in advance
Hertz: up to 25% off for AARP members
Holiday Inn: 10%-30% off depending on location (62+)
Hyatt Hotels: 25%-50% off (62+)
InterContinental Hotels Group: various discounts at all hotels (65+)
Mainstay Suites: 10% off with Mature Traveler's Discount (50+); 20%-30% off (60+)
Marriott Hotels: 15% off (62+)
Motel 6: 10% off (60+)
Myrtle Beach Resort: 10% off (55+)
National Rent-A-Car: up to 30% off for AARP members
Quality Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
Rodeway Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
Sleep Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
Southwest Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)
Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages 50 and up
United Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount) U.S. Airways: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)
Activities And Entertainment
AMC Theaters: up to 30% off (55+)
Bally Total Fitness: up to $100 off memberships (62+)
Busch Gardens Tampa : $3 off one-day tickets (50+)
Carmike Cinemas: 35% off (65+)
Cinemark/Century Theaters: up to 35% off
U.S. National Parks: $10 lifetime pass; 50% off additional services including camping (62+)
Regal Cinemas: 30% off
Ripley's Believe it or Not: @ off one-day ticket (55+)
SeaWorld Orlando: $3 off one-day tickets (50+)
Cell Phone Discounts
AT&T: Special Senior Nation 200 Plan $29.99/month (65+)
Jitterbug: $10/month cell phone service (50+) Verizon Wireless: Verizon Nationwide 65 Plus Plan $29.99/month (65+).
Miscellaneous
Great Clips: $3 off haircuts (60+)
Super Cuts: $2 off haircuts (60+)
Afib is a condition where your heart beats irregularly. It is commonly associated with coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart valve disease, cardiomyopathy and high blood pressure. People who have Afib are five times more likely to have a stroke, and about one in six strokes are caused by Afib. Other risk factors for stroke are similar to those for heart attacks and include:
]]>Have you thought about how you might react if your elderly parent were rushed to the hospital? Be prepared by being proactive! Minimize the sense of helplessness and urgency by having the proper legal documents in place. The following list is from the National Family Caregivers Association publication, Take Care, Volume 10, #2; Summer 2001.
Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care
Advance Medical Directive
Do-Not-Resuscitate Order
The patient's medical history
A list of patient's allergies
A list of all physicians and consultants (including phone numbers) who are caring for the patient
In addition, keeping a list of your parent's current medications (and dosages) and copies of their insurance card(s) could speed care in an emergency and give you all some peace of mind in the interim.
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A typical pattern with an overloaded caregiver may unfold as follows:
It is often at this stage that family or friends intercede and find other solutions for care. This may include respite care, hiring home health aides or putting the disabled loved one in a facility. Without intervention, the caregiver may become a candidate for long term care as well.
With the holiday season upon us, caregivers feel even more stress -- with planning, shopping and participating in holiday activities. This is a perfect time for family and friends to step up and provide some respite time and caregiving help. Whether it is provided personally or arranged as a gift of services to be provided by a professional respite company or home care provider, it is a welcome gift.
An article in “Today’s Caregiver” states:
“Nearly one in four caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias provide 40 hours a week or more of care. Seventy-one percent sustain this commitment for more than a year, and 32 percent do so for five years or more. One of the best gifts you can give someone caring for Alzheimer’s is something that relieves the stress or provides a bit of respite for the caregiver.
The Gift of time: Cost-effective and truly meaningful gifts are self-made coupons for cleaning the house, preparing a meal, moving lawn/shoveling driveway, respite times that allow the caregiver time off to focus on what he/she needs.”
It is also important to note that hiring professional care provider services can provide valuable ongoing support to an overloaded caregiver. A financial planner, care funding specialist or a reverse mortgage specialist may find the funds to pay for professional help to keep a loved one at home. A care manager can guide the family and the caregiver through the maze of long term care issues. The care manager has been there many times -- the family is experiencing it for the first time.
An elder law attorney can help iron out legal problems. And an elder mediator can help solve disputes between family members. There are also cash benefits for Veterans, who served during a period of war, that pay for home care or assisted living.
If you are the one providing daily care for a loved one, you owe it to yourself to seek help.
Take care of yourself and your needsm, both physically and mentally. Seek out professional help that will ease your burden and look for community service organizations that offer respite help.
The National Care Planning Council’s website www.longtermcarelink.net contains hundreds of articles with tips and advice for caregivers and their families. Take a few minutes to find the help you need and enjoy this holiday season.
]]>Adjust your expectations
No one, including yourself, should expect you to maintain every holiday tradition or event.
Involve the person in the festivities
There are many manageable activities the person and you can do together, such as:
When the person lives in a care facility
A holiday is still a holiday whether it is celebrated at home or at a care facility. Here are some ways to celebrate together:
With some planning and adjusted expectations, your celebrations can be filled with joy and magical moments to cherish forever.
]]>"A 'brown bag checkup' is the best thing patients can do to avoid medication mistakes and cut down on unnecessary medications," says Douglas Paauw, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington.
The checkup involves putting all of your medications in a brown paper bag and bringing them to your doctor or pharmacist. The bag should include over-the-counter and prescription drugs, herbs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and topical treatments such as ointments and creams. "This kind of checkup is good for anyone who takes medication, but particularly for older adults who are more likely to be taking several medications," Paauw says.
Edie Hurley, nurse manager with Montgomery County Aging and Disability Services, supports the idea of the brown bag checkup. "At least make a list and bring that in," she says.
Your doctor or pharmacist should check for appropriate dosing, problems caused by interactions between drugs and whether each drug is being given for the right reason. They should also check for duplication. It is common for more than one drug to contain the same ingredient. For instance, taking two products that contain acetaminophen raises the risk of liver damage. Other common problems include expired medications and medications that are no longer needed.
In one case, an older patient mistakenly thought her diabetes medication was for headaches. "So she took her diabetes medication only when she had a headache, when she should have been taking it every day," according to Hurley.
After you and your doctor settle on what you should be taking, the next thing is to know the names of all of your medications and what they are for. Your list of medications should be updated and reviewed with your doctor each time you change a medication or add a new one.
Experts suggest that you keep a list of medications in your wallet and let a family member know that you have it. Be ready to take that list out at the dentist's office, at appointments with specialists, or in an emergency.
Another good place to record them is the Vial of Life method. The Vial of Life consolidates basic health information such as medical history, allergies, medications, etc. in one place. It is designed to hang by a red magnet on your refrigerator door in case emergency personnel need to treat you. You can request a free Vial of Life by calling our office.
Modern medicine has made our lives better in many ways. People taking many different prescriptions need to be aware of potential dangers and take steps to avoid them.
]]>She is excited to join her peers for this unique summit where she will learn from experts at the point of care who are advancing solutions and meeting challenges through innovative best practices. Look for her to share more information here after she returns.
]]>The demands on both the time and energy needed to provide the needed care can make it impossible to maintain both a full time job with full time caregiving.
Seeing a need to give support to family caregivers the federal government Administration on Aging created the National Family Caregiver Support Program.
State Area on Aging division manages this program on the state and community level to offer support services that include:
A Medicaid approved assistance program called Cash & Counseling may be used to provide funds to hire personal care aides as well as purchase items or services, including home modifications that help them live independently.
The PayingForSeniorCare.com website gives the following information about the program:
"For Medicaid eligible seniors, the process begins with an assessment in the home to determine the senior's home care needs; this includes interviews with caregivers and possibly the senior's physicians. A determination of how many monthly care hours are required is made. The benefit amount is calculated using that determination and cost of care for that geographic area. This amount can be increased or decreased as the senior's needs change. A family care giver may need to qualify as a home health aid by the state to receive these funds."
This program is executed by each individual state Area on Aging Services division. It is a relatively new program and is not yet available in all States. Check with your state Area on Aging Services department for availability.
A totally overlooked source of money to pay family caregivers to provide care at home is the Aid and Attendance Pension Benefit. This money is available to veterans who served during a period of war. Pension money is also available to the widows of these veterans. This benefit, under the right circumstances, can provide up to $1,949 a month in additional income to pay family members to provide care at home.
Getting the aid and attendance benefit to pay for family caregivers is not an easy task. This is because there must be a caregiver contract in place, a physician medical evaluation done, income and asset qualifications met and proof of medical expenses provided. Submitting the correct forms and documentation can easily be completed with the help of a VA Accredited Consultant who understands the process.
If the senior being cared for has a long term care insurance policy that covers home care, payment to the care giver from this source could be arranged. Some policies require the care provider to be through a licensed home car agency, but others will pay for individual aides certified as such. This would require some training by the family member to become certified. There are policies that pay a daily benefit amount to the insured to use as they want to pay for their care. Check with a long term care insurance professional about types of policies.
In some cases the senior parent has the funds to pay for care. If a family member is giving care it is very important that a caregiver contract be in place. A signed and dated agreement will outline the services provided as well as the amount of pay for these services. The contract will eliminate questions about what is expected from both parent and caregiver as well as providing a legitimate contract and payment record of services to qualify for Medicaid.
Attorney John L Roberts, in his article titled "Caregiver Contracts that Protect Elders and Their Family Members" states:
"A written Caregiver Contract is a good idea for every family that wants to protect family harmony, and make sure everyone in the family understands how care is being provided to an elder.
The family member who provides care can save an elder from needing nursing home services, and may also protect assets if nursing home care is needed in the future. Elders who want to cover all of these bases must have a written Caregiver Contract. Whenever adult children and other family members are providing valuable care, only a written agreement will protect assets from nursing home care costs and qualify the elder for Medicaid."
In having the parent pay a family member for caregiving, it will be an employer/employee situation and payroll records must be kept with payroll taxes paid.
This can also be set up by an elder law attorney at the time the contract is done.
Final Note
Taking the time to create the caregiver contract, research the government and state services that are available to caregivers and using community resources will make the family caregiving experience less stressful.
"The 4 Steps of Long Term Care Planning" from the National Care Planning Council
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