Can we have a forum for "older" people with bc?
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When long term care policies first came out, we couldn't afford them. Some time after we were divorced (27 years ago), my ex-DH ended up with a bundle of money and bought a policy for himself (and his now wife). I still can't afford one. His comment is that the price goes up & up & up every year. I would have felt hoodwinked by the insurance companies that the initial price wasn't grandfathered.
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My husband and I got LTC policies the one and only time the federal government offered it. The price stayed steady until five or six years ago when it just about doubled. We stayed with it. My husband passed without the need to use it and I’ve kept my policy. My financial planner highly suggests that her clients get a policy. Knowing what nursing home care costs, as my mother needed it for 26 months back in 2009-2011, I intend to keep my policy
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We have long term care insurance that dh took out when he was employed by the Corps of Engineers. It covers home care as well as nursing home. The premiums were not supposed to go up but after a number of years, they did go up. An option was not to pay additional premiums and the benefits were frozen. We took that option.
Jackie, your quote spoke to me today. I have been in a despondent mood for some weeks now as I cope with being older. I think I need more interaction with other people and involvement in meaningful activity. When my mother was alive and in the nursing home, I devoted time to her. When she died, all that time became empty. Yesterday I looked up the local food bank on the internet with the thought that it might be a possibility for volunteering. If that doesn't work out, I will look elsewhere.
My trip to Best Buy yesterday with my laptop turned out to be a big zero. I had an appointment with the tech department. It turns out they don't do any repairs in house except with software. My laptop's problem is the fan, which may just need cleaning or a new fan. For the price of $85 they would send my computer to a repair center in another state where it could possibly sit for a month or more for analysis of the problem. They would contact me with the cost.
HOWEVER, I could buy a one year contract with the Geek Squad for $199 that would cover the $85 and would give me 20 per cent off a new computer if I decided against the repair. I called dh and he and I agreed that I should bring the laptop home. We will find a local repair service or even go the You Tube route and try to clean or replace the fan ourselves. I love this little laptop and it was pricey (for me) at $1000 plus the cost of transferring the data from the old laptop.
It was clear to me that Best Buy's main customer service objective was to guide me toward a purchase.
Happy Saturday to all.
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Can we recognize our oneness, though? And what will happen if we
not only start to see that we are connected to the other human beings
in our lives, but also start to live as if that were true? Would we
become more compassionate if we were to recognize the same hopes
and dreams that we have, there in someone else? Would we be able
to help someone else feel more hope in their lives? Would we feel
more at home and at peace in our own places in this world if we were
to keep in mind that we are an important part of the human race, and
that we have many chances every day to improve the lot of humanity
by improving the life of a fellow human being, even in tiny ways?
tom walsh0 -
Carole, I'm sure you can find someone locally to look at it. I could find 5-6 close to my house in Seattle. There are a lot of people tinkering. SIL gets computers at thrift stores and gets them working for the GS.
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Such a dreary cold day today. I miss the sun but then I crave it almost every day. I also await hearing from the VA. I hope it will happen this coming week. They can be a mite slow, but have to admit -- they have done an outstanding job on those big things they have taken care of with me. That is mainly the early cancer, and then the four more much more recent times in my urinary tract. I actually have another scope coming up end of Nov. and first week of Dec. I was hoping this valve replacement would be done before then but not sure of anything right now.
Well, I did something I have never done. Today I went to a food bank that was offering free turkey. The prices that I've seen around the stores were pretty high this yr. and I thought to get all of us here a turkey leg -- that is if we all decided we wanted turkey. Unbeknownst to me they also provided a whole lot more than turkey so we will have a very nice dinner on turkey day. Lots of cooking and the smells will be heavenly as they always have been. I also came home with three small bags of fresh fruit. I would not do this too much I don't think, but with so many prices on the rise I may have to make other trips. I do think though that if it is always so generous I likely will not go maybe more than once a month. I'm sure there are many other people of limited means who have way more limits than I do and I think my basic nature is to help others. Also, I have no wish to be wasteful.
Hope you all have a great Saturday and hoping you have some sun as well.
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Jackie - as the chair of a food bank board of directors, I say never be timid or afraid to go. That is our mission! We have seen a huge increase in the number of seniors this year. Two of our pantries are in Sun City communities. Pensions and SSI just aren't keeping up with the cost of living. You are lucky you have the VA. Medical bills take a huge chunk of many seniors' budgets.
We expect to provide a "turkey and fixins" for a fulll family meal during the 3 days before Thanksgiving. Turkeys are hard to get (local grocery placed a big add this week and their delivery didn't come in) right now but we expect to have over 5000 come and we'll do Christmas for over 1000 kids. We also do something at Christmas for our grandmothers who are raising grandchildren.
Carole - there are many groups who would like to have you volunteer, even if it is only seasonal. Follow your passion. My sister records math books for the blind (greatly inspired by a vision impaired college professor) and my daughter fosters kittens. Tutoring children, rocking premies, walking dogs at your local shelter, reading to seniors, food banks, whatever it is. We have several craft groups (I'm sorry that I don't remember if you are a crafter) here who meet to do charity craft projects. One sewing club gave the Foodbank 200 dresses for little ones for Easter. We get lots of toys from the local woodworkers for Christmas. I don't work in the pantry (being on my feet for long is when I feel my age) but I do grant writing and for a while, quite a bit of administrative work. We have a whole group that just does fundraisers and food drives. Many charities have thrift stores which also need help. Your local AARP probably has a list of requests for volunteers. Many non-profits couldn't make it without volunteers.
It does help me to get out of my own way. There is no doubt in my mind that Covid increased my feeling of isolation and anxiety and I'm sure I'm not alone.
Happy Weekend Everyone. Go Cardinals!
Marge
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Thanks for your suggestions, Marge.
It's a sunny cold morning here. DH got up first and turned on the heat. We don't keep the heat on at night because we like sleeping with the cover pulled up.
I took a ride yesterday with dh to New Orleans to the home of another wood turner who lives in the Irish Channel, an area originally settled by Irish immigrants. It was very interesting to leave our north shore environment and experience a different way of life in the city. The wood turner's property was narrow and deep and his garden was like the court yard gardens in the French Quarter, a jungle of plants, some of them blooming. A tall wrought iron fence fronted his house and there were tall wooden fences on each side. Truly a walled home.
Famous streets like Magazine and St. Charles were just a few blocks away. Definitely a high crime area but he said he felt safe there, having lived there for 30 plus years. He was originally from Wisconsin. He and his wife and a friend were making "throws" for a Mardi Gras parade so I assume he is a member of a Krewe. It seems there will be Mardi Gras parades rolling this year.
Happy Sunday to everyone.
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"A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change."
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Has been pretty cool today. Got up to 47 which would have been fine if the sun would stay out but instead we had intermittent sun with strong wind so make it feel quite chilly. Leaves are on the ground now. I'm trying to talk my SIL into using the tractor to mulch them all. It is good for the ground and far easier than raking two acres which is what he wanted to do. We use to blow them all into the big ravines either side of the house, but that is a difficult and somewhat un-rewarding way to do it too since it involves a number of weeks to get them all. He needs to learn the tractor since I think he will be doing most of the yard care this coming Spring for sure.
We have all spent ( other than the usual morning rounds here taking care of our menagerie ) a lazy day. We are only seeing the coyote at the store on occasional now rather than the daily visits that were being made. He or she seems to realize that it is not the safest place to be but since mainly quiet persists now from the store closure it seems to want to check and make sure how things are.
I hope you all had a really nice Sunday.
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Carole - sounds like an interesting day but I have to admit that I don't know what a "wood thrower" is. My sister and spouse are great at finding off-the-beaten-track outings but we are terrible at it!
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The "throws" weren't wood. Some Mardi Gras clubs (Krewes) have distinctive throws that they hand down from their parade floats. One women's krewe makes elaborately decorated shoes. The black krewe, Zulu, makes coconut heads that are prize throws. Mike is a member of Krewe of Tuck. The throws he was making were an embellishment of a handled brush. DH saw a box of hundreds of brushes with handles. The really interesting Mardi Gras parades are some of the smaller Krewes (organizations). The huge organizations like Endymion throw a variety of bought items. In latter years the children love the lighted swords and toys and necklaces.
We used to go to Endymion because we were invited to a company party by a neighbor and were on the parade route with food and drinks provided and, most important, a bathroom. We would leave with shopping bags full of beads and assorted throws. It was fun at the time but we stopped going a couple of years before Covid invaded New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
You don't have to go to New Orleans to participate in Mardi Gras. All the local towns and small cities in the area have organizations with parades and balls.
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Carole, nice information about Mardi Gras. In my younger days I always wanted to attend but never made it.
We are in Texas loving time with the grandsons. Booking hotels for return to FL last night and they booked some close to 6 hours on the road. My incision from the hamstring surgery is doing ok, but my back didn’t do well with 4-4.5 hours of driving. So I’m having partner cancel one hotel and add 2 others. I have to repeat to them, and myself, this is not a race to get to FL home. We’ll get there when we get there.
Our weather has been very nice, sunny days and cooler nights. We even got into the hot tub yesterday which was great.Enjoy the day
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The soul would have no rainbow had the eye no tears.
John Vance Cheney0 -
Cindy, glad to hear you are taking it easy on the way to Fla. Hopefully, you will find a few attractions along the way to slow you down a bit too, as long as it is nothing too tiring. Fla will stay right where it is at.
Carole, you always manage to make LA sound so interesting. Our old next door neighbors moved there but I think due to the woman's poor health they are returning to this area. I think I would enjoy it now, that I'm old enough not to be wild and crazy. I do love places that have stayed strong with their traditions.
Part of the reason I love being home is all the things that are done here in a town that is so small Just around 13,000 yet the 4th. of July, and Thanksgiving parade is usually 3 hrs. long and the whole downtown decorated for x-mas along with two of our parks. You drive through in your car and see all the nativity/Christmas scenes on a long drive through the parks. It is rather stunning for such a small place.
I do think some people around here have parties as well for Mardi Gras -- but it is sort of on a fairly small scale. I think just a couple organizations that are on more of a private scale.
I hope you all have a good Monday. Cleaning my work area again is on the top of my do-do list.
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Jackie - you said "I think I would enjoy it now, that I'm old enough not to be wild and crazy." Oh I love it. Made my day!!! I think most of the time I'm past 'wild & crazy' too. But every now & then a bit of the wild tempts me. When I was in New Orleans, I was newly married with a young child at home with his grandma, so not too wild.
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I worked for Pan Am in Houston. It was a given that every employee from New Orleans would be going to Mardi Gras. Just plan on it. I can't blame them. Even on ordinary days it was a wonderful place to visit.
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Thanks for all the information on LTC insurance.
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Thanks, Carole - I really should read up on regional traditions. I obviously didn't have any idea what you were talking about.
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Good morning. It is 41 degrees and I am cold. I think it will get up to 71 and sunny. I have never been to Mardi Gras. I looks wild and crazy. LOL
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I took my laptop to a repairman yesterday. He has his business in his home. He turned it on and, hearing the fan noise, said it probably needed replacing. No telling how long I will be without it. I’m using my cell phone to write this.
I normally spend time in the morning reading newspapers online. I won’t be doing that. A change in routine may be a good thing.
We’re considering changing our health insurance to a Medicare Advantage plan. We pay more in premiums currently than the maximum out of pocket costs in the plans we’re looking at. And one plan includes most of our doctors in network.
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Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meaning can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the hearts. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
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We are due to get up to 71 today. On that I will wait and see although I do note the sun is out and quite bright this morning. Sorry to hear about your computer Carole, but glad you pretty much know what is wrong. I hope it gets fixed much sooner than you expect. Not sure how things fare right now with getting parts. I think that seems to be an issue for so many things at present. Hopefully computer fans are not in short supply.
We take our computers to a local little company. They are quite reasonable ( we think ) and often, the man who owns the business and does the repair will have you come back in his work area while he is working on your repair. It is enlightening to us although I can't say it helps us much when we get home. The guy just zips through all the strange logs and other files and seems to come up with your exact issue. Haven't had to go often, but we trust this man totally. My friend took her computer in to be repaired there and upon opening the case he found it to be loaded with dust -- he blew out all the dust, turned it on and it worked fine. She came to pick it up and on her ticket was No Charge. Made me feel he can be trusted to charge for only the work he MUST do to fix your machine. Blowing dust out of it is not enough repair to charge for.
More good news I think. Got a call this morning to go into Marion and see the Cardiologist. 10 a.m. this coming Tues. 23rd. I am anxious. I feel okay, but am a mite tired of having to take such care with all I do. Also, I am reaching the point I think where I am going to have to sleep in my recliner most of the time.
Hope you are all going to have a really pretty day.
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Our local computer repair shop has an interesting past. The previous owner was disreputable type who didn't like me. His assistant has some autistic characteristics. The assistant was aware that the boss had shorted me in several transactions and communicated that to me. The boss died, and the shop was up for sale. The other guy bought it, and his mother (probably) handles customer interactions. She was quite surprised that her (son) does not have any difficulty interacting with me. I brought this laptop in to the shop because of noisy and long boot-time. He pulled out a disk, and it worked just fine. No charge. The other guy would have... (you fill in the words).
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Jackie - glad to hear you finally have an appointment.
Carole - be sure your docs in Wisconsin or where ever else you might be (Chicago) in an emergency will be covered by the Advantage Plan. And particularly the hospitals there. I know here there are lots of Advantage Plans that will not allow you to go to MD Anderson.
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When my DH retires end of first quarter, I'm going to sign up for a Medicare Advantage Plan. As long as a doctor or facility takes Medicare, care will be covered. It is United Health Care. Low out of pocket maximum. The group my PCP is part of only takes Ma and two different plans. One is through my state retirement system. Of course, I will have to double check after the first of the year. Till he retires we are on his company health insurance.
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Scanxiety-time again: my 3-month ocular-onc/retinal photog/tumor ultrasound is 1:45 tomorrow (actually, now that it's after midnight, "today"). Got a text from Warby Parker that my re-made computer-progressives are ready, once I got home from the dentist this afternoon. Ticked off that before I got on the Brown Line train after the dental appt., I checked my texts & e-mails, and nothing from Warby. Could've taken the Brown Line to the station five doors down Southport from Warby, picked up the glasses, then doubled back to Belmont to transfer to the Red Line. Of course, was not about to jump in the car late this aft. and drive there. I'd like to go there en route home from the ocular onc, but I suspect my pupils will still be too dilated to be able to tell if they made the reading and middle distance areas large enough this time. (At least I had a great dental checkup--my gums have improved to such an extent that the ultrasonic cleaning was a breeze).
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Sandy, I know what you mean about gums and dentist. I have an appointment with the dentist today. I hate the cleanings. It hurts my gums.
We have a neighbor that repairs our computers. He comes to the house.
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And when we come to think of it, goodness is uneventful. It does not flash, it glows. It is deep, quiet, and very simple. It passes not with oratory, it is commonly foreign to riches, nor does it often sit in the places of the mighty: but may be felt in the touch of a friendly hand or the look of a kindly eye. -David Grayson
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Sunny and sort of warm today, but a mite breezy. I hope we don't have rain in our future. Hope to get my fridge totally cleaned out today in antioption of Thanksgiving. Not sure what or how that will go. My Cardio appt. is two days before Thanksgiving and my family is wondering if I'll even be here. Who knows. Right now I seem to be holding my own with my medical issues, but that could change and may depend on what the Cardio Dr. thinks. We will have to see.
Tomorrow I'm going to go to Beth and get my hair cut. It needs curling, but I think I'm going to have to love really straight for a while. She did mention last time I talked to her that perms were getting to be in short supply so something to factor in at this time.
I also need to re-do the pantry. It never stays straight for long. I have too much in there in general so I think I'm going to have to find things to either donate or at least find a better spot for. I can't seem to convince Dh that everything he wants close cannot fit into the pantry. He is the worst offender on that.
I hope you are all going to have a really good day.
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