Answers For Elders Radio Network

Jan Sheeley from Silver Sneakers joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders radio show to talk about strategies for making and achieving realistic goals for exercise, in particular to make New Year's resolutions achievable.

Jan says, "Tracking things down, writing things down, is helpful. It's the same with fitness. It's the same with food. I'm going to eat one vegetable with every meal. Write down that vegetable. Write down whether you do it or not. I'm going to drink a glass of water with my meal. Write that down. So tracking things, writing them down. Then you know you've got a great achievement, you are winning."

Visit https://tools.silversneakers.com/ to find resources on their blog that help with exercise and diet.

Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For people with chronic conditions like arthritis, exercise can be difficult and painful. Jan Sheeley from Silver Sneakers joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders radio show to talk about free resources at Silver Sneakers to help, and also provides some strategies for getting started with moving and exercise.

Jan says "We do have online documentation, stories, an actionable items on the website. You go to silversneakers.com, you don't have to be a member. That site is completely free. Anybody can access it. We have a blog that talks about chronic conditions. You can choose which one fits you, and arthritis is a very big one.

"You don't have to start by going to run a mile today. No, it could be I'm going to walk around the block, or walk around my dining room table. Just get moving. When you do start moving, it engages your endorphins and makes you a lot happier. Feel good about yourself, know you're doing something actionable. Those things really improve your health outcomes."

Visit https://tools.silversneakers.com/ to find resources on their blog that help with chronic illnesses.

Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan Sheeley from Silver Sneakers joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders radio show to talk about free fitness benefits available to senior loved ones through their Medicare Advantage program. Silver Sneakers is a free program accessible through certain Medicare Advantage programs. Check the website to see if you are already enrolled in the program. Jan Sheeley is Regional Growth Marketing Manager for Tivity Health and Silver Sneakers.

Jan explains, "Silver Sneakers is a free benefit with a medicare Advantage plan. It allows you to go to the gym in our network for free. You have access to live online fitness classes, and we have over 300 that you can choose from. And you can pick whether it's a yoga, whether it's a strength class, a stretch or a fall prevention class. And then we offer classes through your community center. It's available through either Aetna or Humana or Elements in Washington state. It's through different plans in every state.

"To find out, do I have Silver Sneakers, visit https://tools.silversneakers.com/Eligibility/CheckEligibility. On the right-hand side of the website, you just need to put in your first name, your last name, your birthday, and your zip code and hit enter, and it will show you, yes, you have Silver Sneakers. Then it will give you this long code, the eligibility number that will allow you to go into a gym."

Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Silver Sneakers is the only fitness program that provides financial rewards for staying fit. Members can grow a college fund for a loved one. So even if a senior is on a fixed income, they can actually provide money for a grandchild's college tuition. It's a great motivator to get exercising — people will often do for others what they won't do for themselves.

Jan Sheeley explains, "When they go to either a gym or take an online class seven times a month, they can win $250 that goes into your college fund for a loved one."

The program is available through Silver Sneakers, free fitness benefits available to senior loved ones through their Medicare Advantage program.

Visit https://tools.silversneakers.com/ to see if you have the Silver Sneakers program available in your Medicare Advantage. To sign up for the college tuition reward, visit silversneakers.tuitionrewards.com.

Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

Jan Sheeley from Silver Sneakers joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders radio show to talk about strategies for making and achieving realistic goals for exercise, in particular to make New Year's resolutions achievable.

Jan says, "Tracking things down, writing things down, is helpful. It's the same with fitness. It's the same with food. I'm going to eat one vegetable with every meal. Write down that vegetable. Write down whether you do it or not. I'm going to drink a glass of water with my meal. Write that down. So tracking things, writing them down. Then you know you've got a great achievement, you are winning."

Visit https://tools.silversneakers.com/ to find resources on their blog that help with exercise and diet.

Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

For people with chronic conditions like arthritis, exercise can be difficult and painful. Jan Sheeley from Silver Sneakers joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders radio show to talk about free resources at Silver Sneakers to help, and also provides some strategies for getting started with moving and exercise.

Jan says "We do have online documentation, stories, an actionable items on the website. You go to silversneakers.com, you don't have to be a member. That site is completely free. Anybody can access it. We have a blog that talks about chronic conditions. You can choose which one fits you, and arthritis is a very big one.

"You don't have to start by going to run a mile today. No, it could be I'm going to walk around the block, or walk around my dining room table. Just get moving. When you do start moving, it engages your endorphins and makes you a lot happier. Feel good about yourself, know you're doing something actionable. Those things really improve your health outcomes."

Visit https://tools.silversneakers.com/ to find resources on their blog that help with chronic illnesses.

Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

Jan Sheeley from Silver Sneakers joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders radio show to talk about free fitness benefits available to senior loved ones through their Medicare Advantage program. Silver Sneakers is a free program accessible through certain Medicare Advantage programs. Check the website to see if you are already enrolled in the program. Jan Sheeley is Regional Growth Marketing Manager for Tivity Health and Silver Sneakers.

Jan explains, "Silver Sneakers is a free benefit with a medicare Advantage plan. It allows you to go to the gym in our network for free. You have access to live online fitness classes, and we have over 300 that you can choose from. And you can pick whether it's a yoga, whether it's a strength class, a stretch or a fall prevention class. And then we offer classes through your community center. It's available through either Aetna or Humana or Elements in Washington state. It's through different plans in every state.

"To find out, do I have Silver Sneakers, visit https://tools.silversneakers.com/Eligibility/CheckEligibility. On the right-hand side of the website, you just need to put in your first name, your last name, your birthday, and your zip code and hit enter, and it will show you, yes, you have Silver Sneakers. Then it will give you this long code, the eligibility number that will allow you to go into a gym."

Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.

A lot of people choose not to get married. They cohabitate, they mix assets, they'll buy a home, and some even have retirement plans. There are many legal protections for married couples, but some of those protections don't extend to individuals who live together, such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid benefits. If an unmarried couple decides to live together, they ought to discuss how to protect each other, and how do you protect yourself if you choose to live with a partner. Elder law attorney Andrea Lee from Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about protections and estate planning for unmarried couples.

Learn more:
* Andrea Lee: https://www.waltar.com/andrealee/
* Legacy Estate Planning: https://www.waltar.com/
* Legacy Estate Planning podcasts: https://answersforelders.com/tag/legacy-estate-planning/

Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot of people choose not to get married. They co-habitate, they mix assets, they'll buy a home, and some even have retirement plans. There are many legal protections for married couples, but some of those protections don't extend to individuals who live together, such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid benefits. If an unmarried couple decides to live together, they ought to discuss how to protect each other, and consider how do you protect yourself if you choose to live with a partner. Elder law attorney Andrea Lee from Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about protections and estate planning for unmarried couples.

Andrea says, "We all like to think that our partners love us, and we'll do what's in our best interest, they'll always put us first. But the reality is, even married couples can each have their own will. They can each retain their own counsel. So if you're an unmarried couple and you're residing together, even if you own a home together, there is the possibility that one partner could go retain an attorney, draft a will, create a trust that says, 'Hey, when I die, my half of the house goes to my kids, or my half of the house goes to the Humane Society.' And so it can be very tricky for unmarried couples or even married couples to plan."

Andrea adds, "You might be an unmarried couple. You could live together for 40 years. And if one of you has a stroke — or is in an accident and ends up in the hospital, if you are not married — your long-term partner might not have any legal ability to visit you in the hospital, to talk to your doctors, to make decisions on your behalf. That might fall to your parents — or your sibling who you haven't talked to in decades. So really, unmarried couples, it's even more important for them to sit down and prepare a plan than it is for married couples, because they don't have any of those protections that the law puts in place."

"There are different rules in different states, and how each state interprets those relationships. and what rights are bestowed upon different individuals. There are some benefits where, if a surviving spouse gets remarried, they might lose some benefits. Some ... people don't want to give up money that they're earning because of a death of their first spouse by getting remarried. I do military pensions. There are a lot of people who would love to get remarried, but they are concerned about potentially the loss of a military pension, or some other benefit that they might have received."

Learn more:

• Andrea Lee
• Legacy Estate Planning
• Legacy Estate Planning podcasts

Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks

Dr. Marc B. Cooper sees enormous benefits in using AI to help our senior loved ones, especially in their later age. He joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about the potential of technology, particularly AI, to combat loneliness among the elderly and improve healthcare management in the future. They consider strategies that can be implemented to help elders feel less isolated. They also think about how AI can assist in the mission of The Contemporary Elder Institute.

Additionally, they explored the impact of AI on content creation, with Suzanne sharing her experience using AI tools to help write a book. 

Marc is the author of "Older to Elder: The Thinking and Being of a Being of a Contemporary Elder." Visit his websites at www.requestingwisdom.com and www.drmarcbcooper.com."

Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.