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Retirement Communities & Senior Housing |
Retirement Living News May 2005 HEADLINES
(Click
on headline to read story) Archive
of Past Issues
New Retirement Communities Nevada Again Tops List of Fastest Growing States The nation's population grew by 1.0 percent (2.9 million people) between July 1, 2003, and July 1, 2004, according the U.S. Census Bureau. Nevada ranked first among the states for the 18th consecutive year with a growth rate of 4.1 percent. Four nearby states joined Nevada on the list of the nation's 10 fastest-growing states: Arizona (second), Idaho (fourth), Utah (seventh) and New Mexico (10th). The remaining top 10 fastest-growing states are all coastal: Florida (third), Georgia (fifth), Texas (sixth), Delaware (eighth) and North Carolina (ninth). North Carolina and New Mexico replaced California and Hawaii on the list of the top 10 fastest-growing states. The top 10 accounted for 49 percent of the national growth. Of the 10 fastest-growing states from
2003 to 2004, five were in the West, and the other five were in the
South. The South now accounts for 36 percent of the nation's
population, the West 23 percent, the Midwest 22 percent, and the
Northeast 19 percent. Flagler, Florida, is Nation's Fastest Growing County Flagler, Fla., located along the Atlantic coast between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, was the nation's fastest-growing county between July 1, 2003, and July 1, 2004, experiencing a 10.1 percent population increase, according to estimates released last month by the U.S. Census Bureau. Florida led all states with 14 of the nation's 100 fastest-growing counties. According to the estimates, St. Johns, Fla., which borders Flagler to the north, was the ninth fastest-growing county between 2003 and 2004, with a population increase of 6.7 percent. Half of the remaining top-10 fastest-growing counties were located in either the South or West: Loudoun, Va., near Washington, D.C., ranked third in growth with a rate of 8.1 percent; Lampasas, Texas (north of Austin), sixth with 7.3 percent; Lyon, Nev. (near Carson City), seventh at 7.2 percent; and Camden, N.C. (south of Norfolk, Va.), eighth at 7.2 percent. Rounding out the top-10 fastest-growing
counties between July 2003 and July 2004 were four counties in the
Midwest: Kendall, Ill. (in the Chicago area), second at 8.3 percent;
Hanson, S.D., and Lincoln, S.D. (both near Sioux Falls), fourth and
fifth, respectively, Advertisement Facing Challenges Living at Home? We can help. With nearly 40 years of home care experience, Interim HealthCare understands how important it is for people to stay in their own homes. We work with families to design programs that help loved ones do just that -- in a way that fits their needs and their budget. All of our caregivers are carefully screened, bonded, and insured. And you'll never have to worry about taxes, Social Security, or supervision. If someone you care about is facing challenges living at home, take our Independent Living Assessment at http://www.homestyleservices.com/go.asp?id=H4G6A
Many Americans Plan to Work After Retirement Close to two-thirds of Americans who have not yet retired say that when the time comes they will work for pay after retiring. According to a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll, the reason given most often has nothing to do with money. They simply want to stay busy. For some, their vision of the American dream is not full-time leisure but a less-taxing job. The political debate on the future of Social Security has focused fresh attention on retirement and how older Americans make ends meet. As they live longer, healthier lives, work is an option for an increasing number. One organization that is helping retirees find employment is Experience Works, a national nonprofit organization that offers job training, job placement, and work experience in community services organizations. It has offices in 38 states and Puerto Rico that help people find work. Programs offered by Experience Works are as follows: Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) - The largest program offered by Experience Works, SCSEP helps thousands of low-income individuals in the U.S., age 55 and older. Services include job placement, job training and job counseling. In addition, Experience Works offers unskilled workers experience with community service and nonprofit organizations and public agencies before they transition into the workforce. Experience Works Training Services - Experience Works offers a variety of technology-training services, including instructor-led and self-paced computer-skills training in classrooms, computer labs, training packages and via the Internet. Job training is offered via industry-specific programs such as home health care, agriculture, security, customer service, and small-business development. Experience Works Prime Time Awards Program - This yearlong program recognizes the contributions of older workers at the local, state, and national levels. It is capped by a week of activities and honors in Washington, D.C. Local Services - Experience Works provides services in some local markets, including home health care, landscaping, home repair, administration of workforce centers, welfare-to-work programs, a statewide older worker information clearinghouse, and more. Another source for seniors to use to
find employment is Senior
Job Bank. It enables retirees to search by state and city,
and has links from and to major federal government sites as well as
many popular national and international mega-sites targeted toward
meeting employment needs of seniors. Some Tips If You Are Thinking of Buying Real Estate in Costa Rica Costa Rica is a land of sunshine, educated and friendly Ticos (as the Costa Ricans are called) and affordable prices for real estate and cost of living. The country offers its residents 23 distinct climates to choose from, one of the highest standards of living in Latin America, and plenty of natural beauty. All of these attributes have led many businesses, retirees and professionals to locate there and enjoy the "pura vida" (pure life) that Costa Rica offers. If you are considering relocating overseas or investing in real estate in a foreign country, there are several steps you need to take to make sure your purchase is a success. Avoid the sunshine syndrome. Many people visit a tropical paradise on vacation and start thinking how great it would be to live like this. They stop in a hotel lobby or real estate office, pick up some brochures, talk to a salesman, and end up making a purchase they later regret. Real estate has value based on location. If the price is unbelievably cheap, there must be a reason. It is important to compare properties. Choose your area well. It is important to carefully analyze your wants and needs. While living in a jungle may sound romantic, can you really live without cable TV, Internet access, electricity and neighbors? What kind of climate do you want? In Costa Rica, most areas outside of Escazu, Santa Ana and San Jose tend to have small expatriate communities, so the atmosphere is much like a small town. Home prices may vary depending on where you are from. Tico homes advertised in Spanish papers tend to show less expensive homes that those aimed at Gringos and advertised in English language papers and on the Internet. This has led to the misconception that there are "Tico" prices and "Gringo" prices. While it isn't unknown for a price to change when the buyer appears or they hear a foreign accent, the real difference comes from the features in the home and the market it was built for. A simple example is that most "Gringo" homes have a hot water tank and hot and cold water taps in every sink. Most "Tico" homes have cold water everywhere except the shower. Using a reputable realtor is a real bonus when buying a property in Costa Rica. Most homes are custom built and they know the builders in the area. They can help you determine what area and kind of property suits your needs, budget and personality. If you are interested in learning more
about property in Costa Rica, visit: www.american-european.net. Hi-Tech Help for the Caregiver Coming Soon It seems like technology has affected every corner of our lives: how we communicate with our families, how we do our banking, even how we get the news. But chances are, if you're providing at-home assistance to an ailing relative, your experience of providing care is so old fashioned and labor intensive that it's like living in another century. For at-home caregivers, it feels like the technology revolution of the past 25 years has passed right on by. "The rewards of providing love and much-needed care to a close relative - not to mention "doing the right thing" -- are immeasurable," says Ellen Freudenheim in her recently published book, Looking Forward, An Optimist's Guide to Retirement. But that doesn't mean that a little high tech assistance in providing care wouldn't be welcome. As Looking Forward points out, a new generation of health-related electronic equipment is coming online. Imagine a world in which computer-driven devices measure blood pressure, pulse, and, for diabetics, glucose levels at home and relay the information daily, or several times a day, to a designated health provider monitoring the patient. A person could live hundreds of miles away from a medical center yet still receive timely and accurate personalized care. MIT's AgeLab, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Michigan and others are investing R&D money on monitoring devices designed to enable people to better manage their own medical conditions from home. Today at-home monitors can do amazing things that until a few years ago would have required a time-consuming visit to the doctor or hospital. They can measure body temperature, and even depression. They can help determine whether a patient is taking the right medications at the right time, which is an important consideration for people who are taking lots of different pills. These products, in pilot development in several VA hospitals, aren't yet commercially available. But what makes the technology so promising is that vital information could get relayed instantly to a person's health care provider. If there's a problem, the nurse could call in adjustments to the medication. This could all happen so quickly that problems would be nipped in the bud, and crises avoided without a trip to the emergency room. High tech monitoring would greatly help caregivers. Those who live far away would be greatly relieved to know that their loved one was being monitored regularly, yet living at home. Hands-on caregivers would be reassured as well. There are some futuristic applications, too. One product idea is "healthy" underwear or shirts with tiny, tiny health sensors that can monitor and communicate your vital signs as you play golf, make love or write the great American novel. If this scenario sounds like science fiction fantasy, a cross between Isaac Asimov and Ralph Lauren, think back to the 1950's. Wouldn't it have been a crazy idea to think that a half million Americans with chronic heart disease would be living active lives, thanks to little chargers surgically implanted in their chests? That high tech idea was the pacemaker. More thoughts on how technology will
change the way older Americans live can be found in Looking Forward:
An Optimist's Guide to Retirement (http://www.lookingforward2.com). Housing Options for Low Income Seniors Rents are rising, making it difficult for seniors on fixed incomes to be able to afford housing. In order to ensure that there is some affordable housing for seniors, the government funds several low-income housing programs. The two main types of government-funded housing are public and subsidized. Public housing is housing owned by a housing authority, and the housing authority acts as your landlord. Subsidized housing is housing owned by a private landlord who receives subsidies in exchange for renting to low-income seniors. In both programs, your rent is calculated as a percentage of your income. Each program has different eligibility requirements, and the exact requirements vary from state to state and program to program. In general, to be eligible, you must be above a certain age (62 for federally subsidized public housing) and below a certain income. To apply, you need to request an application from each housing authority or program you want to apply to. Unfortunately, there are often more applicants than housing available, and the housing authority often puts applicants on waiting lists. Because of the wait, it is important to apply to as many different housing programs as you can, and to keep track of your applications and your place on the waiting lists. For more information on housing options
for low-income seniors, click
here. |
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