Social distancing and staying in place have become important.

by Chris Orestis, President of LifeCare Xchange

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, health officials have been clear and consistent in their message to seniors: While anyone can fall victim to COVID-19, those who are 65 and older are in an especially high-risk group.

That’s why older Americans need to be especially careful and – in the case of the very elderly – family members may need to step in to make sure they are taking the right precautions, says Chris Orestis.

He offers a few tips on things seniors and their families can do:

Prioritize healthy practices. Follow health guidelines. Wash your hands, avoid touching your face, and sanitize surfaces. “Social distancing and staying in place have become important new additions to our lifestyle because avoiding contact with infected people is the surest way to prevent contracting the virus,” Orestis says. “Grocery stores and retailers have set up senior-only shopping hours, and seniors should take advantage of those. In addition, food delivery services can bring take-out meals or groceries to your home.”

Trust nursing homes. “Despite the tragic deaths that occurred at Life Care Center’s nursing home in Kirkland, Wash., the nursing home industry has been working around the clock in every community to protect their residents,” Orestis says.

Know what financial resources are available. “We’ve experienced a stock market drop, but It is important at times like this to not ‘panic sell’ and lock in your losses,” Orestis says. He points out there are still safety nets and even financial opportunities that can help seniors. For example, the passage of the CARES Act will pump $2 trillion into the economy. Social Security income, Medicare, and Medicaid payments remain unchanged. Income from annuities remains guaranteed.

For owners of permanent life insurance policies, Orestis says, there are a couple of options to get liquidity from this asset. If the owner wants to keep the policy in force, they can take out a policy loan for upwards of 90% of the cash surrender value. If the policy owner wants to stop paying premiums, they could use a life settlement to sell the policy under tax-favorable conditions to receive a percentage of their death benefit as a lump-sum today.

Vet your news sources. The coronavirus is getting round-the-clock news coverage. But mixed into the information coming from reliable sources is a flood of misinformation. “Fact-check information by reading statistics from the websites of reliable medical resources and verified news organizations,” Orestis says.

Chris Orestis, known as the “Retirement Genius,” is President of LifeCare Xchange and a nationally recognized healthcare expert and senior advocate.

Washing your hands often is very important.

by Chris Orestis President of LifeCare Xchange

As the Coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, and now is becoming more widespread by the day in the United States, it is critical that the most vulnerable population being impacted understands how to be better prepared.

Seniors have been the hardest hit by the Coronavirus with the tragic death of 8 residents in a nursing home in Washington State, and a much higher mortality rate among seniors registered so far globally. In fact, the CDC now confirms a 14.8% mortality rate for people 80 and older, but only 1.3% for people in their 50’s, 0.4% for people in their 40’s, and 0.2% for people in their 30’s and younger.

As of Sunday, March 8, 2020, the U.S. had recorded 527 cases across 33 states with 21 fatalities. Globally, as of the same date, 109.837 cases have been recorded with 3,805 fatalities and 60,963 full recoveries. These numbers will change daily, and here are two good resources to track how the virus is progressing in the U.S. and Globally.

Mortality with Coronavirus is linked to the strength of a person’s respiratory system. Seniors are particularly vulnerable to respiratory conditions. In the case of Coronavirus, the air sacs of the lung will fill up with fluids cutting off vital oxygen to the organs which can induce failure and possible death. Adding to the danger facing seniors, is the contagious nature of the virus and the threat of it spreading in a confined population such as in a nursing home or senior living community.

Fortunately, the Senior Care industry has taken action to combat these dangers and is working closely with the CDC, the World Health Organization, and CMS to receive daily information updates, coordinate best practices to safeguard residents (and staff), and monitor for any new outbreaks.

Seniors and their families should stay in close contact as this virus progresses, and here are 5 tips to better handle the Coronavirus situation:

5 Step Retirement Genius Coronavirus Survival Plan

Make every attempt to cough or sneeze into a tissue, and then securely dispose of the tissue. If a tissue is not available, use your inner sleeve of your elbow.

Continuously wash your hands with warm water and soap, or alcohol-based cleansers. Avoid touching your face and in particular your eyes, nose and mouth unless you have washed your hands and not come into contact with any possible contamination.

Clean and disinfect surfaces such as electronic devices (cell phone, TV remote), and items that receive regular contact from hands such as doorknobs and handles.

The CDC has specifically warned that seniors (age 60 and above) and/or those with underlying health conditions should avoid travel and gathering in areas with crowds and communal activity such as eating or higher probability of person-to-person contact where any reported cases of Coronavirus have been found. Avoiding activities such as “traveling by airplane, going to movie theaters, attending family events, shopping at crowded malls, and going to religious services”, as well as avoiding cruise ships at this time is prudent.

If you are exhibiting flu like symptoms or any respiratory difficulties, you should stay at home and avoid coming into contact with others. It is best to consult your doctor, and a Telemedicine consultation from home is an option that many patients can use to seek care and get prescriptions.

People should also be very careful about overreacting and from where they get information. The best source for information is medical professionals such as your doctor, and organizations like the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

People should be especially careful of fake news that is spreading across social media platforms, misinformation from political figures, possible scammers looking to prey on frightened seniors, and dismiss foolish rumors such as people should be avoiding Chinese food and restaurants or you can become infected by Corona beer (completely false!).

Smart hygiene, managing social interaction, keep open lines of communication among family members, being well informed, avoiding unnecessary travel or crowds, and not being duped by bad actors are all smart strategies to get through the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The AARP Foundation announced that they will be suspending tax preparation services at the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging (VCAAA) effective March 16 due to the threat of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Ventura County.

AARP Foundation Tax Aide volunteers began the annual partnership with the VCAAA on February 3, offering free tax preparation services to anyone of low to moderate income, with services especially suited to those 50 and older. ​Thursday’s health emergency declaration in Ventura County prompted several businesses and organizations to stop or limit services in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The VCAAA office, however, and all VCAAA services continue to operate as usual, with the exception of Senior Nutrition Program classes and in-person counseling. Clients who visit the office will be asked to keep a six-foot distance between themselves and others, but the VCAAA wants to emphasize that assistance is available for Ventura County residents in need of services and resources.

The VCAAA office is located at 646 County Square Drive in Ventura. For more information, call (805) 477-7300 or visit www.vcaaa.org.

The AARP Foundation operates the AARP Tax-Aide program under a cooperative agreement with the IRS. To help you complete your tax forms, AARP’s trained and IRS-certified volunteers will see personal information that you give them about you and your finances. This information is strictly confidential. We will not share your information with anyone except as necessary to accurately file your tax returns or as otherwise required by law. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide has more than 5,000 locations in neighborhood libraries, malls, banks, community centers and senior centers. There’s no fee and no sales pitch for other services and AARP membership is not required.

The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, an agency of the County of Ventura, is the principal agency in Ventura County charged with the responsibility to promote the development and implementation of a comprehensive coordinated system of care that enables older individuals, people with disabilities, and their caregivers to live in a community-based setting and to advocate for the needs of those 60 years of age and older in the county, providing leadership and promoting citizen involvement in the planning process as well as in the delivery of services.