Mother and Daughter Tackle Aging
In this scripted drama on YouTube, the difficult topics of aging are presented in somewhat humorous arguments between two generations. Starring Maura Tierney, Lois Smith and Philip Baker Hall. Watch the video now!
Meet our CSA Spotlight, John “Skip” D. Frenzel
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Skip Frenzel is a CSA, CFP, Realtor and Long-term care expert. His years of extensive training have provided him with the wealth of knowledge that he holds today in the senior market Read his story.
The question I get asked the most now is, “So how did you get into the senior business?” Good question, especially if you know where I came from. Ten years ago, I was living the glamorous life of an international airline pilot flying the heavy iron to all parts of the globe for a ton of money. That was my passion, my dream. I worked hard for it, sacrificing everything to live the dream. And I did it; I “went to the show,” as they say in baseball. But it ended when my body started changing. I medically retired early.
Along with the change in my health and my job status, many other transitions were changing my established life. One such change got me into the senior market. A sudden long-term health event happened to someone I loved. My widowed mother, living in the house in Pennsylvania that I grew up in since I was 1 year old, got up to go to the bathroom one night, fell, and spent the night on the floor until my aunt found her the next morning. That started the procedure of selling the house and contents and moving her to an assisted living facility where she lived until she died from complications of a stroke three years later.
I was supposed to be knowledgeable about these things since I had all this “training.” But I was a deer in the headlights. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Thank God I did have help from family and friends. The smartest thing I did was help her fill out an estate planning form that listed her assets, belongings, legal instruments, etc., so that it wasn’t an Easter egg hunt for me to find everything. Yet, it was a learning experience. I realized I didn’t know it all and that I wanted to help others like me that had this unexpected, sudden change thrust on them. I would learn what I could and pass it on to others who didn’t know what they didn’t know.
There is an overwhelming amount of “stuff” to know in the senior market. There was too much. With reckless abandon, I took all my disciplines of real estate, financial planning, long-term care and life, and knitted them into a fabric of useful information. I looked at my mistakes, my experiences and my history and realized that I needed a plan. How could I help others? The first place I looked was at Realtors®. Without any formal training or guidance, they work with seniors on a daily basis, helping them downsize, move and go through life changes. Nobody was helping them either; I know, I was one of them. They didn’t know what they didn’t know either. They usually don’t have the resources or knowledge to help seniors beyond the normal real estate activities. However, the senior market is much more than just real estate. It encompasses retirement, estate planning, long-term care, insurance, portfolio management, the psychology of aging, life changes, physical challenges and so much more. Where do Realtors get the training for this?
I decided this is where I could do the most good. I already had the only Realtor designation for working with and having advanced knowledge of seniors: the Senior Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®), but I wanted to do more with the designation. I wanted to teach the course to other Realtors. With my background in financial planning and long-term care, I could bring more resources to the designation than the basic course offered. But I had trouble breaking into the inner circle; it took two years to qualify and become an SRES® instructor, and many of the other instructors did not share information with me. Even though I was one of them, I was still an outsider and many regarded me as their competition.
Teaching the class just showed me how much material there is to share. It can’t be done in the two days using the curriculum the SRES course provides. While this is a real estate course, it contains very little real estate; rather, it highlights the senior business. So while the other instructors are experts and experienced in real estate, many teaching a bunch of other real estate courses, the SRES class is the only one I teach and am qualified for. The others know real estate, while I know the senior market, so we approach the class from different angles. This allows me to do more than the normal content of the course; I “super size” it. This course is the start for agents to learn how to work with seniors and gives each agent a bit more knowledge on how to help their clients. But if that weren’t enough, I have developed a class called “What SRES® Didn’t Teach You: How Far Down the Rabbit Hole Do You Want to Go?” The name says it all.
Beside teaching the SRES® class and “Down the Rabbit Hole,” I also have a beginners class for Realtors to introduce them to the senior market, called “The Alchemy of the Senior Market: Turning Lead into Gold.”
Finally, my local real estate board has sought me out to assist them with the formation of a Senior Resource Center. I am helping to develop a program and resource center so that seniors can find the answers to things that they need. Since they don’t know what they don’t know, it will be useful to the public and will be staffed with SRES® Realtors from the board.
I would also like to do more work on affordable housing for seniors. This is a very complex and challenging subject in our area. And I want to work with planning cities of the future. This involves bringing people from the suburbs back into the cities and relying less on automobiles. This means returning to multiuse residential/retail buildings like from the 1940s and 1950s, using many new ideas to help us live better, including walkable neighborhoods with local shopping, local villages within the city, green technologies and more.
But my bread and butter is helping the Realtors to assist their senior clients and the children of these clients in areas other than real estate. I do this with a team of professionals who are experts in their various fields. Through them, the Realtor can provide services in areas that he or she can’t do, don’t want to do or aren’t licensed to do. Together, we form an integrated team that can solve most any senior-related problem. The main things that I provide are planning and education to the Realtors and their clients.
I use a variety of options to educate my Realtor clients, including seminars and workshops, a cache of materials, articles, books, PowerPoint presentations, a library of TV shows and industry handouts on topics of interest in the senior market. I provide each new Realtor client with an Agent Resource Kit. I regularly update the blog on my website and routinely send out eblasts that keep Realtors informed of the latest news that affects them. I alert them to seminars, fairs, open houses, meetings or other senior events in our area. I teach how to correctly deal with seniors and their issues, how to assist caregivers and how to gain access to the senior market. Since relationship building is the cornerstone to working with seniors, I help the Realtors provide information and resources to their clients to earn their trust and confidence. The Realtors can provide these services without being an expert on these areas themselves. I provide as much or as little service as the Realtor wants.
Besides the real estate work, I have interests in other areas of the senior business. Here are a few:
I am on the Advisory Council to the Council on Aging representing the City of Campbell, Calif. We review, implement and monitor programs that affect seniors in our county.
I am on the Senior Ministries Committee at the Los Altos United Methodist Church. We plan senior activities, events and services for seniors in the church. I am in charge of the Professional Services section, creating educational programs, seminars, lectures, workshops and presentations dealing with senior topics. Actually, I have started a program called “We don’t know what we don’t know.” Does that sound familiar?
Also, I host twice a month Senior Chat meetings dealing with a variety of senior issues. I select topics, find speakers and host the meetings.
I have been a volunteer for the Silicon Valley Village since its inception, trying to establish a Village in the Santa Clara County area to help people age in place in their own homes by offering services and programs. I help seek other volunteers, committee members and leaders to launch this project.
I serve as a volunteer with the Silicon Valley Financial Planning Association (SVFPA), serving on the Program Committee planning, organizing and hosting regular monthly meetings of SVFPA. I also volunteer as a team member for Brown Bag Meetings, which are smaller, monthly lunchtime meetings dealing with non-mainstream financial planning topics. Team members find topics and presenters for these meetings, organize and host the meetings.
I also serve on several advocacy groups including AGEnts for Change, Aging Services Collaborative and the Senior Agenda to the county Area Plan, working with areas that are new or changing our senior programs.
But one of my greatest achievements and useful designations is the Certified Senior Advisor®. This course brought all of the above together into one comprehensive package which gave me the missing pieces to link all of my disciplines and knowledge together. It is not an easy course to pass, but the value of having it not only benefits the designee but all of his or her clients. This brings the polish to the rough topics that I sort of knew but needed a little more depth of knowledge. And just having it gives me the unspoken recognition of master of my trade. I am proud to have gotten the CSA and share it with my fellow cohorts. The combination of being a CSA, CFP®, Realtor and long-term care expert puts me in a position of authority and expertise when it comes to senior work.
Lastly, I am an enthusiastic member of our local Senior Roundtable and of LinkedIn. I will gladly link with others working in the field if invited.
John “Skip” D. Frenzel, CSA, CFP®, CLTC, CMFC
Long Term Care Specialist
Agape Long Term Care
CA License #0B33867
www.AgapeLongTermCare.com
info@AgapeLTC.com
John D. Frenzel-REALTOR®
GRI, CRS, SRES®, GHS™
Agape Real Estate
CA License #590513
www.AgapeRealEstate.info
RE@AgapeLTC.com
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Minister, 108, Preached for Over 40 Years
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After John Annas retired from a long career as a minister, he got “restless” and took on more assignments. He finally retired at age 80 but now, at 108, he gives presentations about Abraham Lincoln. Read his story.
Even after he formally retired, John Annas couldn’t stop serving the church until he was almost 80, at which point he started doing one-man shows about Abraham Lincoln. The reason for his longevity, he says, is good genes and simple food.
John Wesley Annas, Jr. was born in North Attleboro, Mass., in 1904 to John Wesley and Emma Louise. His father was a minister in a Methodist Episcopal church for over 40 years. Now, in Leesburg, Fla., at age 108, John can say that he has also served the church for over 40 years, just like his father. What has helped him accomplish so much? “Love God and trust fellow man, you don’t spend time worrying.”
Even though he formally retired at age 65 in Syracuse, N.Y., John was assigned to another parish for another five years. After that ended, he “got restless” and asked to be assigned to another church, and then another, and yet another, until he finally retired from giving regular sermons when he was almost 80 years old.
When Anita, John’s first wife, saw him wrestling their snowblower out of a ditch at age 91, she decided that they would move to someplace warmer. In 1995, they moved into an apartment in a retirement community in Florida, where Anita later passed away. John and Anita have three children, eight grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.
John finds great inspiration in Abraham Lincoln and created a presentation about him, using portions of John Drinkwater’s play, “Abraham Lincoln.” In his a 30-minute one-man show, “Lincoln,” John plays five different characters, including Lincoln and his wife. For this interview, he recited a piece of it over the phone, choosing a bit that portrays Lincoln’s strong moral character when faced with the realities of loss during war.
It was Abraham Lincoln that apparently brought John and his current wife, Lenore, together. After Lenore saw John’s Lincoln presentation at the town hall, she arranged to have him present it at the library. She was impressed by his knowledge and kind spirit, and he was drawn to her by her collection of religious artwork and the book she wrote on the Presbyterian Church. They got to know each other, married in 2007 and now share a wonderful and busy life together.
Though John has macular degeneration and some hearing loss, he keeps busy by keeping in touch with friends, reading (with the aid of a magnifier that projects onto a screen), responding to the continual requests to present his “Lincoln” piece and giving the occasional sermon. He and Lenore published a collection of his poems that he delivered at Christmas sermons over a period of 50 years, entitled “Christmas Poems.” He recites his poems with ease and joy, all from memory.
In April of 2012, John was honored by the Boston University School of Theology as their oldest living graduate. He also holds that title from Ohio Wesleyan College where he was an undergrad. But his biggest honor seems to be his legacy, as Lenore proudly notes. When John was recently ill, many people in the community, some she didn’t know, approached her to say what an inspiration John is to all. John has his own answer as to how he would like to be remembered: “I’d like to think I’ve helped people to know Jesus Christ as our friend and savior.” Of Lenore, John says, “I have the most wonderful wife you could ask for. She’s outstanding, very sensitive with high intellectual powers.”
John’s thoughts on why he has lived so long hearken back to his upbringing. “The good Lord gave my mother and father good genes that they passed on to me. We ate simple but very nourishing food like oatmeal, not rich cake.”
The New England Centenarian Study works with centenarians from all over the world to discover the secrets of aging well. If you know someone who may qualify for the study, call 1-888-333-6327, email stacy@bu.edu or visit www.bumc.bu.edu/centenarian.
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How Technology Can Be Your Friend
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Technology can come to our aid in many ways: connecting us to friends and family members, improving hearing loss and helping us to age in place. With electronic games that can improve memory, technology can even be fun. Click here to view article.
While some of us may grumble about having to learn how to use new electronic devices, a lot of technology can make our lives easier. Programs such as Skype and Facebook can help us stay connected to family and friends that no longer live close by. Other innovations can help with failing hearing or memory, or allow us to live at home longer.
Computers
With increasing articles referring to the high rate of loneliness among seniors (one study showed that 40 percent of adults over age 65 are chronically lonely) and other studies finding a link between chronic loneliness and other health risks, technology can keep us connected to loved ones and can help keep away depression.
Two of the better known keep-in-touch resources are Skype and Facebook. Skype provides a face-to-face connection between two users—all you need is a free account and a webcam. Facebook is a website that links a network of users and allows you to share your latest news and pictures.
If you’re reluctant to use the computer, or feel you don’t know all the capabilities of the Internet, maybe it’s time to learn. Otherwise, your story could show up on a Facebook page called “Hey Mom & Dad, Computers and email are not just for fwds.”
“This is a group designed so kids can share their frustration with their parents, parents’ friends, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. who refuse to learn how to use a computer and ONLY SEND FORWARDS of mediocre jokes and email myths!”
If you want to be more Internet-savvy, you can get a friend or your children to teach you, but be prepared for eye rolling when you don’t comprehend it as fast as the younger generation thinks you should. Many retirement communities, senior centers and public libraries across the country offer basic computer and Internet courses, such as this one at the Kansas City Library on Facebook basics: “What on earth is a Facebook and what am I supposed to do with it?”
If you’ve been discouraged from buying a computer because of its complexity, you’ll be glad to learn that computer companies have designed new computers for use by senior citizens. Choose from all-in-one computers with large icons, voice-driven software, adaptive keyboards, foot pedals and even touchscreen computers. All-in-one computers combine video chat, photo sharing, email and other popular features into a touchscreen device.
Two companies that provide simple computers are Telikin and Pure Device. Telikin computers come with fully installed software and are ready to go out of the box, and Pure Device computers boast of a “simplified touch screen that only provides access to the Internet, messaging, audio/video communication, social networking, online radio and streamed movies and shows without the need to use a traditional computer.” (Buyer beware: Mention of these products does not imply an endorsement; consumers should do their own research.)
Beyond computers, tablets such as iPads are increasingly all-in-one devices—screen, computer, software—that have the extra advantage of easily fitting in small spaces, in case you are downsizing your living quarters.
For those who refuse to enter the computer era, there’s even a program (Presto) that takes email messages and turns them into letters for people who don’t want anything to do with technology.
Telephones
Cell phones are also introducing new technology each year. For example, smartphones, which have more advanced computer capabilities than traditional cell phones, can give directions to a restaurant if you get lost or can check your flight status on the way to the airport. But if you can’t hear well, these advantages don’t mean anything.
Fortunately, new technology provides incoming and outgoing voice amplification, larger buttons or buttons with pictures on them, caller identification, memory dial, speakers, alerting devices and other programmable options to improve telephone communication. And if you’re one of the 34 percent of the 65-plus seniors who text on their phones (according to the Pew Internet Project), some phones, such as, Jitterbug Touch, come with a slide-out keyboard and touchscreen for fingers that aren’t so nimble anymore.
Several companies, including CapTel (Captioned Telephone) offer landline telephones that print out the words as the caller is saying them, so there is no confusion for those who can’t make out every word of a phone call.
For seniors who don’t have computers and aren’t interested, videophones, an old technology (from the 1950s) are like telephones that have built-in cameras and a video screen. You still need an Internet connection, either DSL or cable; however, videophones are particularly useful for the deaf and speech-impaired who use sign language or find the visual images helpful in comprehending.
Books
eBook readers such as Kindle, with their adjustable-size type, can make reading easier for eyes that no longer work as well as they used to. Further, eBooks provide access to books we remember from our youth that might no longer be available at the bookstore or library (although Nancy Drew books, thankfully, are still in print). Even better, some libraries offer eBooks as part of their services.
There’s even a program that lets you read books with your grandchildren over the computer. It’s called Readeo and uses a Skype-like video chat to let you and your grandchild choose from more than 150 children’s books and read the book together, even if you’re thousands of miles apart. During a “BookChat,” the pages of the story appear on the computer screen and you can see, hear and talk to one another through video chat windows at the bottom of the screen.
Memory Aids
Technology can help strengthen memory. Several digital devices include hand-held memory aids, which allow the user to record reminders about appointments, tasks, medication and so forth. But one memory aid that is actually fun is the video game. It’s not just for your 10-year-old grandson anymore. Happier at Home reports that video games “tend to emphasize skills that are vulnerable to aging (speed, attention, memory, etc.). Thus, video games may offer the opportunity to get ‘exercise’ in areas that need it most. In addition, video games are novel for most older adults, and research suggests that this newness is an important ingredient for successful cognitive intervention.”
Games that challenge your brain on the computer include video-game systems like the Wii, handheld video-game devices like the Nintendo DS and video-game websites. Happier at Home advises finding games that challenge the senses. Games that require problem solving are also ideal.
A website developed by scientists and neuropsychologists, HAPPYneuron features games that exercise all five cognitive areas of the brain: memory, attention, language, visual/spatial processing and overall executive functioning. Or check out MyBrainTrainer.com, which offers interactive exercises, each designed to stimulate a specific region of the brain and to improve mental-processing speed, memory capacity, concentration, multitasking ability and visual discrimination. Online sites usually have an annual fee, from $30 to $100 per year. Happy at Home reports that a lot of seniors are using the Nintendo Wii (if you’ve never tried it, ask your children or grandchildren to demonstrate for you). Seniors are not only bowling on Wii but solving simple math problems, reciting songs and testing memory skills in the classic board game “Concentration,” by using Brain Age and Brain Age2, designed for handheld Nintendo DS systems. One must first purchase a Nintendo handheld device, which ranges in cost from $80 to $200.
Technologies for Aging in Place
Some technology can keep you at home when medical problems might otherwise necessitate rehabilitation care or assisted living. VitaCare (from Adapted Living) allows caregivers and recipients to send messages over a tablet or smartphone about either party’s alerts or concerns. This constant contact can reassure both parties when it’s time for medications or when a complaint necessitates action. (Suggestions in this section are from Laurie Orlov, Aging in Place Technology Watch).
Several devices monitor when seniors take falls at home. The EMTWatch FallDetect™ will transmit an alarm to SafetyCare’s Response Center, which is staffed by emergency medical technicians (EMTs), when a fall occurs. The EMTWatch FallDetect claims it has the ability to identify a “‘slow fall,’ such as when someone is attempting to brace themselves as they slowly fall to the ground or out of a chair, as well as ‘fast falls.’” (Again, Senior Spirit makes no endorsement of these products.)
Among new fall-detecting wristwatches, one by Smart-Monitor tracks wrist movement patterns, using an “intelligent” wristwatch, looking for “excessive or repetitive shaking motion” and then alerts caregivers or designated family members.
Advice for Using “Assistive” Technology
Assistive (sometimes called “adaptive”) technology is any service or tool that helps the elderly or disabled do activities they have always done but must now do differently. It includes communication equipment, such as a telephone amplifier; tools for independent living, such as grab bars in the bathtub; mobility aids, such as a power wheelchair, wheelchair lift or stair elevator; and seating aids, such as modifications to regular chairs, wheelchairs or motor scooters that help a person stay upright, get up and down unaided or that help reduce pressure on the skin.
Seniors must carefully evaluate their needs before deciding to purchase assistive technology. Using assistive technology may change the mix of services that a senior requires or may affect the way that those services are provided. For these reasons, the process of needs assessment and planning is important.
Usually, a needs assessment has the most value when it is done by a team in the place where the senior will use the assistive technology. For example, an elderly person who has trouble communicating or is hard of hearing should consult with his or her doctor, an audiology specialist, a speech-language therapist and family and friends. Together, these people can identify the problem precisely and determine a course of action to solve the issue.
When considering all assistive technology options, it is often useful to look at the issue in terms of high-tech and low-tech solutions. Seniors must also remember to plan ahead and think about how their needs might change over time. High-tech devices tend to be more expensive but may be able to assist with many different needs. Low-tech equipment is usually cheaper but less adaptable for multiple purposes. Before buying any expensive piece of assistive technology, such as a computer, be sure to find out if it can be upgraded as improvements are introduced.
Right now, no single private insurance plan or public program will pay for all types of assistive technology under any circumstances. However, Medicare Part B will cover up to 80 percent of the cost of assistive technology if the items meet the definition of “durable medical equipment.” This is defined as devices that are “primarily and customarily used to serve a medical purpose, and generally are not useful to a person in the absence of illness or injury.” Depending on where you live, the state-run Medicaid program may pay for some assistive technology. Seniors who are eligible for veterans’ benefits should definitely look into whether they can receive assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Private health insurance and out-of-pocket payment are two other options.
Adapted from “Tip of the Week” at Technology for Long-Term Care
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In this time of belt-tightening, and as we face longevity, there are many ways to make your dollar go further. We’ll explore everything from finding tax breaks for seniors to using consignment stores. Click here to view article.
With seniors living longer, there is increasing pressure to make the best use of income from various sources, including Social Security, pensions and investments. In addition, seniors face many economic problems: the investment market has not been able to provide the returns it once did, health care costs continue to increase, municipalities are raising property taxes and the price of many necessities, such as food and gasoline, have been getting more expensive. Although conventional wisdom also holds that our household expenditures should be lower in retirement than in our working years, this is not necessarily true; unanticipated costs can quickly ruin a budget.
The bottom line is that the poor economy, longer lives and increased costs make it necessary to squeeze every dime. Seniors today must exercise greater care than ever before in managing their finances.
Social Security
Most seniors can’t depend on Social Security to cover their living expenses. According to an Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) study, Social Security provides on average only 40 percent of the income needs of persons 65 and over. Pensions and annuities account for approximately 20 percent of income, though this percentage may decline as companies terminate pension plans and taxpayers object to generous benefits for public sector employees. “The upshot is that people over 65 will need to rely on earnings and personal savings to meet nearly half of their retirement income needs. It’s a scary thought, but one that needs to be confronted,” says EBRI.
One of the first questions for seniors approaching retirement is whether to start taking Social Security early at reduced amounts or wait until the full benefit kicks in. Social Security says it calculates the reductions so that regardless of when benefits are started, people will collect approximately the same total amount over the remaining years of their lives. But each person’s situation is different, based on your financial situation, health and needs, and requires careful consideration before making a decision. The Financial Planning Association compares each strategy.
Investments
With a still-shaky economy and sometimes-volatile investment returns, it’s best to be proactive with investments, whether certificates of deposit (CDs), stock funds or bonds. “The best thing to do is become active in overseeing how your retirement income grows. Passivity is deadly. Get interested, get involved, educate yourself and start managing your future now,” advises Investopedia. In “How to Maximize Your Retirement Income,” the site also advises “looking outside the box” by investing in real estate, becoming a venture capitalist or investing in items that have appreciable value.
Although interest rates on CDs and money market funds are low now, you can still shop around to find the best rates. Look for ads online or in your local paper to see which financial institutions are offering the highest returns. Avoid getting overtaxed by deciding whether to use a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. A traditional IRA allows for tax deductions on qualifying contributions but taxes withdrawals, while a Roth IRA does not allow for tax deductions but provides tax-free qualified withdrawals.
Taxes
Many states offer exemptions to seniors for property taxes. While the rules vary from state to state, the exemption is usually a percentage of the home’s value. For example, Colorado exempts 50 percent of the first $200,000 of the value of the residence from being taxed.
Kiplinger has a retiree tax map that provides information about state sales tax, income-tax range, Social Security, retirement income exemptions, property taxes, tax breaks for seniors and inheritance and estate taxes for each state.
For example, “Illinois generously excludes a wide variety of retirement income from taxation. But combined state and local sales taxes are steep. In some areas, the combined rate can be as high as 10.5%—among the highest sales-tax rates in the U.S. Most property is assessed at one-third of its market value, and for seniors there are numerous homestead exemptions tied to age and income.”
Spending Less
In 1916, the YMCA and other civic groups launched National Thrift Week to promote frugality “for success and happiness.” Thrift Week celebrations were held throughout the nation, including events such as Have a Bank Account Day and Pay Bills Promptly Day, according to “The Leap to Cheap,” an article in AARP. Unfortunately, National Thrift Week came to an end in 1966, about the time that the United States was enjoying an era of prosperity.
Seniors over the age of 70 may remember the penny-pinching days or may have heard stories from their parents. Whether or not we’ve lived frugally in the past, this economy and the demands of getting older may require taking new measures to decrease our spending.
Living on less may require significant change, such as downsizing. If you can get by with a smaller residence, downsizing (or renting) can reduce your living expenses. Relocating to a place with lower cost-of-living expenses, either in the United States or overseas, can also help your budget, although the trade-off is separating yourself from family and friends. To stay in your current home, you may need to put off retirement by continuing to work as long as possible.
In addition, more than 2,000 federal, state and private benefits programs are available to help seniors, especially low-income seniors, get help with medications, health care, food, utilities and more, according to BenefitsCheckUp. This free program from the National Council on Aging, a nonprofit service and advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., provides an online questionnaire that will guide you to programs in your state. For example, the California CalFresh Program offers a debit card, dependent on your household income and other revenue sources, that you can use to buy food from grocery stores.
Small Efforts
You may also stretch your dollars with smaller actions that can add up to big savings:
Make Sure to Ask for Senior Discounts
One of the advantages of being a senior is the availability of discounts, but they’re not always advertised. Much of the time you have to ask. Also, AARP offers many discounts with membership, which is $16 a year.
Restaurants
Retail and Apparel
Overnight Accommodations
Activities and Entertainment
Miscellaneous
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