| In long-term care, the future is now
When it comes to long-term care, it's not too soon to start thinking like an old person.
That's the advice from financial planners, insurance providers, benefits managers, attorneys and advocates for the elderly who know full well how expensive and complicated the final years of a full life can be. Taking a few steps to prepare for those events while you are in your 50s, 40s or even 30s can be one of the best investments you can make. "You want to make these decisions at your leisure, when you don't have any imminent pressure on you," says Mike Chabalik, a financial planner at Brighton Securities who teaches continuing education courses on preparing for old age. "Doing nothing is the most commonly executed plan, but that can be the most costly." Issues to consider range from large to small, from transferring assets to installing hand rails on the bathroom walls, experts say.
PBS to air study on link between money, health
If you tell Dr. Anthony Iton where you live and how much money you make, he'll tell you how long you're likely to live. The public health director for Alameda County said he was startled by the results of taking the county's deaths and mapping them according to U.S. Census tracts, a far smaller and precise geographical region than ZIP Code. "There are hot spots of death where life expectancy is literally on the order of a decade shorter than other parts of the county," said Iton, who has been on the job five years. "That's pretty astounding. That's 10 years of life lost due to social conditions." Iton, who appears in "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?," a four-part PBS series that explores why social factors - economic status, race, neighborhood conditions - can be more powerful predictors of health and life expectancy than biology or even some behaviors such as smoking.
Sri Lanka claim historic victory
SRI Lanka have claimed their first Test win in the Caribbean, defeating West Indies by 121 runs with 6.4 overs to play in the opening Test in Guyana. West Indies resumed on 1-96 as they chased an unlikely 437 for victory, but they were bowled out for 315 at Providence Stadium. Chaminda Vaas led the Sri lanka attack with 5-61 while Muttiah Muralidaran claimed 3-112 and Thilan Thushara took 2-70. In a tense final hour, Vaas bagged the final two wickets with the new ball. Jerome Taylor first edged a ball to second slip then, four overs later, and about 15 minutes from stumps, Vaas got Daren Powell to loft the ball to mid-off where Muralidaran grasped a stunning, one-handed catch over his head. The wicket saw Vaas finish the match with 8-109.
|
