A Golden Hand

Let’s face it–we are all aging!  My husband and I recently joined the ranks of the 50-somethings, while naturally still thinking we’re 20-something!  Along with this new decade in our lives has come a new chapter – awareness of our aging parents and, particularly, dealing with persistent health issues in my mother-in-law’s life.  Since we never imagined this active woman would be ill, we’ve been caught like deer in the headlights.  We now understand that our parents need extra time, care and attention (whether they appreciate it or not).

When Mom suffered several falls at the beginning of 2011, we finally woke up from our comfortable position of ignorance, and got involved.  Mom was falling with AND without her walker, so we began to look at the home for hazards. Just as we did, you may have to work through some physical and medication-related issues, but here are some early precautions you can take within their environment:

Remove all small throw rugs and doormats that can cause trips and falls, or that prevent wheels from rolling smoothly over them.  If these rugs are absolutely necessary, make sure they have rubber pads under them to prevent them from slipping.  You can buy rolls of a rubberized material that can be cut to the desired length and placed under rugs that don’t already have rubber pads.  Also ensure that throw rugs don’t have any turned up edges that can cause trips and falls. If they are turned up because they are old and worn, replace them.

De-clutter the entire house. Look through all rooms for items that are trip hazards.  We encouraged Dad to remove some of the dog toys that could be found in every room; notice where dog leashes lie or are tied up, and pay attention to the location of extension cords.  You may need to rearrange furniture or move items that prevent your loved ones from moving about their home easily.  This is especially important when a walker or wheelchair becomes a part of their lives.

Investigate all thresholds of all doors, including sliding glass doors.  In Mom’s sliding door track, we discovered a lip of metal which protruded up from the floor about a half inch. This small item took Mom out at least twice, while she was using her walker.  Build a ramp over obstacles like thresholds and steps where you can to assist in easy mobility.

Install grab bars and rails throughout the home where you can determine necessity.  Most definitely these are good in bathrooms, on shower walls and on tubs, but don’t overlook the benefits of a long rail in a hallway.

We strongly recommend removal of bathtubs in favor of walk-in/roll-in showers.  This has met with strong resistance with our loved ones, but we are still pushing it!  We have encouraged Mom to remove piles of reading materials and extra hampers and storage units that impede her ability to move around in the bathroom.

Provide an emergency push button that your loved one can wear around their neck or a basic, easy-to-use cell phone so they can call for help wherever they are, and can always be reached.

Baby monitors work wonderfully well when you have a bed-ridden loved one with a caregiver who still needs to be busy in other parts of the home.

Automatic closing doors serve a purpose, but if they close hard on your loved ones, propelling them forward or pushing them down, then you’ll need to make an adjustment immediately.  This was an issue for Mom, and was quickly resolved.

No matter what changes and improvements need to be made in your loved ones’ home, be sure you approach everything love, and with their full approval and buy-in.  It is, after all, their home, and they still want to make their own decisions.  When we were insistent, our parents recoiled, but when we expressed love and concern for their well-being, they melted down.  Love conquers all.

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SAN RAMON — Taking its message for seniors to the stage, a new East Bay collaborative made its debut performance this week in hopes of breaking the ice about topics shied away from by some seniors.

The Elder Ed Players, part of the new Danville-based Points of Life Team, visited the Villa San Ramon senior living home in San Ramon on Thursday.

Marilyn Ellis, a member of the group whose work has her working to help seniors change residences, said many do not like talking about the issues surrounding aging — such as long-term care, finances, legal issues and the end of life.

“We’re always the rescue squad. Our wish is more people can make plans,” said Ellis, the writer of the five, five-minute skits performed and one of the performers.

After the show, almost two dozen professionals affiliated with the group held panels on different topics and answered questions from the audience. “It can be a scary topic, that people don’t want to talk about,” Ellis said.

She said senior services are growing more important, with people living longer and the aging of the baby boom generation.

For more information go to www.pointsoflife.org.

Contact Eric Louie at 925-847-2123.

elder ed performances

Free shows will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. April 19 at AgeSong at Bayside Park, 1440 40th St. in

Emeryville (RSVP at 510-594-8800) and May 10 at Stratford at Countrywood, 1545 Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette (RSVP at
925-932-9910).

For years, couples have hired divorce mediators to avoid court battles. Now growing numbers of mediators are specializing in disputes that relate to older adults, such as those over inheritances and caregiving responsibilities.

But while mediation may prove cheaper than litigation—and less damaging to family relationships—the field is largely unregulated. As a result, it is important to vet prospects carefully to be sure they understand the issues most significant to your family.

Elder mediators say their profession is taking off as baby boomers seek help with aging parents. “Our clients tend to be well-educated, successful people who are used to hiring professionals for whatever services they need,” says Arline Kardasis, co-founder of Elder Decisions, a mediation and training firm in Norwood, Mass.

Ms. Kardasis says 250 professionals have joined an elder-mediation group she helped found 18 months ago at the Association for Conflict Resolution, a professional association. Over the last two years, the number of mediators listed at EldercareMediators.com has nearly doubled to 100, says Janet Mitchell, the website’s co-founder.

Elder mediators help clients resolve conflicts that arise over a variety of issues, from how to share an inherited vacation home to whether Mom should turn over the car keys and who should arrange for transportation. Some families hire mediators on their own initiative, while others are referred—or ordered to attend—by courts.

Mediators don’t offer advice, Ms. Kardasis says. “We facilitate conversations and help the parties get past impasses.”

Nor do they spend much time delving into the past. Dana Curtis, an attorney who mediates disputes and trains elder mediators at Elder Mediation Group in Sausalito, Calif., says she frequently reminds participants “why they are there.” “If we’re talking about Mother’s care,” she says, “the subject of what a rat the eldest brother was when he was young is usually not relevant.”

The process can differ from one mediator to the next. When a family retains Ms. Curtis, she first speaks privately with each person. Such an approach helps her “better understand the issues and family dynamics” and determine whether the family may need additional resources, including legal, tax and estate advice, she says.

While some mediators continue to meet separately with each family member, Ms. Curtis says she prefers to get everyone at the same table.

Polly Osborne, 60 years old, says she and her three siblings recently hired Ms. Curtis to help them decide what to do with a six-acre property they jointly own with their 90-year-old mother in Carmel Valley, Calif. “It was my grandfather’s property,” says the Los Angeles resident. “We spent every summer vacation there as kids. Emotionally speaking, it’s very near and dear to all of us.”

Ms. Osborne says she and her siblings, though close, had “no idea how to solve the issues we found ourselves facing,” such as how to bequeath a family compound with three residences to a younger generation with seven members.

Together with the participants, Ms. Curtis developed a formal agenda and set communication guidelines. They all gathered at the family’s Carmel Valley property one Saturday last fall. “We went from not knowing what to do to agreeing on virtually everything or compromising happily,” Ms. Osborne says.

Mediators say it is important to have the elder’s viewpoint represented. If the elder can’t or won’t not attend, a friend or trusted professional adviser may be enlisted to serve as a proxy. “A family may want to decide where Mom is going to live,” Ms. Kardasis says. “But is it really appropriate to make that decision without her?”

Families often hire an elder mediator to avoid high legal fees. To work with a mediator in private practice, a family can expect to spend from $150 to $350 an hour. The National Association for Community Mediation, a national network of nonprofit “community mediation” services, charges little to nothing.

There is another advantage to mediation over litigation: confidentiality. In Massachusetts, for example, families who sign an agreement can prevent their conversations from being admitted as evidence in a civil-court proceeding, Ms. Kardasis says.

At the end of a successful mediation, participants typically receive a nonbinding summary of what they agreed to. Ms. Osborne says she and her siblings plan to make their decisions binding and incorporate them into their estate plans.

Because mediation is a largely unregulated field, “pretty much anybody can put out a shingle,” says Penny Hommel, co-director of the nonprofit Center for Social Gerontology in Ann Arbor, Mich. Ms. Hommel recommends asking for referrals from trusted advisers, such as elder-law attorneys. (Other sources for mediators include EldercareMediators.com, Mediate.com and acrnet.org.)

Make sure the mediator you hire has been trained in both basic and elder mediation. And look for a full-time mediator with at least five years of experience that includes similar cases, Ms. Curtis says.

By Guest Blogger Marilyn Ellis

Clara, unmarried, childless, elderly, frail and disabled, hated the idea of moving to a nursing home. She wanted to remain in her home as long as possible but had decided that she could not afford an expensive agency caregiver. Her friends and neighbors suggested she try online advertising. Surely, lots of people find services through online lists! So that’s exactly what Clara did. She posted a job for a senior caregiver online and within minutes received a reply. The next day, a well dressed, middle aged woman arrived at her door. Clara liked the woman immediately and friends and neighbors reported that she was excited to find such a perfect person to move in and help her with her daily living needs. The best part, Clara said, was the woman charged a lot less than local agencies. She was very pleased with herself at being such a smart shopper.

For the first few days, everything seemed perfect. The new caregiver was charming and friendly, a great cook and carefully lifted Clara in and out of her bath and bed easily and gently. But things soon turned ugly. The woman, once friendly, became easily angered and denied Clara food and essential care. Frail and terrified of reprisal, she didn’t tell her out of town family, who called often, or her neighbors who visited, that things had gone terribly wrong. One day, her next door neighbor rang Clara’s front doorbell. There was no answer and no indication of movement in the house. That was unusual since the TV was usually on and blaring. Curious and also concerned, the neighbor walked around to the back of the house and peered in the window. There on the floor, dead, lay Clara.

The police determined that Clara had been dead for two days. The caregiver who was apprehended a week later, was identifed as a recently released mental patient who had already been found “innocent by reason of insanity” for killing another elderly woman. For some stupid reason, she had been released from incarceration and deemed no longer a danger to society. She also had a rap sheet a mile long for felony assault as well as robbery.

Failure to spend the money on a professional caregiver was Clara’s first mistake. Failure to spend the money on a background check was Clara’s second.

In addition to losing her life, Clara had also procrastinated about getting her estate in order. “I’ve got the papers right here”, she had told a family member on the phone. “I know I should have a will or trust, but it will cost $1,500 or more. I can’t afford it right now. I’ll do it later”. So Clara also died without any will or trust in place. That left her family not only with unbearable sadness but also with a costly and cumbersome probate process that ultimately cost the estate a lot more than the $1,500.

Should her family and friends be held to account? First of all, seniors can be very independent and not willing to admit they need help to family and friends. Even when they do, that doesn’t mean they will take advice. Who could have predicted this terrible tragedy? Without relatives close by, it is hard for seniors to find someone whom they can trust and rely on.

Families also assume that unless they hear otherwise, all must be well. This is no longer true. In the 21st century, our lives, unlike our predecessors, are more complicated and families separated my miles. The “village” of family and friends is often shaky at best. Seniors are particularly at risk for abuse and theft. It’s a dangerous world out there. In addition, we are only now learning how to adequately care for our elders, 21st century style. It’s a whole new business model, filled with lots of loopholes and missing parts yet to be learned and filled. We are literally creating a model that our children will use to care for us. We better pay better attention to the details for our own sake as well.

Families should insist on trained professional care, regardless of the cost.While seniors are reluctant to spend money on themselves, there is nothing more important than their safety. Agencies do background checks, hold bonds and provide supervision and follow up on their employees. This is the most important reason why trained professionals should be hired. This is why it costs more than hiring somebody off an online list. You get what you pay for.

So many seniors and their families are unaware of the help that is available to them. Had she hired an elder law or estate attorney, Clara would most likely have discovered that she qualified for financial aid programs due her limited income, health and her age. Elder law and care policies are complicated. Trained professionals know the ins and outs of elder law and elder services. Their expertise is truly priceless.

I think not only about Clara’s last moments, but also about how it could have been. She didn’t have to die in such a terrible manner and she didn’t have to live in fear of running out of money either. With professional advice, she could have created a plan to hire a safe and qualified caregiver. And when the end came, her estate would have been in order. Her family, although grief stricken, would have happy memories of her life well lived and well ended.

Money isn’t everything. Clara could have been saved. The sooner we all learn this important lesson, the better.

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The Baby Boomers are beginning to reach the golden age of 65 this year. While they are preparing for their own retirement, they are also faced with helping to care for their elderly parents.

When all seems well on the surface, it is easy to innocently overlook the signs that their aging parents need more assistance. Changes can be subtle. If one parent is serving as primary caregiver to the other, the extent of their changing needs may be shielded to some degree.

Even if mom is doing well in terms of providing care to dad, it is still important for adult children to be attentive. Both the care recipient and the caregiver can benefit from assistance and support from their adult children.

Often, families are forced to make difficult decisions under stressful circumstances when an emergency arises, especially when there has been a lack of clear communication and preventative planning from the start.

An important first step for families to be proactive involves having a serious conversation to help determine the needs of their aging parents and the tasks that need to be completed to implement a plan. Take into consideration the needs of the person who requires care as well as the elderly parent who is providing the care.

Topics to consider discussing in the family conference include issues related to finances and legal planning in addition to medical care decisions. While it may be a difficult conversation to initiate, talking about these important issues will benefit everyone.

This discussion allows opportunity for the adult children to hear first hand how their parents want to be cared for in later years and at the end of life. Clearly communicating this information will help the adult children act according to their parents’ wishes rather than purely on emotions when tough decisions are necessary.

Opening discussion in this manner will aid in tackling other difficult subjects, such as when the older person needs more help in the home and how to best accommodate their needs and desires. In addressing the topic of when and what additional help is needed, it is important to help the caregiver identify the entire scope of specific tasks that are becoming difficulty.

Open and frequent conversations regarding the day-to-day challenges of their caregiving responsibilities will help to prevent caregiver burnout. It is important for adult children to maintain regular communication with their aging parents. Daily contact, either via telephone or in person, will help adult children identify early warning signs of need for increased assistance before it becomes a crisis

The news for critical long-term care services and supports provided by the states–either through Medicaid or other funding–keeps getting worse. The toxic combination of a still-slow economy, huge structural budget pressures on all levels of government, and growing demands for aging and disability services is leading to ongoing cuts in both critical benefits to individuals and payments to providers.

The latest evidence comes from two new reports. Following an extensive survey of state officials, AARP reports that 31 states cut their non-Medicaid long-term care services programs in Fiscal Year 2010 and at least 28 expect to slash them in the coming budget year. These essential programs include home-delivered meals, transportation, adult day care, housing, and foster care.

At the same time, a report by the American Health Care Association–which represents mostly for-profit nursing homes– concludes that skilled nursing facilites are losing increasing amounts of money on their Medicaid long-term care beds. It concludes that nursing facilities are paid $17 per day less for long-term care than it costs them to provide these services. It is easy to criticize these results as self-serving, but the general trend is hard to dispute. And it could result in dramatic cuts in these long-term care resources. While this may not be a short-term problem in communities with an oversupply of nursing homes, this trend may already be curbing services in low-income areas. 

The AARP study reported that only a handful of states cut Medicaid benefits last year, but that was because the federal government, as part of its stimulus effort, increased its share of program payments. In addition, states that took the extra federal money were barred from cutting Medicaid benefits–although they could trim or freeze provider payments. Normally, the federal government pays about 60 percent of the cost of Medicaid while the states pay the rest (the amount varies from state to state).

However, this additional federal Medicaid funding is already winding down, and will disappear completely on July 1. Even more troubling, AARP found many states built the higher federal payments into this year’s budgets, a decison that will force even deeper cuts in state programs as those dollars dry up. Just this week, lawmakers in Texas and Ohio proposed major cuts in Medicaid.  

AARP also asked state officials whether they intended to pursue additional federal funding for home and community based services that’s been promised under the 2010 health reform law. Despite their serious financial shortfalls and the growing interest among policy analysts and advocates in expanding community services, state officials were remarkably cautious about whether they’d embrace these initiatives.

I’ll have more to say about these studies soon, but they are both worth reading.

Millions of us went home for the holidays. Well, not “home” exactly. In reality, millions of us left home, and went back for the holidays. Back to who we used to be, back to where we came from, and in some cases, back in time. Like salmon up the river, we inexplicably navigated back to the people of our birth. Our parents.

Have you ever made the trip thinking, what if this is the last time? Parents age, especially when we’re not looking, and most especially when we live far away from them. Periodic visits sharpen our senses. All of a sudden, we may be witnessing our parents in steep decline, heading toward the exit ramp, and it raises all kinds of questions.

When will it be time for assisted living? Should Mom still be driving? Are they taking their pills? Is Dad’s memory actually shot?

These realizations can be tough, especially if your parents have been role models of determination and resourcefulness. Dealing with normal age-related decline can cause dissention amongst siblings, too, because each has a different relationship with Mom and Dad. For example, in my family, my sister lives closest to our father, and has regular visits with him. My brother and I live in different corners of the country and our main contact with Dad is by e-mail and telephone. Who is in the best position to judge how he’s doing? As he approaches the 80-year mark, who has got the best perspective on his health?

This same conversation came up a few days ago in my book club, and again with friends at dinner last night. It seems that everyone of a certain age with living parents has the same questions. There are no easy answers. But I offer these three issues at the root of the debate:

Whose life is it anyway? We live our lives free to make our own mistakes, to put ourselves at risk and determine our own destinies. Why should this change just because we’re old?

In our culture, roles often reverse: At some point adult children seem to think they need to parent their parents. This is fine if a parent asks for help, but often elderly parents are resentful because their middle-aged kids keep bossing them around. Their final years are full of conflict and humiliation because of well-meaning — but strong-willed — children, intent on removing the “risks” of living. So what if Dad’s floors are dirty or your parents don’t take their medicine and are going to get sick? If it’s their choice, then perhaps you need to reconcile yourself to the fact they’re not living their lives your way. And that’s ok. After all, since anywhere from your teen years forward, they had to adjust that you weren’t living your life their way.

Are your parents capable of clear thinking and reasonable risk assessment? Again, remember that at one time (or perhaps several times), they doubted your ability to make decisions. The point here is whether or not there’s an actual, treatable medical/psychological impairment that would prevent your parent from rational thinking and action. And unless you’re a doctor, you really can’t make this determination on your own.

Consider getting an expert opinion before you take your parents’ checkbook away. When they want to blow money at the casino or turn the heat down too low or mow the lawn themselves, just remember that even though it isn’t what you want for them, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be allowed to do it. That being said, a parent who is unable to fend for him or herself because of a disability obviously needs help. But when it comes to your parent’s livelihood, be careful to distinguish between fact and opinion.

Are your parents putting other people at risk? This again, is a matter of degree. Take driving, for example: We all put others at risk each time we get behind the wheel of a car. Senior citizens represent about 15 percent of all drivers, and they tend to get in more accidents due to age-related skill decline. But driving is risky anyway, and younger people can be even worse drivers than someone’s 82-year old father driving 40 mph on the freeway.

So when calculating the risk factor, be realistic. If you worry about your parent causing a fire, it is obviously more dangerous if they live in multi-unit complex than a single home.

If you’re struggling with how much autonomy and freedom your parents should have as they age, remember that someday, someone will be making the same decisions for you. Show your kids how you want to be handled in your old age by setting an example with your own parents. I don’t know about you, but as long as I’m not hurting other people or actually incapable of making my own decisions, I want to be able to live with the consequences of my own actions, regardless of how old I am.

And you know what? Maybe that’s a concept we’re losing in our society, the idea of consequences. We can’t protect our kids from getting hurt in life by putting a bicycle helmet on them in the stroller (which I actually saw the other day). Nor can we protect our parents from dying by taking away their dignity, freedom and choice. When we’re born, the only guarantee is that someday we’re going to die. That’s the risk of living.

Since losing our parents is inevitable, why not let them do it on their own terms? I know of a man, now 94, who bought into a senior living community in his 80′s. He hated it and moved out despite the protests of his family. I applaud his courage! What’s the worst thing that could happen? He might die alone, on his own terms, looking around at his own belongings, satisfied that his life was well lived.

His only regret might be that his children didn’t understand.

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Through a combination of procrastination and bad timing, many baby boomers are facing a personal finance disaster just as they’re hoping to retire.

Starting in January, more than 10,000 baby boomers a day will turn 65, a pattern that will continue for the next 19 years.

The boomers, who in their youth revolutionized everything from music to race relations, are set to redefine retirement. But a generation that made its mark in the tumultuous 1960s now faces a crisis as it hits its own mid-60s.

“The situation is extremely serious because baby boomers have not saved very effectively for retirement and are still retiring too early,” says Olivia Mitchell, director of the Boettner Center for Pensions and Retirement Research at the University of Pennsylvania.

There are several reasons to be concerned:

• The traditional pension plan is disappearing. In 1980, some 39 percent of private-sector workers had a pension that guaranteed a steady payout during retirement. Today that number stands closer to 15 percent, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
• Reliance on stocks in retirement plans is greater than ever; 42 percent of those workers now have 401(k)s. But the past decade has been a lost one for stocks, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 index posting total returns of just 4 percent since the beginning of 2000.
• Many retirees banked on their homes as their retirement fund. But the crash in housing prices has slashed almost a third of a typical home’s value. Now 22 percent of homeowners, or nearly 11 million people, owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth. Many are boomers.

Life Inc.: Taxpayers have only until the end of the year to qualify for a $1,500 federal tax credit for new windows, insulation and other home energy improvements. The credit can reduce a tax bill by 30 percent.

Michael Vanatta, 61, of Vero Beach, Fla., is paying the price for being a boomer who enjoyed life without saving for the future. He put a daughter through college, but he also spent plenty of money on indulgences like dining out and the latest electronic gadgets.

Vanatta was laid off last January from his $100,000-a-year job as a sales executive for a turf company. And with savings of just $5,000, he’s on a budget for the first time. In April, he will start taking Social Security at age 62.

“If I’d been smarter and planned and had the bucks, I’d wait until 70,” says Vanatta, who is divorced and rents an apartment. “It’s my fault. For years I was making plenty of money and spending plenty of money.”

Vanatta is in the majority. Some 51 percent of early boomer households, headed by those ages 55 to 64, face a retirement with lower living standards, according to a 2009 study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

Too many boomers have ignored or underestimated the worsening outlook for their finances, says Jean Setzfand, director of financial security for AARP, the group that represents Americans over age 50. By far the greatest shortcoming has been a failure to save. The personal savings rate — the amount of disposable income unspent — averaged close to 10 percent in the 1970s and ’80s. By late 2007, the rate had sunk to negative 1 percent.

The recession has helped improve the savings rate — it’s now back above 5 percent. Yet typical boomers are still woefully short on retirement savings. Even those in their 50s and 60s with a 401(k) for at least six years had an average balance of less than $150,000 at the end of 2009, according to EBRI.

Signs of coming trouble are visible on several other fronts, too:

Mortgage debt
Nearly two in three people age 55 to 64 had a mortgage in 2007, with a median debt of $85,000.

Social Security
Nearly 3 out of 4 people file to claim Social Security benefits as soon as they’re eligible at age 62. That locks them in at a much lower amount than they would get if they waited.

The monthly checks are about 25 percent less if you retire at 62 instead of full retirement age, which is 66 for those born from 1943 to 1954. If you wait until 70, your check can be 75 to 80 percent more than at 62. So, a boomer who claimed a $1,200 monthly benefit in 2008 at age 62 could have received about $2,000 by holding off until 70.

5 tips

1. As Theodore Roosevelt once said: “Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you’ve got to start young.” But it’s not too late for baby boomers who put off retirement planning and haven’t saved enough. Here are five key steps:

Have a plan
Educate yourself about your complete financial picture and your options. You don’t have to obsess about reaching The Number — the amount a financial adviser or retirement calculator says you’ll need to retire comfortably. But having an idea of your expected monthly income and expenses in retirement is essential. Many financial sites offer retirement calculators; AARP has a newly revamped one here.

Save more
Set savings goals you can reach, step by step. If you’re still working, allocate any money from raises to retirement savings. Increase your 401(k) contribution by 1 percent increments every few months so you adjust better to having less to spend.

Retire later
Working longer doesn’t mean you have to save every extra penny. A key benefit of this approach is that it allows your existing savings additional time to grow, so you may be able to spend more on leisure during those years while you’re still healthy and active.

Scale back
Recognize that you’ll need to make compromises to reach your goals. That could mean having one less car, eating out less often or any number of other cutbacks. Consuming less will take an adjustment but doesn’t have to make you miserable. Staycations can be fun, and you can stay engaged and active through social relationships or volunteering. Just be sure you don’t cut back so drastically that you fail to stick with it.

Delay Social Security
If you file for Social Security benefits as soon as you’re eligible at age 62, your payments are reduced by about 30 percent from what they would be at full retirement age. (Go here to find out your full retirement age, which is 66 to 67 depending on birth year.) After full retirement age, the monthly check increases by 8 percent for each additional year you delay up to age 70.

“If you start collecting sooner and live longer than your life expectancy, you’re in greater danger of running out of money,” says David Mendels, a certified financial planner with Creative Financial Concepts in New York City.

Medical costs
Health care expenses are soaring, and the availability of retiree benefits is declining.

A 55-year-old man with typical drug expenses needs to have about $187,000 just to cover future medical costs. That’s if he wants to be 90 percent certain to have enough money to supplement Medicare coverage in retirement, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Because of greater longevity, a 65-year-old woman would need even more to cover her health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket health expenses: an estimated $213,000.

Employment
Boomers both need and want to work longer than previous generations. But unemployment is near 10 percent, and many have lost their jobs.

The average unemployment period for those 55 and older was 45 weeks in November. That’s 12 weeks longer than for younger job-seekers. It’s also more than double the 20-week period this group faced at the beginning of the recession in December 2007.

If financial neglect turns out to be many boomers’ undoing, challenging circumstances are stymieing others.

Linda Reaves of Silver Spring, Md., never had much opportunity to save as a single mother raising two sons and a daughter. After holding a variety of positions over the years — hotel office manager, research analyst for a mortgage company, hospital mental health counselor — she was still living paycheck to paycheck. Then she was laid off in 2007 at the age of 57.

She entered a training program to learn new skills, but all she has found since is a string of temporary jobs. In her daily quest for clerical or administrative work, she competes against much younger applicants.

Reaves, who turns 60 this month, plans to work until she’s at least 70 and then wants to travel, even if she doesn’t know where the money will come from.

“I just keep going. I don’t really worry about it,” she says.

Add this all up, and there’s a “slow-burning” retirement crisis for boomers, says Anthony Webb, a research economist at the Center for Retirement Research.

“If you have a crisis where the adverse consequences are immediately clear, then people understand that they have to do something,” Webb says. “When the consequences will be felt 20 or 30 years in the future, the temptation is that we kick the can down the road.”

As a result, he believes many won’t change their behavior.

For less affluent boomers, it won’t take that long to feel the pain of poor planning. Concerns about financial trouble will hang over many of those 65th birthday celebrations in 2011.

Many seem to view their plight through rose-colored granny glasses. An AARP survey last month of boomers turning 65 next year found that they worry no more about money than they did at age 60 — before the recession or the collapse of home prices. But in an acknowledgement of reality, 40 percent said they plan to work “until I drop.”