Savvy Senior: Do I need to sign up for Medicare if I m still working?
Jim Miller,
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Dear Savvy Senior,
I will turn 65 in a few months and plan to keep working for several more years. I have good health insurance from my employer now. Do I have to sign up for Medicare when I reach 65?
Looking Ahead
Dear Looking,
Whether you need to enroll in Medicare at 65 if you continue to work and have health insurance through your job depends on how large your employer is. The same rules apply if your health insurance comes from your spouse’s job.
Savvy Senior: How to choose a medical alert system
Jim Miller,
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Dear Savvy Senior,
I am interested in getting my mom, who lives alone, a medical alert system with a wearable pendant button that will let her call for help if she falls or has a medical emergency. What can you tell me to help me choose one?
Too Many Choices
Dear Too Many,
A good medical alert system is an effective and affordable tool that can help keep your mom safe and living in her own home longer. But with all the different products and features available today, choosing one can be challenging. Here are some tips that can help.
Acupuncture: Does It Work and Is It Covered by Medicare?
Jim Miller,
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Dear Savvy Senior,
Is acupuncture a viable treatment for pain and is it covered by Medicare? Since the pandemic hit, I have a lot of lower back and neck pain and am wondering if it’s worth trying. What can you tell me?
Looking for Solutions
Dear Looking,
Many studies over the years – funded by the National Institutes of Health – have found acupuncture to be very effective in easing pain and can help with a variety of other ailments too. Here’s what you should know.
Acupuncture Treatment
Savvy Senior: How seniors can make their bathrooms safer and easier to use
Jim Miller,
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Dear Savvy Senior,
What tips can you recommend for making a bathroom senior-friendly? My 78-year-old mother has mobility problems and fell getting out of the bathtub last month. I’d like to modify her bathroom with some safety features that can help keep her safe.
Concerned Daughter
Dear Concerned,
Great question! Because more accidents and injuries happen in the bathroom than any other room in the house, this is a very important room to modify, especially for seniors with mobility or balance problems.
Depending on your mom’s needs and budget, here are some simple tips and product recommendations that can make her bathroom safer and easier to use.
Savvy Senior: What caregivers should know about Medicare
Jim Miller,
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Dear Savvy Senior,
I understand that a portion of my Social Security benefits may be taxable when I retire. Can you tell me how to calculate this?
Ready to Retire
Dear Ready,
Whether or not you’ll be required to pay federal income tax on your Social Security benefits will depend on your income and filing status. About 35 percent of Social Security recipients have total incomes high enough to trigger federal income tax on their benefits.
To figure out if your benefits will be taxable, you’ll need to add up all of your “provisional income,” which includes wages, taxable and non-taxable interest, dividends, pensions and taxable retirement-plan distributions, self-employment, and other taxable income, plus half your annual Social Security benefits, minus certain deductions used in figuring your adjusted gross income.