Medicare applications raise anxiety for seniors in pandemic

At greater risk from COVID-19, some seniors now face added anxiety due to delays obtaining Medicare coverage. Advocates for older people say the main problem involves certain applications for Medicare’s “Part B” coverage for outpatient care. It stems from the closure of local Social Security offices in the coronavirus pandemic. Part B is particularly important these days because it covers lab tests, like ones for the coronavirus. Wednesday, April 29, 2020

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Anguish mounts over virus-hit nursing home: Dad's an inmate as much as he is a patient

Desperate to talk to their dad, Scott Sedlacek and his brother, Steve, stood outside his open nursing home window and shouted. They could barely hear his weak replies, but one came through clearly. “I feel like (expletive),” the 86-year-old told them. Chuck Sedlacek arrived at the Life Care Center of Kirkland three weeks ago for physical therapy, just before the suburban nursing home became the epicenter of the nation’s worst coronavirus outbreak. Tuesday, March 17, 2020

When the market drops, play the long game with your retirement savings

The stock market has been on a punishing roller coaster ride this week, suffering its largest one-day drop in more than 30 years Thursday, on concerns that the spread of COVID-19 will hit the global economy hard. While stocks made gains during Friday trading, it’s safe to say that volatility with a capital V is back — a situation that probably only day traders like. For the rest of us, trying to ignore market free falls is not a bad strategy, especially when it comes to a long-term goal like retirement. Tuesday, March 17, 2020

The kids have flown the nest, and you're downsizing

Estate appraiser Julie Hall advises downsizing clients not to take it personally when their adult kids don’t want their furniture and other possessions. But when Hall asked her 23-year-old daughter what she might want from the four-bedroom family home, the younger woman mentioned just three items. Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Virus and the elderly: Avoid crowds and cruises

The U.S. government's coronavirus recommendations tell older adults to avoid crowds, cruises and long plane rides -- advice that one public health official acknowledged won't be welcomed by many. Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Historic fashion exhibit to open at state museum

There is perhaps no more intimate connection to the women of the past than the clothing they left behind — garments that were once worn on a living, breathing person going about her daily business; garments that were soiled and washed and mended and altered; garments that expressed her aspirations and reflected her condition. Tuesday, March 10, 2020