From the U.S. News & World Report website
If you have an elderly parent who requires long-term nursing home or assisted living care, but who lacks the money to pay for it, you may consider helping your parent apply for Medicaid, the joint federal-state program that offers health coverage to eligible low-income seniors. But frequently an individual will only qualify for Medicaid if he or she first does a Medicaid “spend down.” While a Medicaid spend down can be a savvy strategy, the rules, restrictions and requirements can be complex and confusing.
“A Medicaid spend down is going to mean something different in every state, because the income guidelines are different,” says Anastasia Iliou, the senior content manager for Medicare Plan Finder, an insurance agency with locations in in Nashville, Tennessee and Tucson, Arizona.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It is one of some 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants and accounts for up to 40% of the plant’s extract.
You would have to be living in a cave to have missed the CBD craze that is sweeping across America: New products are cramming store shelves as the market explodes for what many Americans believe to be a miracle cure-all.
Everything from oils to gummies to pills, creams and ointments are now for sale at supermarkets and specialty chains. You can even get massages infused with CBD, or cosmetics laced with the drug.
All of these products contain cannabidiol but not THC, the ingredient in pot that provides a “high.” But what do scientists really know about the health benefits and risks of CBD?
From the Images of Old Hawaii website
Aloha Tower in the 1950s | click to enlarge
In 1950, Bishop only went to Beretania – with no further mauka extension (it finally popped through and extended/ connected to the Pali Highway and became the windward gateway into “Town”); (the Pali Tunnels and Ala Moana Center weren’t open until 1959.)
Bishop Street was the home of the Big 5. Bishop Street was and continues to be the center of Hawai‘i commerce and banking (in the center of the map, running up/down.) Back in the ‘50s, Fort Street was “it” for shopping (to the left of Bishop Street, also running mauka/makai – now, it’s mostly a pedestrian mall.)
‘Iolani Palace is on the site labeled Territorial Executive Grounds (we’re still nine years away from statehood;) mauka of it had different uses – it’s now the State Capitol and Hotel Street walkway.
If you enlarge the photograph, you will see several buildings that are still part of the Downtown Honolulu landscape today – Aloha Tower, the Hawaiian Electric power plant, ‘Iolani Palace, City Hall, and Kawaiahaʻo Church
Do you move around a lot during your sleep? Or have you lost your sense of smell? New insights into Parkinson’s disease suggest that these might be the early signs of changes in the brain that mean you are at greater risk of developing Parkinson’s.
When people talk about Parkinson’s disease, the image that most often comes to mind is of an elderly person who shakes and has trouble moving. And, in the later stages of Parkinson’s, this is often true. Bradykinesia (a medical term for slowed movement) and tremor (the shaking that can be so prominent in Parkinson’s) are two of the most important symptoms of the disease.
But research over the last 15 years has begun to shed light on some of the changes and symptoms that happen much earlier in the disease, sometimes long before the changes in movement that most people associate with Parkinson’s. So what are these early warning signs that you might be at increased risk of developing Parkinson’s?
From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website
In a previous VAntage Point post, The Plan Collector blogged about how a Veteran could build a new home. They mention that construction to permanent loans can be “difficult to find.” Two years later, more and more lenders are now offering this one-time close product.
However, before you run out to build your dream home with no money down, take a few minutes to read and understand some the guidelines and requirements with this program.
Sometimes it’s about the journey and not the destination. That’s what Robert Martin, age 70, a retired nurse from Louisville, Kentucky, says about the 13-day, 3,000-mile train trek he took last year through southern Ontario, the Prairies and the Canadian Rockies. “It wasn’t a continuous train slog. We spent half of the days and nights on the train.
But I could nap, read, talk to fellow passengers, go to the dining car, and get off and stretch my legs every four or five hours,” says Martin, who traveled alone while his wife stayed home. “The scenery in Canada east of the Rockies is breathtaking. It felt like we were speeding through a tunnel bored through the middle of the dense forest.”
From the Air Force Magazine website
President Donald Trump said on Twitter this week he plans to nominate Barbara Barrett, former chairwoman of The Aerospace Corporation’s board of trustees and a past Federal Aviation Administration deputy administrator, as the Air Force’s 25th Secretary.
If confirmed by the Senate, Barrett will take over for outgoing Secretary Heather Wilson, who joined the service in 2017 and is leaving May 31 to lead the University of Texas at El Paso.
Barrett would become the third woman in a row to serve as the Air Force’s top civilian, overseeing the service’s attempt to refocus on conflict with other advanced militaries in the midst of a massive modernization bill and an ongoing pilot shortage. The Arizona resident is an instrument-rated pilot who became the first civilian woman to land an F/A-18 on an aircraft carrier, and is certified for space flight.
Got a sore throat or a sprained ankle and don’t want to go to a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital? Got sick at 8:00 on a Friday night and don’t want to wait until Monday to see a VA doctor? A new VA program may be for you.
Starting June 6, 2019, the VA will offer medical care to eligible veterans at selected civilian urgent care facilities nationwide.
Thanks to Henry Laguatan, who works as a Recruitment Consultant for the Veterans Health Administration, US Department of Veterans Affairs in Seattle, Washington.
From the Images of Old Hawaii website
The photograph shows Hickam and surrounding areas in October, 1941 | click on the photograph to enlarge
In Hawaiʻi, the US Army built Luke Field on Ford Island (constructed in 1917) by 1928, they recognized the benefit of an expanded air presence, including in Hawaiʻi, and they began looking for a new site for modernizing the national defenses here.
Site selection narrowed to about 2,200-acres of land bordered by Pearl Harbor channel on the west, Pearl Harbor Naval Reservation on the north, John Rodgers airport on the east and Fort Kamehameha on the south.
The land was acquired from Bishop, Damon and Queen Emma Estates and on May 31, 1935 Hickam Air Field was dedicated (it was named in honor of Lt. Col. Horace Meek Hickam, a distinguished aviation pioneer who was killed in an aircraft accident on November 5, 1934, at Fort Crockett in Galveston, Texas.
The death rate for older Americans receiving dialysis for kidney failure may be nearly twice as high as widely thought, according to a new report.
For the study, researchers looked at 391 Medicare patients, aged 65 and older, who started dialysis, in which a machine is used to remove toxins from the blood.
Nearly 23% of the patients died within a month of starting dialysis; nearly 45% died within six months; and nearly 55% died within a year, the investigators found.
The highest death rates were among patients older than 85; those who had four or more major health problems in addition to kidney failure; those who started dialysis in the hospital instead of on an outpatient basis; and those who, even before starting dialysis, required help with tasks of daily living such as eating or bathing.
Concerned you’re not getting enough vitamin C? Telltale symptoms to watch out for: https://t.co/OGUkrFAO6I pic.twitter.com/s6963g8XDj
— WebMD (@WebMD) May 4, 2019
Jeffrey Aloha Renaud, “Papa Jeff”, 63, of Hau’ula and lived in Laie, a retired Local 3 Union of Operating Engineers & US Army National Guardsman. A hard worker over the years with Honolulu Transfer & Storage, Pineridge Trucking, Grace Pacific, Goodfellow Brothers, Laie Trucking, 808 Hauling Services & MTN, passed away at Kahuku Medical Center with his family by his side. He was born in Honolulu.
He was preceded in death by wife Louise ‘Mama Boogie’ Kamauoha; parents Edmond P. Renaud & Thelma Daniels; brother Edwin ‘Bully’ Renaud and sister Gwendolyn Pa’akaula.
He is survived by; sons Jeffrey K (M Javier Rendorio), Edwin (Moana), Jason (Kapua); daughters Sacha Wilkins (Kaleo), Trisha Leialoha, Alisha (Penney Oguma); brother Edmond Renaud (Candy); hanai brothers Roy Greene, Alfred Greene, Earnest A’alona; fourteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Visitation: Saturday, June 1, 2019; Ohana 8-9am, Public 9-11:30am, Services at 12 Noon at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Laie First Ward Chapel.
Arrangements Provided By: Woolsey Mortuary Services, LLC
Retiree News Photograph
This photograph shows Roy Matsumura, Robert Finley, and Jeffrey Okazaki; all members of the 201st Combat Communications Group (201 CCG). It was taken at the retirement ceremony for Brig. Gen. Kathleen Berg which was held at the Hickam Officer’s Club.
Coming out of the Air Force, Roy served in key leadership and management positions with the 201 CCG. His was serving as the Group’s Director of Logistics when he retired in July 1994.
Bob started in the 169th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron, but later. transferred to the 201 CCG. Bob was a acknowledged as an expert logistics planner. Both the Air Force and the Air National Guard sought his expertise. Bob continues as the Chair of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board.
Jeff served in several leadership positions with the 201 CCG. When he retired, he was completing his tour as the group commander. He was a Traditional Guardmember who was the civilian personal officer with the Army at Fort Shafter.
Creating a steady paycheck to cover all your needs after saving for years is one of the biggest dilemmas that confound retirees today.
A new tool aims to help you understand just how close you are to that goal.
A score called RISE — Retirement Income Security Evaluation — evaluates just where you fall in terms of having steady income in retirement, much like a credit score on a zero to 850 scale.
Retiree News 