By Jennifer Farnsworth Maintenance-free living in Ballston Spa can be found at Kasey Pass Condos in Ballston Spa, a 36-unit community located within the Beacon Hill community. Pigliavento Builders of Schenectady did the construction. Alisha Pigliavento Houle of Alani Real Estate said anyone interested should act fast as 14 of the 36 units have...
AARP Lauds Efforts Of Congress To Push Forward A Law Against Age Discrimination
The House Education and Labor Committee’s approval of the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA) in June was lauded by AARP as a key step toward enactment.
“The vote puts us one step closer to restoring fairness for older workers who experience age discrimination,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer. “The legislation makes Congress’ intent clear that discrimination in the workplace—against older workers or others—is never acceptable.”
Wesley Community Renovating Apartments; Phased Work Schedule Is Three Years-Plus
By Jennifer Farnsworth
The Wesley Community in Saratoga is undergoing renovations.
Wesley CEO Brian Nealon said the $20 million project will include apartment renovations, a memory care assisted living facility and a training center.
Nealon said the entire project will take about three and a half years to complete, pending final approval from the city.
Renovations on the 37-acre property have already begun on the Springs building, the oldest part of the property, according to Nealon.
He said the fifth floor of the residential building has been completed and they will continue to work their way down to lower floors, working on about a quarter of the floor at a time.
Business Report: Leveraging The Aging Workforce
By Rose Miller
As the first wave of this generation begins reaching 55 in 2001 and heads toward retirement, the workforce could lose substantial numbers of experienced workers from all walks of life.
Most boomers have neither the inclination nor the financial means for early retirement. According to a recent study, 80 percent of those born between 1948 and 1965 expect to work past age 65. Compare that with the roughly 10 percent of the over-65 group who held jobs in 1998. In other words, they will become “boomerangs”.
Organize Senior Moves LLC Helps Older People Settle Into New Home, Surroundings
Courtesy Organize Senior Moves LLC
By Susan E. Campbell
Choosing to leave one’s home is one of the last major decisions a senior citizen may make, and one of the most difficult. A local company serving the Capital District and beyond is helping to make not only the decision but also the transition a comfortable, stress-free process.
“We really do make moving easier,” said Michelle Kavanagh, CEO and founder of Organize Senior Moves LLC, a certified woman-owned business.
Kavanaugh’s enterprise was first a companionship service offering such help as food shopping and preparing meals.
Business Report: The Caregiver’s Conundrum
By David Kubikian
When I meet with prospective clients who want to engage in estate or elder law planning, it is not uncommon to hear them forcefully tell me something along the lines of, “I will never go to a nursing home” and/or hear them allude to preferring to take walk in the woods and “take matters into their own hands”
I understand what they are saying. It should be nobody’s life goal to ever call a skilled nursing facility their home. Nonetheless, we don’t always have a choice in life and the truth is that with caring and compassionate skilled care, the quality of our life can greatly be enhanced, even in a nursing home. There is however, an alternative called “aging in place”.
Business Report: Mid-Year Economic Outlook
Courtesy Sterling Manor Financial LLC
By Stephen Kyne
We’re halfway through 2017, so it’s time to take a look at how the year is progressing, and where we see the remainder of the year going, in terms of risks and opportunities in the economy.
The economy has grown at a faster-than-expected pace so far this year. First quarter GDP has been revised up, twice, and well exceeds expectations. Almost all of the S&P has reported earning for its first fiscal quarter of the year, and are trending toward a year-over-year growth of upwards of 20 percent (12 percent, not including the energy sector). These are largely due to top line revenue increases, meaning that increased profits are largely due to business growth, rather than cost cutting. We expect this trend to continue throughout the year.
Inflation is holding steady, in line with 2016 figures, at roughly 2 percent. Some inflation, perhaps counter-intuitively, is fundamentally good for the economy. When we expect goods and services to be more expensive tomorrow than they are today, we make purchases today, which means inventories need to be replenished, which puts people to work and gives them money to spend on the things they want and need. Without some inflation, the economy stagnates.
Another driver of spending this year may be interest rates. The Fed increased rates another .25 percent in June, as was expected. With the Fed finally making good on promises to increase the rates they charge banks, we’ll see that increase reflected in higher mortgage rates. The expectation of higher future rates pushes fence-sitting potential buyers into the housing market. As a result we’ve seen, and will likely continue to see, increased sales of new and previously owned homes. The same will likely be true of any purchases which are typically made on credit, including automobiles and business capital items.
An asset class that may be hurt by rising interest rates, however, would be bonds – specifically many bond funds. As newly issued bonds carry higher interest rates, the value of previously issued bonds, with relatively lower interest rates, should decrease. These changes should be reflected in the overall value of the funds that hold them.
Business Report: Wealth Management From Ground Up
Courtesy Long Term Care Brokers Ltd.
By Brian M. Johnson, MBA, CLTC
If you’re approaching age 50 or thinking of retirement, keep this acronym in mind “SWAN.”
Surveys from folks in this retirement planning age group are interesting because these concerns are almost always in their answers to questions such as: What do you worry about after your working years are over?
Here are some top-concerns:
• Outliving my money.
• Keeping my nest-egg secure (no or little risk of principal).
• Dieing to soon.
• Becoming sick or disabled which in turn could eat up my retirement nest-egg.
• Becoming dependent on my children.
• Leaving a meaningful and significant legacy to my children/grand-children/charity.
These concerns are real-life and can happen to any of us without proper planning
People Getting Older, Wanting To Downsize, Have Options Available In Saratoga County
©2017 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Liz Witbeck
As people get older, homes they have lived in for so many years may start to seem too spacious for their need. There are maintenance issues and money issues involved with a larger place.
Downsizing is an option for many people, and there are many options available in the Capital Region.
“A lot of people are retiring here” said Joan Taub, a licensed associate real estate broker at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Saratoga Springs. “This area offers so much. People aren’t fleeing New York like they used to. This area offers things for you intellectually and physically. You have the ability to stay right downtown living in a condo. You can walk everywhere. You’ll stay young living here.”
Meg Minehan, an associate broker with Roohan Realty in Saratoga Springs, said the area “is much more responsive now to the 50-and-older community. We couldn’t say that 10 or 15 years ago.”
“A good portion of my clients are baby boomers,” said Jane Sanzen, a licensed associate broker at Julie Co. Realty in Saratoga Springs. “Empty nesters are driving this growth. High-end, luxury living is a very attractive segment for this population.”
Properties available in this area range from $200,000 up to a $1 million, said Minehan, “So there is something for everybody,” she said. She said there are many active 50-year-olds living in the area and for them, being in Saratoga Springs is a good way to keep up with their active lifestyle.
AARP: States Must Accelerate Pace Of Improving Long Term Care Services For Elderly
With baby boomers beginning to turn 80 in 2026, states must accelerate the pace of improving long-term services and supports (LTSS) for older people and adults with disabilities, according to AARP’s new state scorecard released in June.
The report, Picking Up The Pace of Change: A State Scorecard on Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers (Scorecard), shows that although most states have made some progress, the pace of change overall remains too slow and has not kept up with demographic demands.
LTSS includes assistance with activities of daily living provided to older adults and people with disabilities who cannot perform these activities on their own because of physical, cognitive, or chronic health conditions. The types of assistance include such things as help with bathing, dressing, managing medications, preparing meals, and transportation, as well as support for family caregivers.
“This Scorecard sounds the alarm, but it also provides a range of tools states can use to spark new solutions and create systems that are aligned with the new realities of aging and living with a disability,” said Susan Reinhard, RN, Ph.D. and senior vice president and director of the AARP Public Policy Institute. “The proposed cuts to Medicaid—the largest public payer of long-term assistance—would result in millions of older adults and people with disabilities losing lifesaving supports.”
The Scorecard was funded by AARP Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund and the SCAN Foundation. It is the third edition of the Scorecard.
Officials said the Scorecard ranks states based on their performance on LTSS in five main categories: affordability and access; choice of setting and provider; quality of life and quality of care; support for family caregivers; and effective transitions between nursing homes, hospitals and homes
Within the five categories, states are scored on their performance in 25 specific indicators, including such things as Medicaid spending, nursing home cost, home health aide supply, antipsychotic medication use in nursing home residents, long nursing home stays, employment rate of people with disabilities, and support of working caregivers.
“This new Scorecard shows that it’s time for all states to accelerate care improvements for older adults and people with disabilities,” said Dr. Bruce Chernof, FACP, president and CEO of the SCAN Foundation. “States that consistently rank at the top have strategically planned for their aging population across the main sectors of health, housing, transportation and family caregiving.”