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‘Strong Grandma’ is record-holding powerlifter at 95
At 95 years old, Catherine Kuehn wasn’t just lifting weights. She was a competing powerlifter — one worthy of her own documentary.
Presented by The New Yorker, “Strong Grandma” follows Kuehn as she reminisces about the love and loss of her husband while preparing for what may be her final competition.
According to Open Power Lifting, ...Read more

50-year legacy: Vietnamese boat people thrive as fishermen
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Aboard his boat in Moss Landing harbor, Tai Huynh, 71, bent over a pile of grenadier, then flung one of the deep sea fish into a large bin. Next to him, Tham Vo tipped them into a 500-pound crane lift box, swigging glass bottles of Heineken between loads.
In just over two hours recently, the pair offloaded 3,854 pounds of ...Read more

When they don’t recognize you anymore
It happened more than a decade ago, but the moment remains with her.
Sara Stewart was talking at the dining room table with her mother, Barbara Cole, 86 at the time, in Bar Harbor, Maine. Stewart, then 59, a lawyer, was making one of her extended visits from out of state.
Two or three years earlier, Cole had begun showing troubling signs of ...Read more
Medicare changes its telehealth rules
Toni:
I have been researching the changes to Medicare’s telehealth services over a computer video service that I saw on the news recently. I am concerned because my mother lives in an assisted living facility and her primary care doctor uses the telehealth computer service, so I do not have to take my mother, who uses a wheelchair, to the ...Read more

When they don't recognize you anymore
It happened more than a decade ago, but the moment remains with her.
Sara Stewart was talking at the dining room table with her mother, Barbara Cole, 86 at the time, in Bar Harbor, Maine. Stewart, then 59, a lawyer, was making one of her extended visits from out of state.
Two or three years earlier, Cole had begun showing troubling signs of ...Read more
Social Security and You: Time for Another Survey of SSA Services
Sadly, there has been more than a little bit of "government bashing" going on lately. In addition to general rants about alleged government inefficiency, government employees come in for more than their share of criticism. All I really know is Social Security and the services provided by the Social Security Administration. So that's what I am ...Read more

Why cameras are popping up in eldercare facilities
The assisted living facility in Edina, Minnesota, where Jean Peters and her siblings moved their mother in 2011, looked lovely. “But then you start uncovering things,” Peters said.
Her mother, Jackie Hourigan, widowed and developing memory problems at 82, too often was still in bed when her children came to see her midmorning.
“She wasn�...Read more

Why cameras are popping up in eldercare facilities
The assisted living facility in Edina, Minnesota, where Jean Peters and her siblings moved their mother in 2011, looked lovely. “But then you start uncovering things,” Peters said.
Her mother, Jackie Hourigan, widowed and developing memory problems at 82, too often was still in bed when her children came to see her midmorning.
“She wasn�...Read more
Rules for enrolling in Medicare when self-employed are confusing
Dear Toni:
I am self-employed with an individual health plan and confused about enrolling in Medicare when I turn 65 in July. I cannot find the answer to my situation in the Medicare & You handbook. A business associate who is also self-employed delayed his Part B because he is under his wife’s company benefits. He is sure that I can delay ...Read more
Social Security and You: Ponzi Schmonzi
There has been a lot of talk over the years about Social Security being a "Ponzi scheme." I have addressed this issue many times before, so I don't want to bore my regular readers with another long dissertation. But since a certain billionaire friend of President Donald Trump brought it up yet again, I will make three quick observations.
One: ...Read more
Why was I denied enrollment in Medicare Part B?
On April 1, I went to the local Social Security office to apply for both my Social Security check and Medicare Part B, since I am turning 70 on April 20. On April 11 I received a letter from Social Security stating that the $3,200 Social Security benefit check will be issued in May to my bank account. To my surprise, the letter states that ...Read more
‘Working’ 10-year rule when applying for Medicare
In February, my husband, James, was laid off and decided to apply for an individual health insurance plan because he is 62 and could not apply for Medicare. I turned 65 in March and am having a stressful financial issue after enrolling in Medicare. Now my Medicare is costing me $518 for Medicare Part A and $185 for Medicare Part B, totaling $...Read more
Meet Medicare’s ‘girlfriends’ MAGI and IRMAA
I enrolled in a $0 premium Medicare Advantage plan to begin April 1st when I turn 65. I chose to disenroll from my husband's employer benefits because my monthly premium is $0, making it more cost-effective for us.
Now I am in shock because a Medicare premium of $670.50 was deducted from my Social Security check. I was told by the agent who ...Read more
My low income qualified me for Medicaid but …
In January, I was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 60. A non-profit cancer program in my state was able to help me qualify for Medicaid to begin receiving medical treatment since I have a very low income and am uninsured. Right now, I am not paying anything for my cancer treatments. My chemotherapy will begin next week with the ...Read more