Senior Living
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Hand-stitched memory bears help grieving maker and recipients
PITTSBURGH — Shirley Whitlinger knows all too well the profound, existential loneliness that follows a spouse’s death.
When David, her husband of 50 years, died from prostate cancer in 2021, after two years of chemotherapy and trials at Hillman Cancer Center, it was almost impossible not to lose herself in grief.
The couple had spent ...Read more
Hand-stitched memory bears help grieving maker and recipients
PITTSBURGH — Shirley Whitlinger knows all too well the profound, existential loneliness that follows a spouse’s death.
When David, her husband of 50 years, died from prostate cancer in 2021, after two years of chemotherapy and trials at Hillman Cancer Center, it was almost impossible not to lose herself in grief.
The couple had spent ...Read more
Toni Says: Why am I being charged an extra $565 a month to enroll in Medicare?
Toni,
I am not sure if I have enrolled in Medicare the right way because I am being charged a Medicare premium of $768 a month beginning June 1 since I turn 65 on June 14. My friend Sue told me that I am being overcharged because she is paying $202.90 a month. I followed how she enrolled in Medicare by going online...Read more
Social Security and You: Identity Theft's Usually Not a Social Security Issue
Q: My purse was stolen and now I worry that someone might be using my Social Security number. I called the Social Security office and was told to contact credit reporting agencies and possibly the police. And they gave me some website to look up. It seems to me they should have done more. Can't they just cancel my old number and give me a new ...Read more
105-year-old Chicago woman finds herself on century-old Irish census: ‘Those years went by so fast’
CHICAGO — One hundred years ago, a few thousand miles away across the Atlantic, a quiet moment in history rippled across northwestern Europe.
The day was April 18, 1926. Ireland was coming off centuries of British rule and a bloody civil war and hadn’t paused to understand where it stood, or how it had changed, in years. But the young ...Read more
105-year-old Chicago woman finds herself on century-old Irish census: 'Those years went by so fast'
CHICAGO — One hundred years ago, a few thousand miles away across the Atlantic, a quiet moment in history rippled across northwestern Europe.
The day was April 18, 1926. Ireland was coming off centuries of British rule and a bloody civil war and hadn’t paused to understand where it stood, or how it had changed, in years. But the young ...Read more
Toni Says: Help, what do I do about changes in income?
Dear Toni,
My wife, Joyce, who is not yet 65, was released from her job in February and our joint income has changed because she is no longer earning $230,000 per year. My Social Security check for 2026 is $4,000 monthly. I began taking my Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from my 401(k) when I turned 73 last October. For 2026, Medicare ...Read more
Social Security and You: Lawyers and Social Security Disability
Q: You have written past columns in which you said it is very difficult to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. I think just the opposite is true. It is so easy to get on the government disability dole. After all, you see so many commercials on TV from lawyers who tell people that they can get anyone on Social Security disability. ...Read more
For many patients leaving the ICU, the struggle has only just begun
The accident happened in Pittsburgh on Nov. 16. Joseph Masterson, a lawyer who was just days from retiring at age 63, suffered cardiac arrest while driving, plowed into a guardrail, and lost consciousness.
Other drivers stopped, broke the car window, and pulled him to safety. A passing volunteer firefighter performed CPR until an ambulance ...Read more
For many patients leaving the ICU, the struggle has only just begun
The accident happened in Pittsburgh on Nov. 16. Joseph Masterson, a lawyer who was just days from retiring at age 63, suffered cardiac arrest while driving, plowed into a guardrail, and lost consciousness.
Other drivers stopped, broke the car window, and pulled him to safety. A passing volunteer firefighter performed CPR until an ambulance ...Read more
Toni Says: How do I disenroll from Medicare?
Dear Toni,
I need your help! I made a big mistake and enrolled in Medicare when I turned 65 in January due to the marketing phone calls I received, telling me it was time to.
My company’s HR department advised me to disenroll from Medicare because I am still employed with employer benefits. Please explain how to disenroll properly. Thanks, ...Read more
Social Security and You: An Old and Whacky Social Security Rant
A reader shared with me an email he got from an acquaintance. It is a Social Security screed that is filled with half-baked ideas, exaggerations and outright lies. The reader said he had never heard of these allegations before. But I pointed out to him that the harangue has been around for decades. 40 years ago, it was passed from one naive ...Read more
Mortgages for retirees and older adults
We often think of homebuyers as young people — newlyweds and couples with small children — but baby boomers actually make up the majority of those buying a home in the U.S. Still, according to recent studies, older adults face higher rejection rates for home lending products than younger borrowers. If you’re looking to secure a mortgage or...Read more
Is it bad to spoil my grandchildren?
LONDON — Showering your grandchildren with gifts and treats comes from a place of love and excitement, but what impact could this type of spoiling have in the long term?
We spoke to Counselling Directory member Annabelle Hird, a BACP-registered counselor who specializes in supporting parents and carers, who explained why overindulging ...Read more
Seniors face unfair rents and homelessness. They need rent control
From mobile home parks in Maine to modest apartments in California, seniors desperately need rent control to protect themselves against skyrocketing rents charged by predatory landlords. Our grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles, many of whom live on fixed incomes, face serious, life-altering consequences if politicians don’t protect them. ...Read more
Toni Says: Do you need your original American citizenship paperwork to enroll in Medicare?
Dear Toni,
I had no problem opening the “My Social Security” account to enroll in Medicare because I knew those answers. When it came to filling out the application for Medicare, that was another story.
I had a problem with Medicare’s personal questions. I knew my name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number; when it came to ...Read more
Social Security and You: When My Word Isn't Good Enough
Readers are always asking me to explain various Social Security rules and regulations. But sometimes they want more. They want to see something official -- something in "black and white." In other words, they want me to give them a legal reference for whatever rules I am explaining to them.
I sort of know where they are coming from. Often, they...Read more
'Warehoused without any protection’: Florida traps seniors in elder care homes
MIAMI — Martin Hochheiser was overjoyed when nurses told him he was going home to his North Miami Beach condo after a brief hospital stay — until the medical van began veering west toward Hialeah.
His dread turned to panic when Hochheiser, 79, was unloaded at Villa Rosa III, a 48-bed assisted living home with peeling paint, burglar bars, ...Read more
'Warehoused without any protection': Florida traps seniors in elder care homes
MIAMI — Martin Hochheiser was overjoyed when nurses told him he was going home to his North Miami Beach condo after a brief hospital stay — until the medical van began veering west toward Hialeah.
His dread turned to panic when Hochheiser, 79, was unloaded at Villa Rosa III, a 48-bed assisted living home with peeling paint, burglar bars, ...Read more
Toni Says: Medicare enrollment options if you are over 65 and have preexisting health conditions
Hello Toni,
I’m retiring January 1, 2027, and beginning to research what is the right Medicare option for me and my wife, Jennifer, who is receiving breast cancer treatment. Jennifer’s cancer drugs are expensive, and I am concerned about the Medicare Part D out of pocket. I am a diabetic, use a flex pen and take high blood ...Read more






















