😊 RetireHub Daily: Helping loved ones adjust to a nursing home | 06/07/2024

It is Friday, June 7th, 2024

Dear RetireHub Daily Readers,

On this day in 1929, Vatican City officially became a Sovereign State with the ratification of The Lateran Treaty—and took the title of the smallest nation-state in the world.

Do you know the tourist attractions in Vatican City? Test your knowledge in our trivia at the end of this newsletter.

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RETIREHUB POLL

Supporting loved ones moving into a nursing home

Most of us wouldn’t choose to place loved ones in a nursing home. Unfortunately, health and finances needs sometimes make the decision for us.

If you have a loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility, here are some tips to help them, and yourself, adjust.

• Understand that the move will take some adjustment—the loss of independence is hard to take for most people. It’s normal, but studies show that folks adjust after 3 - 6 months.

• Be there for support during the transition—depression can be a regular reaction to the adjustment period. Try and be available for a supportive ear and to provide some comfort. This means really listening. Acknowledging that something is tough is actually more powerful than trying to look on the bright side.

• Help them feel a sense of control over their lives still—this begins with letting them help to choose which facility they move into (if they are capable, financially and cognitively).

• Personalize the room—people can often feel a loss of identity in a nursing home. Help them put their own spin on their room with pictures and items that are meaningful. Adding plants can also help with wellbeing and brightening up the room.

• Help them stay social—feelings of loneliness and depression can spiral if there isn’t much socializing. Help your loved one look over the activities and pick their favorites. If they feel anxious, help introduce them to others. And be there for them yourself, giving them a friendly voice and face as often as you feel able to (we’ve included a link to an article below about fun things to do with someone who lives in a nursing home).

There are many factors when it comes to picking the right nursing home, including finances. We’ll cover topics such as these in the future. We wish you all the best with your loved one’s health and happiness.

Yesterday’s Poll Results - Have you ever stayed in an Airbnb while traveling?

🏘️ This is interesting! While 30% of RetireHub Daily readers prefer Airbnbs to hotels, a combined 42% have either tried Airbnbs but prefer hotels or aren’t interested in Airbnbs. There are however another 28% who haven’t tried Airbnb but are interested. Could the tide be turning away from hotels?

Thanks to the many of you who vote and comment every day!

Our Favorite Comments:

We love hearing and sharing all your comments from our polls! While we can’t publish them all, we do read and appreciate every comment.

• “For long stays with family, Airbnb, otherwise if short stay hotel.”

• “Airbnb is nice but I don't want to deal with making my own meals, dealing with dirty dishes, etc. That's not a vacation; it's the same work I do at home in someone else's home.”

• “I just think I would be more comfortable at a hotel”

• “I'm just afraid. Maybe I watch too many murder mysteries, but I am afraid of staying in someone else's home. ”

• “We always opt for Airbnb! We love the familiarity of having the same accommodations as our home, especially the comfort of having coffee or a light breakfast in the morning, all while saving on expensive dining out options and enjoying extra space to unwind.”

WHAT WE’RE READING

SENIOR LIVING NEWS

10 Fun Things to Do With Someone Who Lives in a Nursing Home

When a loved one lives in a nursing home or assisted living, visiting regularly is an important way to stay connected and show how much you care. Spending time with you will brighten their day and knowing when you’ll visit next gives them something to look forward to.

But some people may find it awkward or uncomfortable to visit because they don’t know what to do or say. Having some ideas in mind and bringing activities with you can make visiting fun and positive.

• Read the Article

How Long Will Your Retirement Really Last?

You want your retirement savings to last for the rest of your life, but without knowing how long you’ll live, that can be challenging.

Key Takeaways

•Your life expectancy depends on a variety of factors, including your lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and gender.

•Most life expectancy calculators are based on longevity data collected based on average age of death.

•In addition to determining your life expectancy, you’ll also need to factor in your expected date of retirement.

Read the Guide

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(Please support our sponsors — they help keep RetireHub going!)

Longevity Tip of the Day

Embrace acceptance—this is a tricky one, because it sounds like giving up, but it isn’t: acceptance is adapting to things as they are and finding peace with that. It doesn’t mean that you can’t make changes, just that you understand that aging is natural and you roll with it. The stress of constantly worrying about how your body is changing will only accelerate the aging process. So try to enjoy being a bit older and making the most of what you can do still do.

Slang Word of the Day

Phrase: “Mansplain“

Meaning: When a man explains something relatively simple to a woman without an invitation to.

In a sentence: “Bob is such a bore. Did you hear him mansplaining to me how to make a cup of tea?“

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY

Three boys out for a hike discovered teenage T. rex fossil in northern US: 'Incredible dinosaur discovery'

The remains of a juvenile T. rex in North Dakota were stumbled upon not by a group of skilled paleontologists, but rather by three young boys whose goal that day was to simply go for a hike.

Sam Fisher, 45, took his sons Jessin, 12; Liam, 9; and their 11-year-old cousin, Kaiden Madsen, on a hike in the North Dakota Badlands in July 2022, according to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. While hiking, the trio of "young fossil hunters" discovered the rare T. rex fossil, the museum said in a news release.

…Read More

Missing for 12 Years, ‘Beloved’ Cat Named Artie Finally Reunited with His Family

Theo-Will McKenna, then just 17 years old, was attending university near the family’s home in Connah’s Quay, Wales when their cat Artie got out and never came home.

“I reached the point where I thought that either, God forbid, something had happened to him, or someone else [had] taken him in,” he said.

• …Read More

RETIREHUB TRIVIA

Our goal is to grow RetireHub to over 1 million members — with this, we’ll have the leverage to get even better discounts from the likes of Netflix, Amazon, and others.

To help incentivize referrals, we’re giving away 12 months of your favorite streaming service for free! Simply forward this email to a friend (and cc [email protected]) and you’ll be entered into the drawing on June 12th! (Maximum $20/month streaming service).

Each additional friend you send the email to will count as an additional entry (25 person max).