Most of us are looking forward to the ‘easy’ retirement days. While working, we might imagine how relaxing and stress-free it will be living as a retired senior occupied with nothing but pleasant activities. The reality, however, may not be as simple. Proper planning is needed.
As age increases, so does the struggle that comes with it—sometimes way more than we think. Financial issues, healthcare, and security concerns are among the prevalent hurdles that should be addressed. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if we might live on survival mode, relying upon monthly Social Security pension to get by.
It’s not too late to learn, though. Improving awareness of the various senior benefits available in the country can help out a lot. Here are some useful resources that seniors or their caretakers need to keep in mind to achieve thriving golden years.
First Step
Before we dive down into the specific resources for specific problems that seniors can use, let’s talk about the starting point. There’s no harm in checking out these fairly useful government-owned social service websites aimed for seniors.
Benefits Checkup is a non-profit site run by the National Council on Aging (NCOA). Simply by entering your zip code, you will be presented with diverse benefits available in your area. Through this site, you can also find other specific benefits such as Medications, Income Assistance, or Tax Relief.
Similar to Benefits Checkup, this website is also run by the Federal Government. Click the link above and use the Benefits Finder feature to start checking for your eligible benefits. The site will ask for various and detailed personal inquiries such as date of birth, citizenship status, and address to generate a list of services and programs that you can use.
The information you provided to the sites will, in turn, help you find the most-needed help resources information within your state. That being said, let’s discuss the comprehensive guide of numerous publicly available senior social programs.
Medical Assistance
Staying healthy is arguably the top priority for anyone, including seniors. Health insurance programs such as Medicaid and Medicare are the most commonly used programs seniors can rely on. However, there are also additional medical needs for seniors that can’t be neglected, such as medicine or fares for doctor visits. To lessen the burden, the government also sponsors distinct programs to help accommodate senior’s extra medical coverages, such as:
- Medicare’s Extra Help: A program that offers seniors free prescription medications worth up to $4,000 a year.
- State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIP): Counseling assistance that aims to make sure that all of the eligible seniors get the health coverage they deserve.
- Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE): This program is designed so that seniors can get medical services from their own houses rather than a nursing home.
Financials
To live daily life, many retirees rely only on Social Security stipends, which has a fixed amount. However, the cost of basic needs such as food, energy, and housing is consistently rising. This is the reason why the phrase “saving for retirement” is so popular.
Luckily, the government doesn’t turn to a blind eye to this problem, and so they offer a variety of assistance programs to help cover seniors’ daily necessities. Some agencies that extend financial relief help include:
- usa.gov: a great starting point to look for food assistance, loans & grants, bills relief, and cheap housing.
- Weatherization Assistance Program and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Both program offer helps regarding energy costs.
- Senior Community Service Employment Program: Provide help in finding part-time jobs. This program is perfect for those who want to stay busy or just need some extra income.
Others
There are a plethora of senior services that the government or private institution provides. Here are some additional programs that you may want to consider:
- Lifeline: A federal government agency that helps seniors in regards to low-cost phone or internet service.
- Eldercare Locator: Help seniors finding transportation, among other resources. The program is run by the US Administration on Aging.
- helpguide.org: This private site gives a comprehensive guide to help seniors cope with depression & loneliness.
- seniorresource.com: Our own expert advice and directories of all different types of housing options near you is designed to help you find the best living arrangement and community with a support system.
Final Words
The struggle of seniors is not something that younger folks can yet to fathom. But you don’t have to be alone. By making use of a vast amount of resources available, enjoyable retirement years is not something that’s out of reach. Adequate knowledge, planning and support system can improve senior’s quality of life in the Golden Years!
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