Always Best Keeping Seniors Warm This Winter

Tis’ the season for helping others!

At Always Best Care Senior Services, we realize that the weather is cold and raw, and we want to make sure that people who need warm coats have them.

As part of our Make a Senior Smile campaign, we’re holding a coat drive for seniors in need – and we need your help.

Right now, we’re asking for the donation of new or gently used coats. We’ll then have them professionally cleaned and we’ll distribute them to seniors in our area who can’t afford coats to keep warm.

Please check out your closets and see what you have. If you have a coat to donate, please visit any of the six drop off locations, listed below.

Drop off locations are as follows:

*Covenant Village
52 Missionary Rd., Cromwell

*Pilgrim Manor Health Care
52 Missionary Rd., Cromwell

*Atria Hamilton Heights
1 Hamilton Heights Dr., West Hartford

*Jacobs, Walker, Rice & Barry
146 Main St., Manchester

*CCC Feed
35 Oakland St., Manchester

*Always Best Care Senior Services
135 Center St., Manchester

The Best Places to Find Senior Discounts

Many seniors are on a fixed income and one great way to stick to a budget is to take advantage of senior discounts.

Restaurants, department stores, hotels, and more offer senior discounts, and many of them start at age 50.

Here are a few of the great discounts that we’ve found.

Did you know that Dunkin Donuts will give a free doughnut to people over 55 (with an AARP card) when they order a cup of coffee?

Want to go out to dinner? Restaurants like Applebee’s (15 percent off with Golden Apple Card – 60+), Chili’s (10 percent off – AARP), and Sonic (10 percent off or free beverage – 60+) have deals that seniors can take advantage of.

Heading out shopping? Several stores also offer senior discounts. Dress Barn offers 20 percent off to shoppers 55 and over. Kohl’s offers 15 percent off to guests 60 and over, and Modell’s Sporting Goods has a 30 percent off deal.

Even cell phone companies offer discounts for seniors. AT&T has a Special Senior Nation 200 plan for $19.99 a month for those 65 and older. Verizon Wireless offers a Verizon Nationwide 65 Plus Plan for $29.99 a month for 200 anytime minutes for anyone 65 or over.

Looking get your hair done? Great Clips has a $3 off haircut discount (days and times vary) for those 60 and over and Supercuts offers $8 off haircuts for clients 60 and over.

Ready to get away for a bit? Several airlines – including Southwest, United, and U.S. Airways – have various discounts available for travelers 65 and over. You should always call the airline before booking to receive the discount.

Renting a car when you get to your destination? Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, and National all have discounts of up to 25 percent for AARP members. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a 5 percent discount for AARP members.

Need somewhere to stay? Holiday Inn offers 15 percent to 40 percent (depending on location) to guests 62 and over. Best Western has a 10 percent discount for AARP members, La Quinta Hotels has a 30 percent off and free breakfast deal for guests 55 and over, and Marriott Hotels have a 15 percent off discount for AARP members.

Heading to a national park? National parks offer a $10 lifetime pass (includes free admission for a “car load”) and 50 percent off additional services – including camping – for people 62 and over.

See, seniors can go a lot of places and do a lot of things while still saving a lot of money!

The Best Part of Aging

Aging has such a bad reputation, but aging itself isn’t all bad.

In fact, some research suggests that the brain manages to dismiss negative memories and retain the positive ones as we get older.

On a related note, people develop longer “fuses,” and are better able to control and regulate anger and other negative emotions. The highs may be just as high, but the lows are not as low.

Also, people with certain conditions, such as social phobias, often find their illnesses diminishing with age.

As you get older, you may be in a better mood, find yourself sharper due to experience, are better able to handle social conflicts, are suffering fewer migraines, and are less stressed.

That’s pretty cool, right?

Let’s focus on some of the other good things about aging.

Some feel that the best part of aging is the experiences one can acquire and share with younger people. Increased wisdom is also an added benefit of aging.

Other people feel that it is the time that all memories of the past come back and you can reflect on all the good times you have had. Realizing what you’ve done, perhaps enhancing the lives of others, can be quite a gift.

Others feel that the best part is that you can be yourself, do what you want, and not have to answer to others.

As you age, you get the opportunity to watch your family grow around you. Your children grow up and become successful adults, and perhaps even bless you with grandchildren. There’s something about holding that grandchild – or great grandchild – that cannot be replaced.

What do you think the best things about aging are?

Give Always Best Care Senior Services a call at 860-533-9343 to learn about our veterans care, in-home care, assisted living referral services, or Alzheimer's and dementia care.

How to Prevent Senior Fraud

We would never want to think about someone taking advantage of our elderly parents, but unfortunately, the growing incidence of senior fraud is putting many older adults in harm’s way, threatening to strip them of their assets, their independence, and their trust.

A survey by the North American Securities Administrators Association shows senior investment fraud accounts for nearly 50 percent of all complaints received by state securities regulators. That number is up from the 2005 survey, when 28 percent of fraud reports involved the elderly.

The financial industry is littered schemes that result in broken dreams for seniors. Stories of elderly seniors losing their life savings are far too abundant. Seniors are being targeted through the internet, mail, phone, in-home visits, and free “financial seminars” specifically tailored to large groups of seniors.

There are many reasons the elderly fall victim to fraud, including being too trusting and too good mannered to be rude, wanting a better rate of return on their money, believing the salesperson is nice, friendly, and caring, and being impressed with fancy credentials and titles.

Financial predators use tactics to instill fear in seniors – making them think they will run out of money and become a burden to their families. They inspire distrust in seniors of family members concerning their finances to keep seniors from disclosing the fraud. And they prey upon the loneliness, isolation, and availability of some retired or widowed seniors.

Whatever the enticing investment, scammers use specific tactics to hook seniors. Be cautious of the phrases, “your profit is guaranteed,” “it’s an amazingly high rate of return,” “there’s no risk,” “you can get in on the ground floor,” “you would be a fool to pass this by,” “this offer is only available today,” “it’s a secret investment tip just for you,” “I’ll get you the paperwork later,” and “just make your check out to me.”

How do you know if a potential investment is legitimate? Contact the state securities regulator to see if the salesperson is licensed in the state to sell the security and if the security is licensed for sale in the state. Most investments must be registered with the state securities regulator or with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If the potential investment is not properly registered, do not invest.

Check the person and check the history of this person and/or his or her firm.

One way caregivers can help protect their elderly loved ones from investment fraud is to have open, two-way communication when it comes to finances. Make sure the loved one is comfortable talking about money honestly and openly without fear of reprisal.

If possible, have them turn to you, or a trusted financial advisor or lawyer, before making any investment. Also, if an investor is real, he or she will have no problem speaking to the client’s family member before taking the money.

Give Always Best Care Senior Services a call at 860-533-9343 to learn about our veterans care, in-home care, assisted living referral services, or Alzheimer's and dementia care.

Have a Senior You Want to Nominate to Receive a Special Meal?

We all know at least one senior who has done something amazing, sweet, or awesome. We also know at least one senior who is lonely, sick, or just in need of a friend.

All of these seniors – and many others – are perfect examples of people who could be nominated to receive a special, home-cooked meal when Always Best Care Senior Services and October Kitchen team up.

Kristine Lajeunesse of Always Best Care will be cooking the dishes with Chef Paul Finney of October Kitchen and then will surprise the seniors with the meals – all as part of the next Make a Senior Smile Campaign.

Maybe your grandfather is still getting out and being active – despite his advanced age. Maybe you know the nursing home “greeter” – the person who says hello to everyone as they walk down the halls. Do you know a senor that would give someone they just met the shirt off their back?

Nominate him or her!

Is your relative living alone because she is widowed or her husband is in a nursing home? Maybe your neighbor doesn’t have any family around to take care of him. How about someone from your church who is battling an illness?

Nominate him or her!

These are just a few examples of people you might nominate, but are by no means the only ones.

If you have a senior you want to nominate to receive a meal, go to the Always Best Care Facebook page or the Always Best Care blog and leave the name of the senior and why they deserve this special meal.

Give us a call at 860-533-9343 to learn about our veterans care, in-home care, assisted living referral services, or Alzheimer's and dementia care.

When Do You Become a Senior Citizen?

Some would argue that age is just as much a state of mind as it is a state of being.

And with Baby Boomers now turning 65, the question of when a person becomes a senior citizen has become a topic of conversation.

Is there a certain age? Or is it when you FEEL like a senior citizen?

In 2010, about half of 64-year-olds responding to a Del Webb Baby Boomer Survey said the term “senior citizen” does not apply to them because they don’t “feel” like a senior. They described themselves as still being active and young at heart.

In the same survey, 96 percent of 50-year-olds, the youngest of the Baby Boomers, also rejected the term.

The 64-year-olds who embraced the term did so primarily for economic reasons, because they are now eligible for senior discounts.

When asked to pinpoint when “old age” begins, both the oldest and youngest Boomers selected ages well beyond them. The youngest Boomers said a person becomes old at age 78, while the oldest boomers said old age begins at 80.

The term “senior citizen” was first coined during a 1938 political campaign as a euphemism for “old person,” and now enjoys widespread usage in the common vernacular, legislation, and business. Some dictionaries define “senior citizen” as a person over the age of 65. 

In legislation, the term applies to the age at which pensions, social security, or medical benefits for the elderly become available. In this country, traditionally people have been eligible to retire with full Social Security benefits at age 65. Additionally, one can retire early at age 62 and receive a portion of – but not full – retirement benefits. Because of increases in average life expectancy and stresses on the federal budget, however, Congress has passed legislation to gradually increase the full retirement age from 65 to 67 by 2027. 

Many federally and state-funded programs also qualify individuals based on age. For example, Area Agencies on Aging provides home-delivered meals and congregate meals to senior centers and apartment communities. To participate, an individual must be at least 60 years of age or the spouse of someone 60 years of age.

In business applications, the term “senior” often is applied to special discounts and customer loyalty programs which vary by age and store.

Receiving an AARP card in the mail is a rite of passage for those turning 50. If one’s spouse is already a member, then one can receive senior discounts regardless of age.

All this being said, the boundary line between middle age and old age in our society cannot be defined exactly because governments and organizations don’t apply standard definitions or meanings. 

People may consider themselves seniors because of changes in activities or social roles – when they become grandparents or when their health declines. Some consider themselves seniors when they are invited to join AARP, qualify for Medicare, or officially retire from the workplace.

When do you think you become a senior?


Give us a call at 860-533-9343 to learn about our veterans care, in-home care, assisted living referral services, or Alzheimer's and dementia care.

Always Best Care Senior Services Making Seniors Smile

You remember your grandmother feeding you delicious, home-cooked meals when you were a kid.

Now is your chance to return the favor.

Always Best Care Senior Services will be teaming up with October Kitchen of Manchester as part of the Make a Senior Smile campaign to deliver special home-cooked meals to local seniors.

Kristine Lajeunesse of Always Best Care will be cooking the dishes with Chef Paul Finney of October Kitchen and then will surprise the seniors with the meals.

October Kitchen was founded in 2000 by Finney as an opportunity to bring both food and knowledge to the table. Today, October Kitchen provides families with delicious and healthy homestyle meals and bakery items.

Do you know a senior who is deserving of a special meal? Maybe she is your grandmother who always took care of you when you were little. Or maybe he is your elderly neighbor who doesn’t have any family to take care of him.

Whatever the reason, Always Best Care and October Kitchen are asking for your nominations.

If you have a senior you would like to nominate, go to the Always Best Care Facebook page or the Always Best Care blog and leave the name of the senior and why they deserve this special meal.


Give us a call at 860-533-9343 to learn about our veterans care, in-home care, assisted living referral services, or Alzheimer's and dementia care.