Get an Uber or Lyft ride without the app
With their on-demand, prompt transportation services, ride hailing apps like Uber and Lyft have transformed the ease of getting from Point A to Point B at a price generally cheaper than a taxi. But for those who don’t own a smartphone, or who can’t quite get the hang of downloading an app, or read the tiny print once it’s on their phone, these new transportation options have passed ... READ MORE
Picture book takes a romp through Richmond
Fun. Upbeat. Thoughtful. These three words perfectly describe Short Pump Bump! A Lyrical Spherical Rhyming Romp Through Richmond, a children’s book just published by lifelong Virginian Angie Miles. Short Pump Bump! pays homage to our fair city with a collection of poems illustrated by Scott DuBar, a VCU graduate with whom Miles has worked for the past eight years. Short Pump Bump!... READ MORE
New shingles vaccine boosts protection
Q: I recently read that the new shingles vaccine might be better than the older vaccine. I did have one shot of the older vaccine about seven years ago. Should I get this new one? A: Shingles is caused by the same virus — the varicella zoster virus — that causes chickenpox. Once you have had chickenpox, the virus that caused it remains alive inside your nerves. It is inactive, but it ... READ MORE
Your disaster kit needs a home inventory
Imagine losing everything in a disaster like Hurricane Harvey, then having to list all of your possessions to file an insurance claim — every plate, holiday decoration and piece of clothing for starters. Without a home inventory, this would be the toughest memory test you’d ever face, and forgotten items could cost you in the form of a lower insurance payout. “You can lose... READ MORE
An alternative to Medicaid spend-down
Picture this: Your spouse has made a permanent move to a nursing home. You don’t have long-term care insurance, Medicare won’t cover the cost, and you have too much money to qualify for Medicaid — but not nearly enough to afford the nursing-home bills. The monthly tab — easily $8,000 or more for a semi-private room — is rapidly depleting your nest egg. Now what? This is where a ... READ MORE
Divvying up family belongings peacefully
Dear Savvy Senior: What’s the best way to distribute my personal possessions to my kids after I’m gone without causing hard feelings or conflict? I have a lot of jewelry, art, family heirlooms and antique furniture, and three grown kids that don’t always see eye-to-eye on things. — Planning Ahead Dear Planning: Divvying up personal possessions among adult children ... READ MORE
Palliative care is for anyone seriously ill
Dear Mayo Clinic: What’s the difference between palliative care and hospice care? Answer: People often confuse palliative care and hospice care, thinking they are the same thing. But they’re not. Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life for anyone who has a serious illness. Hospice care is a form of palliative care for people whose illness has advanced to the point... READ MORE
Restaurants use tech to increase spending
Restaurant chains are making it easier to order food with a few taps of the screen — so much so that you may lose sight of how much you’re spending. The convenience that technology offers may make us less vigilant about how much we’re buying. Digital ordering also lets companies better track our spending habits, and may lead to increasingly personalized offers that are more likely... READ MORE
Four steps to disaster-proof your finances
Mother Nature could be excused if she wondered, “How much more prompting do you people need?” Last year delivered epic wildfires, devastating hurricanes, massive floods and some pretty horrific earthquakes. Yet many people still haven’t taken a few critical steps to protect their financial lives from such disasters. Consider setting aside a few hours to take care of these four... READ MORE
New injectable drugs reduce migraines
New, long-acting drugs may hold hope for millions of people who often suffer migraines. Studies of two of these medicines, given as shots every month or so, found they cut the frequency of the notoriously painful and disabling headaches. The drugs are the first preventive medicines developed specifically for migraines. They work by interfering with a substance involved in modifying nerve ... READ MORE
