Plan a caregiving strategy for anyone
American retirees often become both givers and receivers of care and financial support. Usually, they are providers early in their retirement and end up as the recipients as they grow older and possibly outlive their retirement funds. People don’t often include these situations in their retirement planning. Figuring out how to prepare for them can protect you in retirement. Providing... READ MORE
Technology can help check in on loved ones
Dear Savvy Senior, After watching the coverage of the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case, I’m worried about my own elderly mother, who lives alone in another state. I want to make sure she’s safe without being intrusive. Are there simple, affordable ways to check in on her from afar? —Concerned Son Dear Concerned, You’re not alone. High-profile cases like this often heighten... READ MORE
Solo aging in place can be bad for your health
For most of human history, people did not age alone. They lived in villages, extended families and small communities because sharing resources was not just a nice idea — it was survival. Somewhere between suburban sprawl and high-rise living, we replaced that model with something far more expensive and far more isolating: aging by yourself, in a house you can no longer maintain or in a ... READ MORE
How to find a quality nursing home
Dear Savvy Senior, Can you give me some tips on picking a good nursing home for my father? Since his stroke, I’ve been taking care of him at home, but he’s gotten to the point where it’s too much for me to handle. —Exhausted Daughter Dear Exhausted, Choosing a nursing home for a loved one that provides quality is a very important decision that requires careful... READ MORE
Find the right retirement community for you
In my hometown, my aunt worked at what everybody called the “old folks’ home.” I used to tag along as a boy because I liked the people who lived there. In the old folks’ home, ageist as that term is, people had roommates and ate community meals and maybe joined a weekly bingo game for entertainment. Oh, how times have changed. Four decades later, shopping for a new place... READ MORE
DC Housing News April 2026
The Riviera debuts in Alexandria Last month, the first residents moved into a brand-new luxury senior living building in Alexandria, Virginia. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will make the opening of The Riviera official this month. Located next to The Landing, an assisted living and memory-care rental building, The Riviera is an independent living community with 129 apartments for rent. If... READ MORE
Virtual reality opens doors for older people
Like many retirement communities, The Terraces serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engage in bold adventures. But they can still be thrust back to their days of wanderlust and thrill-seeking whenever caretakers at the community in Los Gatos, California, schedule a date for residents — many of whom are in their 80s and... READ MORE
Donate your castoffs to a good cause
A fire-engine-red taffeta flapper dress hung in my closet for decades, a snazzy frock that my mother stitched for my middle-school play. Because she made it, I hated to part with it. My solution? I finally donated it to the little history museum in my hometown, where curators were delighted to display it, along with my two teenage charm bracelets. Many seniors, as they try to downsize ... READ MORE
Keep a ‘File of Life’ on your fridge
When firefighters respond to an emergency in a home, they’re trained to check the refrigerator. That’s where many homeowners keep a “File of Life” — a list of their medications, emergency contacts and other important information. The typed or handwritten list can be posted to the front or side of refrigerator with a magnet or in a magnetic sleeve. The File of Life lists... READ MORE
Old long-term care insurance policies fall short
Consumers who purchased long-term care insurance (LTC) policies several years ago have discovered that they did not have any protection from increases in premiums. State insurance departments in charge of regulating the industry have by and large allowed insurance companies to increase premiums for existing policies. In many cases, consumers’ premiums have more than doubled, and such... READ MORE
Housing 2026
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