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It seems that lately, there are always changes to our Social Security. It can be hard to keep up with what is new, and when you have a question, it can be difficult to reach anyone by phone. Most of the time, when you need to speak to someone at the Social Security office, you need to make an appointment to meet in person. Many people understand that before they go to the Social Security office, they should plan to be there for some time. That is why we have researched some of the most frequently asked questions and answers pertaining to Social Security and aging adults. We hope this will be more convenient for you. 

What is the maximum Social Security retirement benefit payable? 

Depending on the age you choose to retire will determine the amount of money you receive from Social Security. If people do not have other income coming in to support themselves, they may choose to work as long as possible. So, let’s say you decide to retire at your full retirement age of 70 in 2022, your maximum benefit would be $4,194. However, if you retire early at 62, your maximum benefit is significantly less at $2364. When ready to retire, you can go to the Social Security website and fill out the online retirement application. The application will let you know how much you put into your social security accounts over the years and calculate your payment based on when you choose to retire. It will give you a good idea on whether you should continue working or if you can afford to retire early. The retirement application is considered the easiest and most efficient way to apply for your retirement benefits. 

How do I earn Social Security credits, and how many are needed to qualify for benefits? 

The Social Security Administration uses your total yearly earnings to determine your Social Security credits. In 2022, the amount needed for credit is $1,510. You are allowed four credits for any year. As average wages increase, the amount needed will also increase, so you might want to check this figure every few years. You must earn a certain number of credits to qualify for Social Security benefits. The number of credits needed depends on the type of benefit you apply for and your age. No one needs more than 40 credits to receive their Social Security benefit. 

What earning types have special rules? 

Usually, Social Security earnings are calculated the same way for most Americans that worked throughout their life. However, there are some types of earnings that have additional rules. The earning types with special rules include the following: 

  • Farm Work 
  • Federal Government Housing 
  • Household Employment 
  • Military Service 
  • Nonprofit or Religious Organizations 
  • Railroad Earnings 
  • Self-Employment 
  • State and Local Government Employment Wages 
  • Work Outside the United States 

How important is it to monitor your earnings? 

If you want to be sure you receive all the money entitled to you when you are due to receive your Social Security benefits, you should be keeping up with exactly how much you are paid each paycheck and recording it. If your employer did not correctly report just one year of your work earnings to Social Security, your future payment could be almost $100 per month less than what it is supposed to be. 

We hope providing some Social Security answers helps clarify specific issues you may have been concerned about in your retirement. At Next Day Access, we care about our customers. Our goal is for each of our customers to live safely and independently at home as they age. While we do not work as benefit analysts, we offer many products like wheelchair ramps, scooters, vehicle lifts, and more to keep you safe and remain in your home as you age. Please do not hesitate to contact your nearest Next Day Access if you have questions or would like to schedule an in-home consultation. 

Scams targeting aging adults are getting more creative. According to Amy Nofziger, AARP’s director of fraud victim support, “Scammers stay on top of whatever is new, such as the popularity of Zoom, Covid-19 vaccines, and online shopping. They then move fast to create ploys that best fit the moment.”

No one wants to see an aging loved one become the victim of fraud. It is essential that you are aware of potential scams and make sure the aging adult in your life does not fall victim to one. Here are a few of the top scams currently targeting aging adults: 

Fake Online Shopping Websites 

These online shops look more accurate today than ever since they use photos from real online shops. The scammers copy the original site’s look to trick your loved one into believing they are buying things from their favorite site. They are left without any items being delivered or a lower quality item being delivered. If your loved one has a website, they enjoy shopping from, advise them to check the online reviews or the Better Business Bureau’s online directory to ensure the site is legitimate. 

Scam Text Messages 

In this scam scenario, the fraudsters are texting aging adults urgent messages claiming something is wrong with their bank account, credit card, or phone service. They are then asking for personal information such as account numbers, social security numbers, pin codes, or more so they can steal your loved one’s identity. Many aging adults do not expect scams to come from text messages, but it has become one of the most popular ways for scammers to target these communities. 

Fake Prescription Drugs 

Aging adults consume about one-third of all prescription drugs in the United States. Your aging loved one could receive an email claiming that a company can offer them their medicine at a lower price. The people sending these emails often try to get your loved one’s insurance information and credit card number. They then will send placebo pills. Also, many pharmacies now offer drop-off services. Your loved one needs to be sure they trust their pharmacy, many pharmacies will not replace your loved one’s medicine if it is not delivered, yet this primarily pertains to medicine that is a controlled substance. Regardless, make sure your aging loved one is vigilant about going through their doctors for their medicine, and if they cannot pick up their medicine on their own, they need to send someone they trust. 

These are just a few of the scams out there today. It is highly beneficial if you keep watch over aging adults to ensure they avoid being taken advantage of. 

The time may come when your aging loved one can no longer handle their financial responsibilities. Discussing finances is a delicate but important conversation. With a sensitive approach, you can work with your loved one slowly, making the transition as smooth and comfortable as possible.

Here are a few tips for taking on the management of your loved one’s finances:

Discuss Finances Early

Try to speak to them sooner than later about finances, especially if they have growing health concerns. You can simply bring it up in conversation. “Who will handle your affairs if problems ever arise?” The National Institute on Aging recommends parents give advance written consent to a designated family member.

You can go so far as to discuss the Power of Attorney with them. Whoever they designate as power of attorney not only helps control finances but also discusses critical medical factors with their doctors like their treatment plans.

Spend Time Together

Sit down with them and pay bills together to help your loved ones trust you. Go over their budget with them, showing you how they properly paid things before the new arrangement. This allows you and your loved one to get used to the new arrangement and can help them see you only have their best interest at heart. 

Budget Together

When you are going over the budget, show them how they can switch retirement funds to direct deposits (if they were not switched already) and double-check the insurance is still valid and vital paperwork is up to date. Once you have reviewed and made sure all paperwork is accurate, secure it in a safe place where only you and your loved one can access it easily. 

Communicate

Communicate with your loved one anytime you are paying bills from their accounts. You should also keep excellent documentation, including receipts, to avoid any future misunderstandings. 

Separate Finances

Keep your finances separate from your loved one’s finances. It may seem convenient to combine finances, but this is a slippery slope. It is also a sure-fire way to decrease your loved one’s feelings of independence and possibly their trust.  

At Next Day Access, we understand the many challenges of caring for an aging loved one. We hope these tips will make speaking to your loved one about finances easier. We enjoy lending our support through the advice you can find on our blogs as well as by offering many different products in-store to make your loved one safe and comfortable at home.

From grab bars to vehicle lifts, we have an abundance of products geared to helping anyone with accessibility concerns. Please continue to read our blogs and contact us today.

Have you reached the point in life where it is time to take care of the parents or grandparents that once took care of you? As your loved ones grow older, they often need help with small tasks like picking up groceries, making health-related decisions, or bathing. Whatever their needs may be, it is essential to be supportive and not overbearing. Here are a few steps to help guide you as you navigate supporting an aging loved one. 

Step 1: Assess Their Needs 

Assessing your loved one’s needs is most important when learning to be supportive rather than making them feel like they have not lost their independence. Experts recommend considering the following issues seniors often face to help you better assess their needs:

  • Family support 
  • Home safety 
  • Medical needs 
  • Cognitive health 
  • Mobility
  • Personal hygiene 
  • Meal preparation 
  • Social interaction 

How well do they handle each area listed above? Try to monitor their ability to address each of these areas on their own. Regarding family support, is there another family that can help? If so, it is an innovative idea for you to keep a family notebook. In this notebook, you can share with family when you notice they might lack the ability to care for themselves or are unsafe. You can work together to make the necessary changes.  

Step 2: Be Financially Prepared 

As parents or loved ones grow older, they may need help managing finances. While having conversations about money can be awkward, and some may want to avoid it, discussing it now can help prepare for the future. You can start the conversation by asking about essential documents, gathering information about accounts and key contacts, and helping with deciding long-term plans. If you talk to your loved ones now, it will give them more control over financial decisions, so you aren’t overwhelmed with what they would want in an emergency.

Step 3: Install Home Modifications 

To avoid your loved one from sustaining an injury in their home, having accessibility experts evaluate their home for any safety concerns is essential. Older adults fall easier, and a fall can cause injuries or even death. With home modifications, such as grab bars or stairlifts, your loved one can live comfortably and safely at home.

It is a noble endeavor to take on someone else’s needs. It can sometimes feel daunting, yet if you have a plan, you will be more capable of meeting your loved one’s needs. Next Day Access is here to help. Next Day Access can assist you with determining the home modifications you will need to ensure your loved one stays as safe as possible. Contact us for a free in-home consultation. 

We all want to feel like our home is an oasis. It is the one place that we should feel the safest and most comfortable. For anyone with a disability, this can be especially true because sometimes the world is not always an accommodating place. In many cases, home accessibility equipment becomes the answer to improve quality of life and ability to live independently.

Unfortunately, it can get expensive to maintain, update or renovate a house with professional accessibility modifications. If you are a homeowner, this could mean dipping into your savings account, refinancing your home, getting a home equity line of credit, or looking into other refinancing options. Ideally, insurance would cover everything, but that is just not the case, and others may not have insurance. Everyone’s situation is different. Whether you are newly injured or have an illness that requires mobility equipment to get around, most people with disabilities, at some time, need aid in financing mobility equipment. Help is out there if you know where to look. 

To get the ball rolling, your first step should be calling Next Day Access. At Next Day Access, we work with our customers to help them determine what accessibility products would work best for them. We will come to your house for a free home safety evaluation. The evaluation will allow us to inspect the different rooms in your home. With that, we can see what accessibility products would make your home a more comfortable and safer environment. Once your Next Day Access professional determines what products you need, you will begin the financing process. 

You can start by taking the time to research disability-related grants. HomeAdvisor.com has an extensive list of grants to help you fund mobility equipment, renovations to your home, or even purchasing a home with accessibility needs already installed. I.e., wider hallways or lower cabinets. Some grants cover only part of the expenses, while others award the entire cost. 

You can also take advantage of state assistance programs like the Assistive Technology Projects. The Assistive Technology Project aims to increase aging individuals or people with disabilities access to assistive technology. These projects give short-term or long-term loans for accessibility equipment but do not charge interest on the loan.  

There are several different opportunities for receiving aid for funding your accessibility needs. Next Day Access also offers funding. You can choose to rent accessibility products if your disability is temporary. We also offer rent-to-own and other financing options if you have a permanent disability. At Next Day Access, we treat our customers like family. Our goal is to make sure your home is as accessible and comfortable. Contact us to schedule your home evaluation or to discuss your options.  

Everyday life challenges don’t end for military service members once their time serving has concluded. Veterans deserve to have the resources available to live a quality life in their homes, especially as they get older. Like for most, one of the obstacles is the affordability of home modifications. A walk-in shower might be needed, but it can be expensive. Wheelchair ramps are more affordable but can still put a strain on a Veteran’s budget. Fortunately, several grants and assistance funding programs are available specifically for Veterans, and we’ve highlighted them here.

Specially Adapted Housing (SAH)

Veterans are eligible for the SAH grant if they suffered a severe disability while serving, including loss of limbs, burn injuries, blindness, and more. The purpose of this grant is to provide Veterans the chance to live barrier-free in the comfort of their home. This could include renovating their current home or building a new home. The SAH grant can cover things like a walk-in shower or wheelchair ramps that make it easier for a disabled Veteran to navigate their home. The maximum amount for the grant is roughly $90,000.

Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA)

The HISA grant covers Veterans who are currently disabled, and it doesn’t matter if their disability came from their service time or not. All it requires is a recommendation from a medical professional that they need some sort of home modification to move around safely. Some of the items that could be covered include wheelchair ramps, a vertical platform lift, kitchen modifications, and more. The HISA grant amount varies but is usually up to $6,800 depending on the type of disability.

Special Housing Adaptation (SHA)

The SHA grant is similar to the SAH grant in that it provides Veteran homeowners with the resources necessary to modify their homes to make them safer and more accessible. To be eligible for the SHA grant, the Veteran must have suffered their disability while serving. Some of the home modifications the grant covers include grab bars or handrails, shower chairs, modified walkways, and more. Veterans can qualify for up to three SHA grants throughout their life, and the maximum amount for a single grant is around $18,000.

Next Day Access works with Veterans to ensure they have the resources they need to live comfortably. Our professionals can come to your home and provide a free home assessment to help you determine what would be most beneficial. And we always offer affordable prices so no one will be turned away because of budgeting concerns. Be sure to contact us today to schedule your free home assessment, and we would love to help you.

Freedom & mobility begin at Next Day Access, where we provide turnkey solutions for your accessibility needs. We offer painless installation of commercial and residential wheelchair ramps, stair lifts, grab bars, patient lifts and other home accessibility products.

Our “Whole Home – Whole Life” approach means comfort and accessibility in your current home. Next Day Access is here to provide you with mobility solutions that give you freedom and peace of mind. Our goal is to help provide solutions that allow you to enjoy every level and space of your home. We even offer flexible financing options to help connect you with the products you need for more independence and peace of mind.

Contact us to start your journey to freedom & mobility!

Our Accessibility Products

Wheelchair Ramps

Accessibility in and out of the home starts with a safe and reliable wheelchair ramp. Next Day Access will design a wheelchair ramp to fit any home to meet the specific needs of any customer. With the most complete line of wheelchair ramps on the market, Next Day Access delivers freedom and independence right to your door!

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Wheelchairs and Scooters

Next Day Access offers a number of wheelchairs and scooters which are durable, reliable, and maintenance free and customized to meet the needs of our customers. We also offer mobility scooters to make travel as easy as possible. Like our wheelchairs, our scooters are well-made, long-lasting, and reliable.

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Stair Lifts

Home is the place where we find sanctuary and comfort in familiar surroundings. Why settle for anything less than total access to each floor of your home? A stair lift allows you to move confidently and safely from level to level.

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Patient Lifts

Our patient lifts assist caregivers in moving a patient from a bed to a wheelchair or even to a bathroom to access a tub, shower, or toilet. Patient lifts help prevent injury to the caregiver or patient while moving an individual from the bed to other areas in the room or home.

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Residential Elevators

Home elevators provide safer access to each level of your home. Elevators are easy and convenient to use. Our product line of home elevators provides a comfortable ride for 1-4 people, depending on which model you choose.

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Porch Lifts / Vertical Platform Lifts

When a ramp is not a feasible option due to space, or if you prefer a more aesthetically pleasing option than a large wheelchair ramp which can take up more space, a porch lift is a great alternative. Porch lifts also offer safety devices to halt the descent if there is an obstacle under the platform as well as an upper gate to ensure safe access at the upper landing.

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Pool Lifts

Next Day Access has many options available to provide access to your pool or spa. Our pool lifts are economical and ADA-compliant, featuring a 350-pound-lifting capacity and a sleek, low-profile design.

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Grab Bars

Creating a sense of security within a home allows for a greater feeling of independence. Grab bars provide stability when moving from wheelchairs to tubs, showers, and other areas for peace of mind.

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Portable Showers

Next Day Access offers a convenient fold-away portable shower for individuals with disabilities who find that traditional bathing facilities are difficult to use. If you are unable to remodel a bathroom to allow for full accessibility, a portable shower is an affordable alternative. Our portable showers are complete shower facilities offering full wheelchair access while requiring no tools or modifications for use.

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Walk-in Tubs

Our bathing solutions for the home are made from the same high-quality materials and meet the same standards as our bathing systems for healthcare facilities. We offer a variety of models to meet a variety of needs: inward or outward swinging doors, tubs that are more compact for smaller spaces, and bariatric models with roomier seating.

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Bathroom Products

Next Day Access offers the top bathroom products on the market, including products from safety poles, Bio Bidets, shower seats, and more. Keeping you safe in your bathroom is our priority!

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