Medicare D Policies and Cost of Chronic Illness Medication: Ideas for Change
By Carolyn Spence Cagle PhD, RNC-E Twenty-five percent of retirees ages 65 to 69 take 5 daily medications, including costly brand name drugs, to manage their health. The high cost of prescription drugs continues to plague many Americans, including retirees with Medicare D policies. These plans lack annual limits on insured persons’ payment for drugs, […]
Living in a “Blue Zone:” Ideas for a Longer Life
By Carolyn Spence Cagle PhD, RNC-E Many recent media sources have focused on “ways to live longer,” a topic I believe of interest for TCU retirees for this column. Living longer means considering ways to support sufficient retirement monies for a productive lifespan that differs from earlier generations. Recent literature indicates five global areas (“Blue […]
Treasures Abound
At our April 16 luncheon we will honor “A TCU Treasure.” This award, inaugurated in 2018, is given to a retired faculty or staff member for exemplary service during his/her career at TCU, and who through that service enhanced the reputation and stature of the University. Our members submit nominations to be considered by the […]
Time to Maybe “Move On”: A New Doctor-Patient Relationship?
By Carolyn Spence Cagle Ph.D., RNC-E Most of us rely on a strong doctor-patient relationship to meet our overall health needs that may increase with aging. The current complexity of health care supports our need and patient right for a doctor who advocates for us, shows clinical competency, and shows good communication skills with us […]
Taking Things for Granted
I have to admit that writing these columns relies on some amount of inspiration that is usually based on what’s on my mind and/or in my heart the day it’s due to the editor. Today is no different. Two events this week have shaped my heart and mind – spending time with a young Venezuelan […]
TCURA Needs Our Support
“There are many ways our gifts to TCURA enhance the organization’s effectiveness,” Janet Herald told Executive Council members at its February meeting, “but right now we are ‘between a rock and a hard place.’” With Sodexo’s most recent price increase, TCURA’s treasury balance is declining rapidly, she said. The Executive Council expressed its intent to keep […]
End-of-Life Work: Feedback From the Experts
End-of-life discussions involving a loved one pose challenges for most families. Some persons with limited life may be too private to engage in discussions and decisions with family, while others comfortably share their decisions with close family members that will assume responsibility to act on a family member’s end-of-life choices. Even those members may be uncomfortable […]
The Hopes and Concerns of Retirement
I have mentioned previously in this column that TCURA’s Executive Council was considering an idea that Julie and I brought back from the AROHE conference. Actually, it was not a completely new idea for us but is now going to come to fruition thanks to Larry Adams and Stan Hagadone taking the lead to plan it. […]
A TCU Treasure Award to Honor Exemplary Service by a TCU Retiree
Last year our first “A TCU Treasure” award was presented to two deserving retirees, Manny Reinecke and Emmet Smith. The award, which includes a $500 stipend, will be presented again this year at our April 16 luncheon to another retired faculty or staff member for his/her contributions toward fulfilling the mission and values of TCU. We […]
Alzheimer’s Disease: New Hope with Research and Evidence
By Carolyn Spence Cagle PhD, RNC-E Welcome to 2019 and I hope a productive and healthy year. My goal for the “Health Help Now” columns continues to focus on providing information to inform your life choices and ways to actively engage with aging for overall health. That said, I could not wait to share new […]