Ray's Retire Right Report Retire Right — Retire Smart! Raymond T. Martin, Retirement Coach and Medicare Planning
August 2025 Happy August! Summer is in full swing and the days are long and warm! Here is your monthly dose of funnies and trivia to make you smile!
August is "World Mutt-i-Grees Rescues Month" August 10th - 14th is "Weird Contests Week" And August 7th is "Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day"
Elephant Exercise Anchorage, Alaska had just one elephant in a zoo, Maggie, and she was kept inside most of the time because of the cold weather. She was gaining weight and the lack of exercise was not good for her health. Zoo officials came up with a good idea to get her moving. They commissioned an Idaho company that makes conveyor belts to build the world’s largest treadmill, 22’ long and very sturdy. Apparently, you can lead an elephant to a treadmill but not make her exercise. Maggie’s handlers could not coax her to put more than three legs on the machine, no matter what treats were offered (even peanuts!) She was moved to a zoo in Northern California where she gained robust health and the companionship of fellow elephants. And the treadmill? It was given to the four-time winner of Iditarod sled race, Martin Buser. It is the perfect size to train an entire team of sled dogs at once!
How did the blimp get its name? (See the Answer Area.)
Custodial care includes the kind of activities that most people do for themselves, like using eye drops, bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, and housekeeping. It is typically provided by caregivers who are not licensed medical professionals. The need for care can arise due to age, disability, or an illness that affects an individual's ability to perform activities of daily life on their own. And it can be provided at home, in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, and adult day care centers. Medicare does not pay for custodial care if that is the only care you need. Medicare does cover nursing skilled care, which involves medically necessary services provided by licensed nurses or therapists. As a Medicare beneficiary you may receive up to 100 days of skilled nursing care per “benefit period.” That term is unique to Medicare; it begins when you are admitted to a hospital or skilled nursing facility as an inpatient and ends after you haven’t received inpatient care for 60 consecutive days. You can have many “benefit periods” in a calendar year. Generally, families cover the need for custodial care with family caregivers, long-term care insurance or Medicaid assistance. A homeowner can take out a reverse mortgage. Some Medicare Advantage plans offer meal delivery, rides to appointments, or other services which help with custodial care. That’s why it’s so important to carefully select the Medicare plan. If you need help navigating your Medicare maze of options and understanding what is and is not covered, call me. That’s what I do!
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