Aging Untold: How to negotiate medical debt before you pay
(Aging Untold) — On this episode of Aging Untold, we share practical steps to help families manage mounting medical bills and navigate debt after a health crisis.
We examine the Beers Criteria to highlight common medications that carry increased risks after age 65.
We also reveal how scammers use artificial intelligence to create convincing celebrity deepfakes and show you how to spot the red flags online.
Medical debt is rising for older adults — how to push back before you pay
Millions of older adults have medical debt. Before you pay a bill, there are some things that you can do.
One is to ask for the bill before the procedure instead of waiting until after you have had it performed.
Amy O’Rourke, an aging expert, said getting cost information ahead of time gave her the power to make a different choice about her own care, which lowered the bill.
She also advises that patients have another person with them to help review or sign paperwork rather than sign it when you are alone.
She said that when you do get a bill, you might be able to negotiate it.
Read the full article here to find out how.
Beers Criteria: The medication list every senior should know about
The Beers List is a little-known medication list that could help protect aging loved ones from falls, confusion and dangerous drug reactions/
As we age, our bodies process medicine differently — and a drug that felt fine at 40 can cause problems at 70. Even small details, like whether a pill can be cut, chewed or dissolved, can carry serious consequences for older adults.
The American Geriatrics Society publishes the “Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults.”.
The American Geriatrics Society publishes the “Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults.”
Gerontologist “Sam” Cradduck said the list includes around 100 medications and their adverse effects on the aging population.
Read the full article here.
AI scammers target sports fans with celebrity deepfakes
Scammers are targeting sports fans by using artificial intelligence to create convincing fake images and videos of celebrities and athletes. The schemes have cost victims thousands of dollars.
Ray Waldheim runs the verified “Atlanta Braves Chop Live” fan page and he constantly sees fake photos of real players on other pages that often feature AI-generated images designed to tug at heartstrings.
The emotional manipulation can cost victims thousands.
Retired firefighter carves swords to pay down student lunch debt
Chris Monroe, a retired firefighter, makes wooden swords, and the donations he receives for them are going toward paying down school lunch debt.
He started making them for his grandchildren, then neighborhood children wanted them.
At the end of the school year, Monroe takes the donations he receives to a local school district, where they are used to pay down student lunch debt.
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