Balanced Living

November 2007

Activity Can Help Control Diabetes

November is American Diabetes Month

You already know how important it is to incorporate some form of exercise into your daily routine. But did you know that enjoying healthy physical activity, alone or with your family, can have a positive impact on your diabetes? Whether you’r e playing catch in the yard with your kids or enjoying an early morning jog, turning off the television and getting out of the house can improve the way your body responds to your illness.

How will exercise help?
Exercise helps lower your blood sugar. Active muscle can use glucose (blood sugar) without insulin being present. Inactive muscle must have insulin present to get glucose into its cells.

Exercise helps you lose weight. Being overweight makes it harder for your cells to use insulin, a condition called insulin resistance. Shedding extra pounds can help you control your glucose levels. Losing weight also helps you avoid other health problems, such as heart disease, osteoarthritis, and hypertension. Activity helps lower cholesterol, another risk factor for heart disease.

A regular exercise program may help some people with type 2 diabetes decrease -- or even stop -- insulin or oral medication use.

Regular physical activity can relieve stress, strengthen your heart, muscles and bones, improve your blood circulation, and keep your joints flexible.

What kind of activity is best for me?
Find out from your health care provider what types of exercise will be safe for you. The best approach is to start at your own pace and be realistic. If you are inactive, start by taking a brisk walk for five or ten minutes a day. You can also try to be a little more active in the things you do every day. For instance, take the stairs when you can, get off the bus one stop earlier, do chores in the yard or house. Ideally you should build up to 30 to 60 minutes of moderate activity most days of a week. Your activity should include exercises that build strength (such as training with weights) and increase flexibility (such as gentle stretching) as well as aerobic exercise (exercise that increases your heart rate and breathing).

Are there safety measures I should take?
Before and after exercising, measure your blood glucose level. Doing so will help you find out if it's safe for you to exercise. Do not exercise if your blood sugar level is high (greater than 300). That is a sign that your diabetes is out of control. If your blood sugar is low (less than 70), drink 4 ounces of fruit juice or take a few glucose tablets to bring your blood sugar up. It is a good idea to eat a small snack, such as a piece of fruit, before exercising. Also, drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. If you notice signs of low blood sugar, such as shakiness, during exercise, check your blood sugar level to make sure it has not fallen too low.

There is no limit to the activities you can do. But to be safe, always talk with your doctor before you start an exercise plan. Then take one giant step into action.

For more information:
http://www.diabetes.org
http://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/logon?target=diabetes

Easing Adoption Anxieties

November is National Adoption Month

The legal process of adopting a child is a lot easier to cope with than the frustrating roller coaster of emotions that comes with the experience. There are different types of adoptions, so consider what works for you.

The Basics
Foreign adoptions often have long waiting lists, there are sometimes age restrictions, and they usually involve traveling to the child's birth country. On the other hand, children of foreign adoptions have already been determined "adoptable and available," which might not be the case with local adoptions.

If you're adopting a child born in another state, you must follow that state's requirements.

Next you need to decide whether to go through an adoption agency or a private party, such as the birth parent. Usually, an agency has already obtained an order relinquishing or terminating the rights of the birth parents, which saves worrying over whether the birth parents will change their minds. Please be aware that the rights of birth parents are governed by the laws of your state. Always check with your local government to determine what rules are in place that would allow birth parents to challenge or interrupt adoption proceedings should they have a change of heart.

On the other hand, being patient and going through a private adoption process may bring you a child who wouldn't be available through an agency. Several states don't permit private placements, so check that before investing time, energy, and money.

Private adoptions can be "open" or "closed." Open adoptions mean the birth parent keeps in touch with the child, through letters and photos or visits. A birth parent going through a private adoption is sometimes looking specifically for adoptive parents who'll support an open arrangement.

Consider what age child you would like to adopt. There are many older, special-needs children waiting for loving homes right now, without any wait. Are you willing to adopt a child who's been removed from his birth parents' home because of abuse or neglect? Are you willing to adopt a child with disabilities?

If you're a stepparent adopting a stepchild, you face different considerations. If the child is a minor, can you get the consent of the other biological parent? If you're adopting a teenager, will the stepchild consent to the adoption? Will adopting your stepchild mean the end of child support from the parent whose rights are being terminated?

Aside from attorney fees, the costs of adoption vary greatly.

For an infant, you'll probably end up paying the medical bills of the birth mother, support for her immediately before and after birth, and sometimes even educational expenses for her. With foreign adoptions, you'll likely pay for the process in both the child's country and your local court, plus the cost of immigration for your child.

Getting Help
Advertising adoption services is restricted in some states. Check with your state bar association to find out if there's certification or licensing in adoption, and if so, whether they can provide you with a list of certified attorneys near you.

Look for local organizations of parents who've already been through the process. They can be fountains of information and know which attorneys do a great job.

In some cities, there are attorneys who've represented many birth mothers in private adoptions, and may know of birth mothers looking for adoptive parents for their children. These "facilitator" attorneys can sometimes be located through local bar associations or a local attorney who knows of one.

When interviewing an attorney, ask to talk with previous clients, assuming privacy concerns permit.

Ask how fees are billed. You can expect to sign a fee agreement when you hire an attorney.

If you're working with a private placement, find out whom the attorney is representing, as it's often the birth parent. If so, you may want to hire your own attorney to make sure you're not taken advantage of when it comes to medical bills, support of the birth mother, and other costs.

What's Next?
The legal processing of an adoption can seem agonizingly slow when you're waiting for that special person to arrive. While procedures vary by state and country, here's a guideline for U.S. Adoptions:

Just before or after filing a Petition for Adoption, you'll go through a preplacement home study. A social worker or court worker will come to your home to ask questions about your family history, health, and family resources. Although this can be anxiety provoking, remember that you're not expected to be perfect. The evaluator's job is just to make sure that your home is suitable for a child and that you can care for a child. If you've furnished a nursery, bought some clothes for the new arrival, or made other preparations, make sure to show the evaluator. And be honest with your answers.

You need to obtain the consent of the birth parents, or go through another process to terminate their parental rights if they're unwilling to consent. Usually a court will terminate a nonconsenting parent's rights only where there has been very inappropriate conduct towards the child by the parent or if it can be proven that the parent abandoned the child.

If a birth parent is a minor, the court appoints the court appoints an advocate or guardian to protect their rights and ensure they're not being coerced into relinquishing their child. If a birth mother is married, her husband may be the presumed father (whether or not he's the actual biological father), and you need to obtain his consent as well as the consent of the biological father.

If the child has Native American roots, you may need to go through a special procedure under the Indian Child Welfare Act to determine whether there's anyone within the child's own tribe who wants to adopt the child.

In the case of an infant, you can go to court for a relinquishment hearing shortly after a child's birth (usually at least two days later). Then you can take the child home and begin a new life together.

Later on, a social worker or court worker will do a post-placement study to make sure that the child is being adequately cared for and everyone's adjusting.

Sometime later, the relinquishment order can be converted into a final decree of adoption. After that, the decree can be set aside only if the birth parent can prove that their consent was obtained under fraud or duress, or that there was some glitch in the process that invalidates the entire proceeding. This is very rare. The more time passes, the less likely a court will overturn an adoption decree.

When the decree of adoption is entered, the court will make arrangements to have the child's birth certificate changed to name you as the child's parent, just as if you were the birth parent.

From then on, your adoptive child enjoys all the legal privileges of any child born to you, including any rights of inheritance.

For more information:
http://www.adoptioncouncil.org
http://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/logon?target=adoption

Personal Care for Someone with Alzheimer's Disease

November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

Over time, your loved one will need more and more help with daily tasks. But, at any stage, let your loved one do as much as possible.

Eating and Drinking

At least once a day, sit down together for a meal. Meals are a nice time to be social. It also lets you keep better track of the amount and type of food that’s eaten.
Make each meal as healthy as possible. Ask the doctor whether food supplements will help.
Be sure to provide plenty of fluids.

Dressing

If your loved one dresses himself or herself, don’t worry if the clothes don’t always match.
Choosing what to wear may be too much for a person with Alzheimer’s. Try laying out an outfit each day. Lay out the clothes in the order that they should be put on.
When help is needed, try to hand over each item of clothing and tell how to put it on.

Bathing and Grooming

Your loved one may be sensitive about being reminded to bathe. It may help to treat bathing as an expected activity that happens at a fixed time each day.
Prepare the water and other bath items ahead of time.
Visits to a barbershop or beauty salon may be helpful for hair washing, hair styling, and shaving.

Taking Medications

Keep track of daily medications. A sectioned pillbox and a checklist may help.
Don’t re ly on your loved one’s word that medication has been taken. Make sure it is taken on time and in the right amount.
Store medications in a safe place to prevent too much from being taken by mistake.

For more information:
http://www.alz.org
http://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/

Finding a Down Payment
to Buy a House

In today's real estate market, lack of a down payment discourages many would-be home buyers. Most home buyers don’t h ave large cash reserves and will want to make as low a down payment as possible. While putting 20% down was once traditional, it's now rare. However, you'll need a high credit score to find a low-down payment loan, and no-down payment loans are becoming hard to find.

Still, there are advantages to putting some money down. You lower your monthly mortgage payments, and if you put 20% or more down, you avoid paying for private mortgage insurance (PMI).

If you haven't already saved up thousands of dollars, here are some ways to raise the needed funds.

Using a Gift to Help With the Down Payment
Family, especially parents and grandparents, will often help with home purchases. As a practical matter, the gift must come from a close family member -- the lender involved in the rest of the deal won’t tr ust that gifts from distant family members or friends are not secret loans.

Gifts up to $12,000 per year per person can be given without worrying about gift tax. This means, for example, that every year your mother and father can give you and your spouse a total of $48,000 without having to file a gift tax return. They should also give you a letter stating that the money is indeed a gift with no expectation of repayment.

Borrowing Down Payment Money From a Relative or Friend
Another way to raise money for a down payment is to borrow it from friends and family -- many people prefer to ask their loved ones for a loan rather than a gift. Of course, you must repay the money, and your bank or institutional lender will factor this addition to your debt burden into its own decision on whether to loan you money.

Sharing Space
Buying a house together with someone who isn't a spouse or partner is a growing trend. No wonder, since it can cut your costs in half and help you break into the real estate market.

Substituting a Second Mortgage for a Down Payment
An institutional lender or in rare cases, the seller or a private investor, can also help you bridge the gap between how much you can borrow on a primary loan and the cost of your house. They would take a second mortgage for some or all of the needed amount. The down sides of second mortgages include higher interest rates and, in the case of some short-term second mortgages, lump-sum payments (balloon payments) at the end of the term.

Using Equity in an Existing House
Trading up is an integral part of the homeownership dream. You buy a starter house, wait for it to go up in value and sell it, and use the profit as most or all of the down payment on a nicer house.

Assuming a rising real estate market, trading up to raise down payment money works better than saving money or making other investments, because purchasing a house is a highly leveraged transaction -- the amount you invest is only a small part of the amount you borrow. In any leveraged transaction, you see big gains not only on your money, but also on money you’ve borrowed.

For example, if you put $20,000 down on a $200,000 house (borrowing $180,000) and the house jumps to $300,000, you’ve m ade $100,000 with a $20,000 investment. By contrast, if you deposited the same $20,000 in an unleveraged investment, such as stock or art, and it goes up the same 50%, you’d en d up with $30,000.

For more information:
http://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/logon?target=buying_a_home