I know you share my vision of creating a healthier community for everyone who calls the Quad Cities home.

There is something you can do today to help!  Join me in voting for Davenport which has been selected as a finalist in the state-wide competition to become an Iowa Blue Zones™ community.   If Davenport wins, then the entire Quad Cities will benefit.

We are seeking 10,000 more votes before May 1st to show that all of our residents and businesses are behind this effort.  We are especially looking for people who live and work in Davenport to take a pledge to support this project using their Davenport zip code.

So please, take a minute to vote for our community at http://www.bluezonesproject.com/users/sign_up/.   And, ask others to do the same. Because this simple act could have a positive impact on all of us for years to come.

Nicole A. Carkner

Here's to our well-being!

Executive Director

QCHI

Thanks to Baby Boomers and modern medical marvels, more Americans than ever are heading into their senior years, and they're expected to live longer than ever, too. Barely 50 years ago, our average life expectancy was 62.5 years; today that number has risen to 78.2 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

That means that more Americans than ever will also soon be deciding how to handle their eldercare. Steve Casto, Retirement Income Specialist and author of Is Your Retirement Headed in the Right Direction?, (www.stevecasto.com), says there are important questions and answers to consider before making that critical decision.

"The key thing to balance is the difference between what you think you'll need and what you can afford between your liquid assets and insurance coverage," Casto said. "If you don't start by asking yourself the right questions, you'll never get to the answers that will lead to a successful long-term care plan."

Here are some questions - and their answers:

Q. Should I opt for nursing-home or in-home care insurance?
A. When selecting insurance plans, protect against your worst risk first. In-home care is more about maintenance, while care outside the home is focused on crises. Home care is good for when a person needs help getting around. If he has a stroke, he'd need to be cared for outside the home initially, so there is a need for both.

Q. What should I select as my daily allowance?
A. If your health deteriorates, a daily allowance of $100 per day could cover all your care outside the home, but only a third of the care inside the home. Your home-care costs could rocket to more than $400 or more per day, so plan for the worst.

Q. What is an elimination period?
A. Sometimes referred to as the "waiting" or "qualifying" period, this refers to the length of time between the beginning of an injury or illness and receiving benefit payments from an insurer. With long-term care, the typical elimination period is 90 days, which means you are responsible for covering the first 90 days of care on your own. Most people believe that Medicare covers the first 90 days, which is dead wrong. It only covers it under certain conditions, and not all patients meet those conditions, which include :

o A nursing home stay that follows a three-day hospital stay
o Admission to a nursing home within 30 days of hospital discharge
o A Medicare-certified nursing home
o Physician-certified need for skilled care on a daily basis

Your best bet is to be insured through a long-term care policy for that first 90 days.

"These are just a few of the issues," Casto says. "A good starting point for those planning early is to completely discount the idea of getting a dime from Medicare. Even if it is still around when you need long-term care, the restrictions on Medicare are tightening. You'll be lucky to get the program to pay for 10 percent of a nursing home stay.

"The real answer is to get a solid long-term care insurance policy that is based on a sound plan."

About Steve Casto

Steve Casto is founder and president of Strategic Wealth Solutions, Inc. an Omaha, Neb.-based financial firm that manages money for investors in the Midwest. Steve helps clients reduce their tax bill, minimize their risk, and ensure they don't outlive their money. He's the author of Is Your Retirement Heading in the Right Direction? and offers presentations on how to increase income while reducing taxes.

Every year, 1 million U.S. women with high-risk pregnancies are placed on bed rest to protect their developing babies. Despite that, every year, about 500,000 newborns - one of every eight - arrive too early, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Enduring a high-risk pregnancy can be an overwhelming experience of stress, fear and unknowns, leading to more questions than answers. Many of these moms adhere to strict regimes of bed rest; face major changes in lifestyle and relationships; and are subject to dozens of doctor visits and even surgery or medications to protect their unborn children. For them, birth may not be the joy-filled event most families expect.

Knowing those feelings all too well, research scientist Kelly Whitehead wrote High-Risk Pregnancy: Why Me? Understanding and Managing a Potential Preterm Pregnancy (www.hrpwhyme.com), which is backed by fetal and maternal medicine specialist Dr. Vincenzo Berghella, a top pre-term birth researcher. Whitehead's first child died following his premature birth. During her next pregnancy, she spent 4½ months in bed worrying over and trying to protect her daughter.

The book is both a medical reference and provides emotional support for mothers-to-be, with Whitehead providing answers in layman's terms to the myriad medical questions families have. Whitehead also shares coping strategies she discovered, along with what she's learned through benefit of hindsight, and insights from other mothers.

• Try to enjoy being pregnant. Don't miss out on this experience because you're high-risk. Do the normal prego things, even if you have to modify them: Shop online, get a belly cast, shoot expanding-belly photos, and savor those kicks and body changes. Don't forget or stop dreaming about the actual birth and your desires for what it will be like. I regretted missing out on so much while carrying my daughter. Rather than enjoying the pregnancy, I kept focused on the end and my hope she would survive.

• Don't let your emotions become your enemy. Say goodbye to guilt - this is not your fault!  It's okay to be bitter, angry and upset at the world, and to hate "normal" pregnant women, but it isn't going to change anything. So go get mad, yell, and cry, and then move on.

• Pelvic rest sounds easy, but it isn't. It's not fun being forced to become a nun, so don't. There are still ways to enjoy intimacy; you just need to get creative. Think high school - remember how much fun necking was? Try body oil, a massage...whipped cream? Sexy lingerie is still hot, even if you're pregnant. Flaunt your new assets - they surely went up a cup size or two.

• Educate yourself about your situation. Don't go reading about every other possible scenario out there; you don't need to worry about problems that aren't a likely issue for you.

• Ask and you shall receive. It may sometimes feel as though people have forgotten about you, but the reality is they're busy and they have no idea what's it's like for you. If you want company, reach out and invite someone over.

"I know it's tough to be going through a high-risk pregnancy and living in fear every day," Whitehead says. "Though this will be the toughest time of your life, many of us have been through it and now have our children. You can, too.

"Keep your chin up and keep hoping. Healthy babies are born every day to families who've walked the same path."

About Kelly Whitehead

Kelly Whitehead is a scientist-mom, who lost a preemie son and went on to have two high-risk pregnancies. She wrote High-Risk Pregnancy: Why Me? Understanding and Managing a Potential Preterm Pregnancy as an educational tool and emotional guide for those experiencing a difficult pregnancy and the providers who work with them. She is also a trained doula, birth advocate and spokesperson for Sidelines National High Risk Pregnancy Support Network. For more information, check out www.hrpwhyme.com.